Synchronizing Quotes from Remote QuoteWerks Installations Using GoldMine

GoldMine has a synchronization feature that synchronizes GoldMine contact information between different GoldMine installations such as from a laptop to the master or network installation. When you have selected GoldMine as your contact manager in QuoteWerks, and you save a quote, the quote is saved to the QuoteWerks database, and a copy of the quote is saved to a GoldMine “linked document file” which is created as a record in GoldMine. The GoldMine synchronization process also synchronizes these linked documents, so in effect; GoldMine will synchronize the quotes created in QuoteWerks. In other words, new quotes created at any QuoteWerks/GoldMine installation will be sent to all the other QuoteWerks/GoldMine installations, and changes made to a quote at any location will be updated at the other locations.

Setup the Synchronizing Feature in GoldMine

In order for QuoteWerks to use the GoldMine synchronization features, the GoldMine synchronization features must be setup and configured correctly in GoldMine.

Consult your local GoldMine reseller or FrontRange Software Corporation for help with setting up GoldMine’s synchronization features. QuoteWerks support services does not provide technical support for setting up, or maintaining GoldMine.

Note:

The GoldMine synchronization features should synchronize the documents into the same \QuoteWerks\DTF directory on both the laptop and the network installation. The GoldMine synchronization feature has a requirement that in order for linked document files to be correctly synchronized to their original directories, the relative path of the QuoteWerks directory must be the same on the network installation and the laptop installation. For example, if you install QuoteWerks on your server to the f:\apps\QuoteWerks directory, you must install QuoteWerks on the remote PC into the c:\apps\QuoteWerks directory. This requirement is needed due to the way that the GoldMine synchronization features work.

Correct example of server and laptop installation directories:

Server: f:\apps\QuoteWerks

Laptop: c:\apps\QuoteWerks

Incorrect example of server and laptop installation directories:

Server: f:\apps\QuoteWerks

Laptop: c:\program files\QuoteWerks

Note: Notice how the paths are different (“\apps\QuoteWerks” vs. “\Program Files\QuoteWerks”).

How QuoteWerks Synchronizes Using GoldMine Synchronization Features

When GoldMine is running, and you save a quote you will be presented with the option to create or update a GoldMine linked document file. When you select this option the quote is also saved to this GoldMine linked document file in addition the local quote database. The linked document file is saved to the QuoteWerks\DTF directory and has the same base name as the document number with a .DTF extension. From this point on we will call this file a DTF file (for document # A101, the linked document DTF file name would be A101.DTF).

GoldMine’s synchronization feature will synchronize this file with the other GoldMine locations. If this DTF file does not exist at any other GoldMine locations (because you may have just created it), it will copy this file to the other locations and create the corresponding GoldMine linked document record in the other location’s GoldMine contact record. If the DTF file does exist at other locations, GoldMine will compare the date and time of the file at each location (taking into account time zone changes) to determine which one is the newest. It will then replace all the older DTF files at each location with the newest DTF file.

Take this applied example for two locations A and B. Both location A and B will have the identical version of the quote at 9:00am (first thing in the morning). Since synchronizing is generally done at night, location A could modify document # 101 at 10:00am and location B could modify document #101 at 11:00am. If no more changes were made during the rest of the day, the next morning both locations will have the document #101 that location B had modified. The changes made at location A will be completely lost. Because of the potential for this to happen, QuoteWerks automatically creates a backup copy of a quote before it does any updating. This feature will allow you to restore a quote that has been incorrectly replaced by a different location’s quote. A backup copy of the quote will be saved to a file in the QuoteWerks\DTF directory. The file will have the same base name as the document number, and will have a unique sequentially numbered extension. For document # A101, the backup file name would be A101.B01, A101.B02, A101.B03 etc. Each time the quote is backed up, QuoteWerks will increment the extension, so the latest backup will be the highest numbered extension.

We have talked about how GoldMine synchronizes the DTF linked document files, but not about how QuoteWerks handles these DTF files. QuoteWerks only recognizes that there are new or updated DTF files when you open a quote from QuoteWerks, or when you dbl-click on a linked document record in GoldMine. When you open a quote by either method, if QuoteWerks detects a DTF file linked to the quote it will analyze it. It will compare the DTF file to the version of the quote that is in the local quote database to determine if it is a newer version, the same version, an older version, or if it does not exist in the local quote database.

Newer

If the quote in the DTF file is newer than the quote in the database, a backup copy of the quote in the database will be made, and then it will be replaced with the quote from the DTF file.

Same/Older

If the quote in the DTF file is the same version or an older version, QuoteWerks will ignore the DTF file and open the version that is in the database.

Does Not Exist

If the quote in the DTF file does not exist in the local quote database, it will be added to the local quote database.