Sync data between a windows desktop app and windows mobile client app

Question

I need to knock up a very quick prototype/proof of concept application to demo to someone within the next couple of days so I've minimal time to research this as fully as I normally would. The set-up is a very simple database application running on a laptop - will only ever be a single user updating a couple of tables so I was thinking of knocking up a basic Win Forms app against SQL Compact. Visual Studio's auto generated data grid edit screens will be fine with a little customisation. The second aspect is to then add a windows mobile client application that can pull data from both tables stored on the laptop, edit some data and insert some extra rows before sending the changes back to the laptop copy of the database.

I've not done any WinMo development so what's the best approach for me to look at. Is it easy enough to sync data between the two databases when the WinMo device is connected to the laptop with USB?

Most of the samples I've looked at so far seem to be syncing SQL Compact with SQL Standard using IIS which seems a bit overkill. The volumes of data to be synced are so small that I can easily write some manual sync code if it's easy for me to query/update the Compact DB from the laptop application when the device is connected.

Edit:

I've seen mention that a quick and easy solution is to use RAPI - when the device is connected copy the DB to the laptop, connect and do the necessary magic and then copy it back to the device. Any problems with this approach? This is a single laptop user with a single mobile device user to sync up so it's pretty basic stuff. In any single sync the volume of updates is likely to be less than 10 records.

Answer 1

Take a look at Microsoft's Sync Framework. The have examples of synchronizing SQLCE as well as contact data. The Sync Developer Center page has loads of info as well.

Trying to do this manually is not fun. It sounds easy, but once you get into things like collision detection, precedence, transactions, guaranteed delivery and loads of other stuff you'll find it really isn't as straightforward as you might think.

EDIT

If your scenario really is as easy as you say (i.e. it's not really a sync, but a data copy) then yes, RAPI is probably the easiest mechanism if ActiveSync exists and is acceptable as part of the solution. It's nice because you don't have to write the transport infrastructure, and if what's in the box in't enough, you can always write custom RAPI extensions.