Mobilink > Recommended way to broadcast + sync schema changes?

[former_SQLA_member1694904]

Is there a document that describes the recommended way of dealing with schema changes in a Mobilink setup? I found http://dcx.sap.com/sqla170/en/html/81a9817d6ce2101492e8b8285e7791d9.html but even after reading it, I don't know the answers to the following:

• Should the schema change be done, first, on the (a) LIVE consolidated DB, (b) all LIVE remote DBs, (c) a replica of the consolidated DB, (d) replica of a remote DB, or (e) some combination thereof?
• If the answer to the previous question is (b) or (d), then is there a tool within the mobilink suite that allows one to remotely manage multiple remote DBs easily? If the answer is (a) or (c), then how does on broadcast these changes (related the schema, as well as the synchronization model) to all remote DBs?
• When the schema is changed, and Synchronization Model > Update schema is used, will it update various scripts (upload, download, etc) to deal with the following automatically: (a) newly added columns, (b) newly added tables, (c) altered columns, (d) altered tables?

Related to: https://sqlanywhere-forum.sap.com/questions/35910/mobilink-changing-a-synchronisation-model-after-it...

[Vlad]

Use SAP Mobile Platform... or send a new version of your application to your users. That's why every script has "version".

My pseudo-experience shows that there are always users, who don't update their apps regularly. And you have to invent a model of behavior what to do with them: stop sync for them, push the application from Device Management software, push SQL scripts somehow and apply the change locally.

And yes, mobile development is not that simple 🙂

[Breck_Carter]

The First Rule Of MobiLink Schema Changes is "Don't make any schema changes".

If you choose to ignore that rule, here's an article that may help: Database Synchronization for the Simbex Head Impact Telemetry System

[former_SQLA_member1694904]

Beck, IIUC your blog post introduces a new table (which is also synchronized via ML) that contains SQL migration scripts. Then there is a bit of infra to actually run the SQL migration script on each remote DB. Biggest question in my mind right now: how come this is not already part of Mobilink? And what exactly does the Update Schema function in the GUI do, if not this?