What is Database Synchronization Profile?  

"Database Synchronization Profile" is a link between your desktop database and Pocket PC Contacts. It manages, what database to keep in synchronization with Pocket PC and when to synchronize.

What is DSN/ODBC Database?

DSN or Data Source Name is a way of Database connectivity through ODBC. Pocket PC Contacts Synchronizer allows you to connect to ODBC database using DSNs available on your machine. You can create/manage DSNs on your machine. For that, Click on Config button in Database Selection dialog or on your machine, click Start->[Settings]->Control Panel->[Administrative Tools]->Data Sources (ODBC)

What are filters and How to Apply filters?

While creating Database Profile, you may want to transfer only selected record contents on Pocket PC Contacts. Here, you can apply filters i.e. condition on record contents to transfer on to Pocket PC. Open Apply Filters dialog, Check mark the filters for those you want. Select database field on which you want to apply filter, select appropriate filter operator and enter the filter condition value. You can apply one or more filters. To apply more than one filter, you must select joining in between two filters i.e. "AND" or "OR".
Remember, you must set proper filter value as per field selection. If you selected numeric field, say ID, then filter value must be numeric, say 35. For character data type filter value must be included in single quotes ('). For date/time fields, filter value must be in #.
If you want, you can manually enter filter condition in SQL query instead of using "Apply Filters" dialog.  In SQL query, at the end, put "Where filter conditions" by removing earlier condition, if any.

Here are some examples of filters.

name = 'John'
amount >= 2000
birthdate = #1/1/1978#
time >= #2:10#
birthdate >= '1-jan-1978'

Note: Using # for filter conditions may change depending on which database you are using. MS Access, Excel allows to uses # where as Oracle, SQL Server allows to use single quote (') for date filter values.

SQL Query Example :
Where name='John' and birthdate > #1/1/1978# or EmpID > 15
For Oracle/SQL Server:
Where name='John' and birthdate > '1-jan-1978' or EmpID > 15

What is SQL Query?

SQL Query directs what contents from connected database to synchronize with Pocket PC device. Using "Build Query" dialog user can select tables, fields, filters which is summarized in terms of SQL query,  which Pocket PC Contacts Synchronizer uses to fetch data. What ever changes you made on database, tables, fields, filters etc, finally all these will get reflected in SQL query. So, if user has some SQL knowledge, he can directly modify SQL query to get expected data. Use can enter any valid SQL Select query, which may include table joining, filtering, sorting, grouping etc

What are Sync Option?

Sync Options , means the way by which your database contents will transfer. Using "Desktop Append/Overwrites Pocket PC" your desktop database contents will transfer to Pocket PC Contacts while synchronizing. Using "Pocket PC Append/Overwrites Desktop", Pocket PC Contacts data contents will flow from Pocket PC to desktop. "Do Nothig " will disable profile from transferring data. At any time, you can switch among these options. For "Pocket PC Append/Overwrites Desktop" sync option will be allowed for those profiles which have selected only one table and do not having where clause from that table.

What is Field Mapping?

Field mapping is allows you to map the desktop database fields to Pocket PC Contacts Fields. The user has choice, which desktop database field should be transfer to which field of Pocket PC Contacts. According to this field mapping the records will be transfer to Pocket PC Contacts. At the time of field mapping the user should take care of data types. Pocket PC Contacts Synchronizer allows you to map having any data types to any one of the Poket PC Contact fields except Pocket PC contact birth date and Anniversary field.

All the fields of Pocket PC Contacts having char data types. Only birth date and Anniversary field having the 'date' data types. We check date validation. If you try to map the field having different data types than date to these fields then it will give warning messages. You will have to correct this mapping and precede next.

Suggestion:

You will used char data type to all the fields of Pocket PC Contacts except birthdate and anniversary.
For birthdate and anniversary use field having date/time or date data type.

If you map field having other data types, then still ok, but you should consider following situation. If you map the field phoneno of desktop database to phoneno of Pocket PC contacts. and the data type of phoneno field of desktop is LONG, then you should able to transfer maximum of 10-digit phone number only.

What is Profile Configuration?

Through Profile Configuration, you can view/manage existing profiles. Also you can set, how the profile will work? You can set User with whom Database will be synchronized. You can set occasion of Database Synchronization. Syncing Desktop Database contents with Pocket PC at every device connection/synchronization may increase sync time and decrease speed. When you set sync occasion, then Pocket PC Contacts Synchronizer will sync database contents at the given sync occasion only.

About "Sync On" :
Using "Sync On" you can set the date/time when desktop database sync occurs.

Will synchronize desktop database contents with Pocket PC at every device connection/sync.