Setting up DSO to synchronize data across multiple AR System servers

The information in this topic is applicable only for on-premises deployments.

Distributed Server Option (DSO) allows you to transfer requests between servers and to keep copies of a request synchronized across multiple servers, even if those servers are geographically dispersed. DSO is available for Windows and UNIX platforms.

Related topic

Configuring-DSO-for-a-server-group

Advantages of using DSO

DSO has many uses, including the following:

  • Transferring requests to the location where they are processed
    For example, suppose your company repairs office furniture. Desks are repaired in San Francisco, and chairs are repaired in Chicago. When a request for a chair repair is submitted to the San Francisco site, DSO can automatically transfer the request to a server in Chicago. If the request needs the attention of a specialist, such as an upholsterer, DSO can transfer the request to a different Chicago server that handles upholstery repairs.
  • Transferring requests between regions in a customer support environment that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
    You can configure DSO to forward open requests to another site at the end of each site's business day.

For example, suppose your company has customer support centers in San Francisco, Paris, and Tokyo. DSO can forward open requests from San Francisco to Tokyo at the end of San Francisco's business day, from Tokyo to Paris at the end of Tokyo's business day, and so on. This helps alleviate employee downtime and increases the speed at which requests are processed.

Important

Depending on your environment, using DSO as a database synchronization engine might not provide real-time distribution of all data to all users. Before you implement DSO for this use, your environment should be evaluated to make sure that DSO can perform as expected in it.

  • Creating a distributed knowledge base so that problem-solving information is accessible from any location
    For example, you can create filters or escalations that instruct DSO to forward requests closed on one server to all other servers in the environment. All servers then have access to the problem-solving information and solutions contained in the closed requests.
  • Archiving old requests
    If you have a server dedicated to archiving, DSO can send closed requests to that server.

Before you begin

Process for setting up distributed operations

Step

Action

Reference

1

Enable DSO by configuring it for your distributed environment.

2

Determine which forms you will transfer data from and which forms you will transfer data to.


3

Determine the amount of control you need over the transferred data:

4

Determine which distributed fields to add to the forms identified in step 2.

Add distributed fields to the forms identified in step 2.

5

Determine whether you will use distributed pools.
(Optional) Create distributed pools according to your analysis in step 3.

6

Determine how to map the forms identified in step 2.

7

Create the required distributed mappings.

Unless otherwise noted, this step assumes that you are mapping between two servers. To maintain data integrity on more than two servers, see Chained-and-broadcast-distributed-transfers.

8

Enable logical mappings.

9

Create filters or escalations that define the conditions under which distributed operations occur.

10

(Optional) Employ advanced functions.

11

Monitor the pending distributed operations and resolve issues.

 

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