Utilizing TrackVia on mobile devices is very handy for those working away from the office. TrackVia also has the ability to work in Offline Mode, where it is not necessary to be connected to Wi-Fi to conduct day-to-day tasks. Although this is a very useful feature, it is important to keep in mind this best practice, so the transition of your offline data to online is smooth.
When a user must utilize the TrackVia application in offline mode, they are instructed to Sync the TrackVia account to their device. This allows the user to have a snapshot of the TrackVia account to work in, while they are in offline mode. Refer to our handy Help Center article on, How to use your mobile device offline.
Syncing the application allows the user to have access to all of their resources to continue use offline. Since they are in offline mode, any changes made will be stored in an Upload bucket, that will be automatically uploaded to the account when the user is back online. This process is called an Offload Sync. It is essential to conduct an Offload Sync whenever possible, to eliminate running into errors during this process.
What errors have we seen arise with this process?
We have seen users take time before getting back online, this could be multiple days, and even weeks. Therefore, the best practice is to download sync, and offload sync, as frequent as the user has the opportunity to. To ensure the best user experience, encourage users to download offline content before they go off grid and complete an ‘offload sync’ as soon as reconnecting to a network.
When using an application in offline mode, users experience a moment in time that is uniquely local to their device. Changes made by other users, such as adding data, or changing fields on tables, can be happening while a user is offline and will not be reflected until the user downloads them. That’s why it’s essential for any changes during an offline session to be synced right away when reconnected!
By maintaining this practice with offline users, they are more likely to eliminate any offload errors. If errors do occur, they are usually stored in another area of the application for admins to reference.
What to do when an error occurs?
Referring to our Release Notes from the iOS v4.0 release, here are scenarios and best next steps when experiencing an error during the offload syncing process. The following information applies to both iOS and Android mobile devices.
“A failed data sync can occur in the following scenarios:
- Data has been added while a device is offline
- A change is made to the form or table in use on an offline device.
- The device returns online from being offline
- When the offline user’s device attempts to sync the data entered while offline, the server will reject the sync because a change was made to a related form or table.
If this data sync fails, the information from the sync needs to be sent back to TrackVia so that customer admins can deal with the failed transactions.
The data that failed to sync during the initial upload attempt is bundled and automatically sent to the dedicated data offload table (See configuration below)
If the data fails to send to the dedicated data offload table, then the field worker is prompted to manually export the files so that the admin can manually import them into TrackVia.”
Configuration for the Offload table must be requested by an admin, to our Customer Support team. It is important to get the offload table set up in the TrackVia account, before allowing users to utilize the offline feature on mobile devices.
Email: support@trackvia.com
Call: 1.800.673.3302
Hours of Operation: 7 AM – 6 PM Mountain Time, Monday – Friday
As a reminder, sync every day to keep the errors away. If you find yourself experiencing an error, do not hesitate to contact our Customer Support team, for assistance.
