Store and forward

Infor Operations and Regulations Mobile includes store and forward functionality so that the mobile app can function without a connection to the agency's Rest Services.

Usually the app exchanges data with the services in real time, but this is only possible if the mobile device is connected. For example, the mobile device might not be connected to the internet, or it might be connected to the internet but not to the agency's VPN.

Store and forward means that data is downloaded and stored on the mobile device. The user can then work with the data on the device while offline, such as completing inspections and work orders. The stored data can be forwarded to the server when a connection is available.

It would be impractical to store the entire database on the mobile device, so you can use the Mobile configuration to specify a subset of data to be downloaded. Different download settings can be defined for different profiles so that users get only the data that they require.

Default download settings are preconfigured when you install Rest Services, so in most cases you will only need to enable or disable downloading for specific pieces of data. There are several different settings in the Mobile configuration that control how data is downloaded.

  • Under the Queries node are several different master cache queries, such as AllOpenCaseInspections and AllOpenServiceRequests. These queries define specific datasets that will be stored on the device.
  • Under the Menus node, each of the cache queries is associated with a menu item that is not displayed in the menu. If a menu item is not displayed, the query that is associated with it is still executed, so the data is downloaded to the device.
  • Under the Settings node, the Sync node is used to enable or disable downloading for specific sets of records. Each sync item corresponds to either a query or a model. The items are grouped so that you can enable or disable downloading for an entire group simultaneously. You can also enable or disable downloading for specific items.
    Note: Do not disable downloading for the SharedResources group under the Sync node. On the Settings > Sync > Download > Groups > Group (Id=SharedResources) node, the value of the Download attribute must be True.

    See Shared resources.

    The Sync node also has an attribute called ShouldCacheHomePageData that determines whether the data from queries that are displayed on the home page should be stored on the mobile device.

    See Caching home page data.

  • Under the Models node, each model can also have a child Sync node. Unlike the Sync node under Settings, the Sync node for a model is used to filter the data that is downloaded. For example, you might want to download only work orders for a particular activity, or only assets of a particular type.

    See Filtering downloaded data.

  • Each of a model's properties can also have a child Sync node that is used to enable or disable downloading for that property. In most cases the global sync settings override the settings for specific properties. However, if a dataset is identified as a shared resource, then the property settings override the global settings.

    See Shared resources.