Wherever you are, you can work and stay in touch with Eulogica, because of one central feature of all our computer software – the offline work and synchronisation system.

Please talk to Eulogica Ltd about initially setting the system up the way you need. Once it is working, these instructions describe how to use it.

We know this makes a big difference for Funeral Directors. It works like this: If your company has a mixture of desktop and laptop computers, our Funeral Management software can be installed on them all. In the office all the computers will work together and share the same data, but the laptops will be equipped with an additional synchronisation function. Whenever you want to take one computer out of the office, you can run this function. All data gets copied to the local storage (hard disk) in that computer. This enables you to continue your work on that computer, anywhere in the world. Well, at least the glossy laptop brochures tend to suggest you work on a beach or a yacht. In reality, things tend to turn out a little less desirable, but I suppose it could be useful to work at home now and then, in the car or anywhere?

Once back at the office, you may run the synchronisation function again, to upload any changes you have made, to the office network. For the advanced user, it is also possible to synchronise on the road using a mobile phone link or other connection. We use the Internet for these transmissions, so the connection is generally cheap and available.

Certainly it is a trend these days, that data should follow their user. Best of all, it works! Several Funeral Directors abroad are using this laptop system on a daily basis already, to look up information and input some of the funeral details. Some will even input information directly during interviews in people’s homes! Some are understandably reluctant to input details during arrangement interviews, but the flexibility is there!

Database definitions

The terms offline database and online database are defined as follows:

Offline database -The database typically located at a remote office or on a laptop computer. This database is unable to invoice clients or enter client payments. You can see the database you are working on in the top left of the Eulogica screen.

Online database – The database located at the main office. This database is able to invoice clients and make client payments. You can see the database you are working on in the top left of the Eulogica screen.

It is recommended that when working on the offline Eulogica database, you synchronise before you start work and after you have finished work. This way the main online database will be kept up to date with changes made offline and vice versa.

There is no limitation to the amount of times you can synchronise your database in any day and you can continue to use both the offline and online Eulogica databases whilst synchronisation is in progress. Further details about the types of synchronisation are detailed in the instructions below below.

Please note that whilst synchronisation is in progress, Eulogica can continue to be used as normal.

Should you encounter any problems, please do not hesitate to contact Eulogica Ltd on 0845 3519 935.

Instructions

Starting the synchronisation wizard (EuSync)

  • Ensure you have internet access.
  • Left double click on the EuSync icon.
  • You may have to wait quite a few seconds while the Eulogica Synchronisation Wizard starts up and connects either across your office network or across the internet to the online database. When it does you will be presented with the Welcome screen.

Problems connecting

If the synchronisation wizard will not start up, you will be presented with an error message. Depending on what the error messages says will determine where the problem lies.

Main online database error

If the welcome screen does not appear and you are presented with the error shown below then there is a problem connecting to the main online database.

  • The internet connection where you are is not connected. Try opening a web browser to ensure you have internet connectivity.
  • The internet connection where the online database is located is not connected. Ask the office where the online database is located to try opening a web browser to check the internet connectivity there.
  • The computer where the online database is located is not switched on.
  • There is a problem with the online database server. Ask the office where the online database is located to open Eulogica. If it doesn’t start then there is possibly a problem with the online database server.

Local offline database error

If the welcome screen does not appear and you are presented with the error shown below then there is a problem connecting to the local offline database.

  • There is a problem with the offline database server. Try opening Eulogica where you are located to ensure it starts up ok. If it doesn’t start, then there is possibly a problem with the offline database server.

If you cannot solve the problem and are continually getting the above error, please contact Eulogica Ltd for advice.

Synchronisation Process options

Once you get the Welcome screen left click the Next button. This will take you to the Process option screen where you will then be presented with 4 options.

The 4 options are as follows:

  • Quick:This will synchronise the most used files and leave out miscellaneous files which do not change very often. For example, Nominal accounting codes, VAT codes etc. Basically set up files.
  • Normal:This will look at all files and synchronise any files which have been changed recently. This will include any set up files.
  • Thorough:This will look at every single file in both offline and online databases. It will then compare all these files and update as necessary. As this option compares every record in every file it will take much longer to complete the synchronisation. This can be done periodically to ensure both databases are exactly identical.
  • Overwrite:This option will copy all files from the online database and overwrite the offline database. This option should not normally be used as any data entered in the off line database will be lost. This option will also take much longer to complete. You should only really use this option under advice from Eulogica Ltd.

As a rule, the Normal option should be used when synchronising on a day to day basis.

Synchronisation Limitations

After selecting the synchronisation option, click Next and this will move you to the Limitations screen.

It is possible to limit a synchronisation operation by requesting only data for one branch or data newer than X months. This can reduce synchr times, but a thorough synchronisation will be needed later if it is desired to catch up with all data. As a general rule it is best to leave these fields blank.

Working

Click the Next button again and this will move you to the Working screen. Synchronisation of the online and offline databases will now begin. You will see a Log file of what is happening moving up the window and also a Progress bar increasing across the top of the window.

You now simply need to wait until this has finished.

The time this takes will depend on various factors:

  • When you last synchronised the database.
  • What changes have been made in the offline and online databases.
  • What synchronisation option was chosen earlier in the process.
  • What limitations where entered.
  • The speed of your network / internet connection.

Conflicting records

If a particular record in the offline database has been changed and the same record in the online database has also been changed prior to any synchronisation, you will be presented with a message window as shown below.

This example shows that the Contact record ‘ The Daily Telegraph‘ has been changed by user SOM in the online database on 21/11/2008 at 13:34:13.

It also shows that the same record has also been changed by user DW in the offlinedatabase on 21/11/2008 at 16:44:43.

Online data to take presedence

It then asks the question whether the data in the online database should take presedence and over write the changes made in the offline database.

If you select Yes, then the changes entered in the online database will overwrite any changes made in the offline database and the offline database changes will be lost. You will not be asked any further questions about this record.

If you select No, then the synchronisation process will continue and it will then present you with the message shown in the next step.

Offline data to take presedence

If you answered No in the previous step – ‘Should the data in the online database take presedence and overwrite the data in the offline database’ then you will be presented with the following message window.

The information is still the same as the previous step but the question is now different.

It is now asking the question whether the data in the offline database should take presedence and over write the changes made in the online database rather than the other way around.

If you select Yes, then the changes entered in the offline database will overwrite any changes made in the online database and the online database changes will be lost. You will not be asked any further questions about this record.

If you select No, then the synchronisation process will continue but the data in the online database will still be different to the data in the offline database for this particular record.

The next time you run the synchronisation procedure you will be asked the same questions about this record.

By selecting No for each of the above questions, this gives you the option to make a note of that record and contact the office where the online database is located to find out what changes have been made there.

You could then decide whether to allow the online database to take presedence or the offline database to take presedence when you next run the synchronisation procedure.

You could of course add the changes made in the online database to the offline database, run the synchronisation procedure again and this time allow the offline database to take presedence. That way you would have then kept both lots of changes to this record.

Finally, you could always ask a user at the online database to add the changes made on the offline database, run the synchronisation procedure again and this time allow the online database to take presedence. Again, all changes to this reocrd would then be preserved.

Further conflicting record example

The same steps may be repeated again for Funeral records if data has been changed in both the offline and online databases. The following screen shots show the same messages for a funeral record which has been changed in both the onlineand offline databases.

This example shows that the Funeral record number 100153 for ‘ Bernard William Brown‘ has been changed by user SOM in the online database on 21/11/2008 at 13:34:13.

It also shows that the same record has also been changed by user DW in the offlinedatabase on 21/11/2008 at 16:49:38

Again, it then asks the question whether the data in the online database should take presedence and over write the changes made in the offline database.

The procedure previoulsy described for the Contact record should be followed when deciding whether to answer Yes or No.

Again, if you answered No in the previous step, the following message will be displayed.

The information is still the same as the previous step but the question is now different.

It is now asking the question whether the data in the offline database should take presedence and over write the changes made in the online database rather than the other way around.

Again, it then asks the question whether the data in the online database should take presedence and over write the changes made in the offline database.

The procedure previoulsy described for the Contact record should be followed when deciding whether to answer Yes or No.

The same steps may be repeated again and again for other Contact records, Product records, Funeral records etc if data has been changed in both the offline and online databases.

The same procedure as previously described for both Contact and Funeral records should be followed for any other occurences where you are warned about changes which have been made in both the offline and online databases.

Synchronisation Finished & log

When the synchronisation process has finished you can scroll up and down the Log file should you so desire.

Scrolling down the Log file you will see a log of any records which have been changed in both the online and offline databases and confirmation of any action taken.

Scrolling to the bottom of the Log file you will see an indication of how long the synchronisation took.

Click Finish to close down the Eulogica Synchronisation Wizard.