Bidirectional Data Sync: What it is and How it Works

In this era of digitalization, data is the key to success for any business in the industry. Every department of an organization requires real-time access to business-critical data to maintain streamlined and effective business operations. The need for ready accessibility of data across the entire organization necessitates a connected network that reflects real-time updates made within a source or downstream system. For this, a two-way data communication and transfer infrastructure across an organization’s entire digital pipeline is necessary, which guarantees that every team member gets access to accurate, up-to-date data, regardless of the platform they are accessing it through. The architecture that empowers organizations to achieve this and work with data faster is bidirectional data sync.

So, what is Bidirectional Data Sync?

Two-way data synchronization or bidirectional data sync is fundamentally a system that enables two datasets in two different tools in a company’s digital infrastructure to act as a single data entity while existing as individual datasets on their respective databases. It means that when there is a new data entry or a modification made to existing data, the updates get reflected instantaneously or near instantaneously across all connected applications.

Such system integrations are necessary to enable different tools or systems to accomplish multiple functions from the same data set. The advantages provided by modern cloud applications have made them indispensable for the effective operation of any fast-developing business. With multiple cloud applications such as CRM, ERP, accounting tools, and many more needed for carrying out the daily operations of organizations, bidirectional data sync helps reduce the manual efforts required to support the vast suite of business tools and ensures that every data within the system remains accurate and updated. An ideal bidirectional system synchronizes every dataset and eliminates all redundant data in the network.

To better understand this system, let us look at an example. Suppose a user has two planner applications, one for work and another for personal schedules. If a user needs to view all their plans across both applications, the two-way?data sync will map all essential information such as reminder description, date, reminder start time, reminder end time, etc., from either application and display it in them both. Moreover, any modifications to a field in one system will also get reflected in the other system in real-time.

Bidirectional data sync achieves this through Field Mapping and Sync Architecture. Field Mapping is the fundamental pillar behind any successful data synchronization. It creates the outline for which data of a record needs to be selected and to which respective field it gets mapped in the other applications. For a basic mapping procedure, several fields in a record get selected that are common across the applications, and then the data is copied between them. Any error or loopholes in the mapping process can lead to unwanted unpredictable outcomes and can also cause a synchronization loop where the data repeatedly jumps back and forth between applications. Thus, accurate field mapping is essential to ensure a two-way sync.

The original article and author here: