A synchronization session is a single batch procedure, involving the full exchange of new, updated and deleted records between a client system and the Luminate Online database for a particular time window in the (typically recent) past.

A complete synchronization session may include the following:

• Upload
  • create new constituents in Luminate Online to match records that were added to the client system
  • update existing constituents in Luminate Online to match changes made to the corresponding records in the client system
  • remove constituents from Luminate Online that were removed from the client system
• Download
  • retrieve new constituents that were added to the Luminate Online database (typically by online registration) during the session time window.
  • retrieve updates to existing constituent records in the Luminate Online database (only those that existed prior to the start of the session time window).
  • retrieve constituents that were removed from the Luminate Online system during the session time window.
  • retrieve new transactions made by existing constituents during the session time window
  • retrieve transactions that were updated during the session time window (only that that existed prior to the start of the session time window).
  • retrieve transactions that were deleted during the session time window.

The middleware is responsible for orchestrating the entire synchronization session. It initiates a series of web service requests to Luminate Online to authenticate, start the session, upload records, download records, and finally end the session.

Luminate Online assigns a unique numeric identifier to each synchronization session.