Method and system that enables faster data synchronization between
different databases. In one embodiment, a method for synchronizing data
records between databases is provided. Initially, a first database is
designated as a source database and a second database as a target
database. The modification flag of a first data record in the source
database is examined. If the first modification flag is set, the first
data record is propagated to the target database. On the other hand, if
the first modification flag is not set, a first modification count of the
first data record is compared with a second modification count of a
corresponding data record in the target database. In this embodiment,
each of the modification counts is a value indicating how many times the
respective data record has been modified. If it is determined that the
first modification count has a higher value than the second modification
count, the corresponding data record is updated according to the first
data record. Importantly, the method of this embodiment can be carried
out as described without comparing the raw data of the data records. As
such, this embodiment of the present invention advantageously eliminates
the record-by-record comparison that is inherent in the prior art
synchronization process and the inconvenience associated therewith and
provides an efficient data synchronization technique that can be
beneficially utilized in numerous applications.