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If you connect to a shared database (shared database: A database that is shared out to other users. These users create their own local copy, which is periodically synchronized with the shared database.) that is located on a remote computer, then you might not have access to Business Contact Manager for Outlook when you are away from your office. However, now you have the option of taking a copy of your Business Contact Manager database with you on your portable computer. You can edit existing data and add new data in this offline database, and then synchronize your changes with the shared database when you go back online or reconnect to the remote computer.

• Set up an offline database on my portable computer

• Synchronize my data when I am online

• Get information about my online or offline status

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Set up an offline database on my portable computer

Before you can work offline, do the following:

1. Ensure that the database on the remote computer has been shared, and that you have been granted permission to access it. For more information, see Sharing your Business Contact Manager data with other users.
2. Create an offline copy of the database on your portable computer.

   How?

   1. On the Business Contact Manager menu, point to Database Tools, and then click Create or Select a Database.
   2. In the Create or select a Business Contact Manager database dialog box, select Select an existing database, and type the computer name of the remote computer on which your shared database is located.

      A copy of this database is created on your local computer.

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Synchronize my data when I am online

When you are online, your local copy or offline database connects to the remote shared database and your Business Contact Manager data is synchronized in both copies.

To create your settings for how often these databases are synchronized, on the Business Contact Manager menu, point to Offline, and then click Offline Settings.

 Important   If more than one user is connected to this shared database, conflicting changes may be accidentally made to a record. In the Offline Settings dialog box, you can set the rules for smoothly handling these conflicts. For more information, in the Offline Settings dialog box, on the Conflict Resolution tab, click the Help button.

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Get information about my online or offline status

You can get information about your online or offline status from the following:

• Business Contact Manager toolbar   You can review and change your online or offline status on the Business Contact Manager toolbar.
• Connection Status   This button, located in the status area, shows your current status and enables you to change that status, from Offline to Online, or vice versa. You can also use this button to change your offline database settings.
• Database online or Database offline message   This message alerts you about the availability of the database that you want to connect to.

 Note   The online status of your database does not necessarily depend on the online status of Outlook. You can be connected to your shared database even if you are not connected to the Outlook e-mail server.