How to distribute iphone apps in-house with various content?

Question

I'm developing an iPad app that will be distributed in-house using the Enterprise Program membership. However, "in-house" means distributed to various worldwide locations.

The app binary itself will be universal for all content, client locations worldwide. However, the content (an SQLite DB file) will vary between devices. One iPad in UK has the English content file for a product, whilst another in France has the French content for a different product loaded.

The plan is to send the different client locations their content so that they can connect their devices to iTunes, install (or update, important!) the app and then copy the SQLite DB file to the device.

Can we do this, and how will it work? What are the limitations?

Acceptable answers must include the following:

1. Confirmation and description on how the SQLite content file can be synced
2. Confirmation and description/resource on how the distribution will work

I've found one somewhat related question: Distributing database updates to an iPhone application without downloading the whole database

Answer 1

I've now completed the project and can confirm that this technique is perfectly valid. We are distributing the application and SQLite database file along with the content (image and video) to the clients, which by the way has to enter the Enterprise Program themselves. The clients install the application via iTunes in an ad-hoc-manner, and then copy the database file and content files to the iPad in the iTunes interface.

The distribution itself is very straightforward, since the application package we are sending the clients are signed and provisioned. They won't encounter any issues with installing and updating, all they need is the free iTunes account and our application related files.

Different client's iPads can have different content. Updating the content or database file is quick and easy. Updating the application is also easy, just remind the clients to delete the app before adding the new version to their iTunes Library.

Finally a tip; if you're getting an error in iTunes (which BTW don't make sense) about your Entitlements when installing the app - add an application icon.

Answer 2

Would it be ok to have the App start up in a "neutral" mode?

Show icons for the different content types (Language Flags perhaps), and when you touched one, it would download from your server the appropriate data pack.

If certain users are only allowed certain content, maybe you could send them an out-of-band URL or password that they enter to get their personal content.

That way the App distro is always identical, and your server manages the customization packs.