Can Microsoft's Sync Framework work with .Net Membership/Roles, even through a web API?

Question

We've got a .Net MVC/EF web application that is already in place with a client. The app was developed using .Net Membership and Roles for security/login. The app runs on tablet devices placed in the client's locations.

Now the client wants a different company to build a new UI for a portion of the site (not the whole thing), that has to integrate with our DB. This other company has been doing this type of work for a long time, so they've established how they operate, which is using a disconnected, distributed methodology to avoid Internet problems messing up an always-connected setup. Basically, they want each device to pull down only the segment of the DB that is relevant to the device's location and then sync it every two minutes through an API. The device will need to allow user logins.

So basically, we are being asked to adapt our web app/DB structure to accommodate this. And it boils down to 2 questions:

1) Since we are using .Net Membership and Roles, can we use the MS Sync Framework for syncing the DB of users (or at least, the ones relevant to the device's location)? I'm guessing the answer is yes because as long as the other party's UI is coded to utilize .Net Membership as well, the DB should be in the right format to read the data. I just want to confirm this is the case.

2) Can all the synchronization requests (up and down) be run through a web API that we write and expose to the devices? Since the UI is not going to be part of the code base, it needs to connect that way.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

1.Yes. from Sync Fx perspective, they're just tables. 2.Sync Fx out of the box doesnt work over http. You will in the documentation how to n-tier setup using WCF though. If you want Web API, you will have to code it as well.