What Metadata Types are Synced?
Pulsar syncs data and metadata between the user’s device and the Salesforce server. Metadata types that are synced include:
layout information
schema
object list views
object detail pages
quick actions
flows (FSL only)
service report templates (FSL only)
When Does Pulsar Sync Metadata
The only metadata that is synced every time is the schema. The other metadata types are only synced if flagged. There are three ways to cause a metadata sync are:
Manual Refresh
Forced Refresh
Initial Sync
Manual Refresh
The user may initiate a metadata sync by pressing Refresh Settings and then Sync Now. The user may do this because the admin notifies them of metadata changes, such as permission changes or the addition of fields to a layout. Another common reason to use a manual refresh is if the user notices some fields are missing from a particular layout.
Forced Refresh
An admin can force a metadata sync using Pulsar Settings. The admin can use pulsar.sync.enableOneTimeSessionRefresh to force a metadata sync on the next catch-up sync. For more information about how to do this, refer to Data Sync settings.
It is important to note that a metadata sync can be forced without a change to the Pulsar Settings, by updating the last modified date of the Pulsar settings file. To do this, click edit to open the Pulsar Settings file, and then save the file without making changes. The last modified date will be updated, forcing a metadata sync the next time the user opens Pulsar or when a catch-up sync happens.
Initial Sync
When a user has an initial sync, the metadata will sync. To force this to happen, a user can delete the profile (and all the data for that profile) from the device, and then log in again. However, this can be time-consuming because all the data for all the objects must be downloaded again.
Why Does Pulsar Sync Metadata This Way?
Pulsar’s initial sync may take quite a bit of time, due to the amount of data and metadata. Pulsar saves the user time by not syncing all the metadata each time. Pulsar queries the server to find the last modified date for the metadata and then downloads only the changes.
Example Scenario
There are some scenarios in which the last modified date has not been changed, but a metadata sync is still needed. For example, the admin grants a user access to a field after their initial sync. The field will not automatically appear to the user in the layout. The user attempts to update their layout information by performing a manual refresh. The user presses Refresh Settings and then Sync Now, but the layout still does not update to display the new field. In this case, the admin wants to force a metadata update to allow that new field to appear on the layout for the user. There was no change to the Pulsar Settings file or to the layout file to flag the metadata for sync using the last modified date. The admin forces an update to the last modified date by opening the Pulsar Settings file and saving it. Then the admin instructs the user to try a manual refresh again. This time, the user is successful.
Related Resources
Other scenarios related to the last modified date and a forced metadata update are covered on these pages: