iCloud sync works one way but not the other

DEVONthink
1

I use iCloud to sync between home and office, and changes made on the home computer appear on the office computer but not vice versa. In DevonThink Preferences/sync on the home computer I selected iCloud and clicked “Verify Quickly” and the log reported:

23.28.58: iCloud Broken or not yet complete data structure of database “LabBook”.
23.28.58: iCloud 1 items of database “LabBook” missing or not yet available.

…but no advice on what to do about it. If a database repair is the remedy, is it then from office (where things work) or from home (where they do not)?
Thanks,

Pete

2

This is an issue of the sync store, maybe iCloud didn’t transfer all files yet as iCloud is notoriously unreliable in case of huge amounts of data. The database should be fine, see File > Verify & Repair Database…

To fix the sync store disable the sync location on both computers, then clean the sync store via the contextual menu (see Preferences > Sync) on one computer and enable the sync location again to upload the database. Finally enable the sync location on the second computer.

3

Just a clarification:

According to DT’s users experience/feedback, is Dropbox a better choice of sync store for DT, judged by the timeliness and consistency of sync, and as far as popular cloud storage service is concern?

PS; I have been using Dropbox for the last 12 months and so far so good.

Thanks again.

4

Dropbox is usually more reliable but lately there were quite a few temporary server issues too. Another advantage is that it’s synchronous contrary iCloud which transfers the files on its own in the background. But of course it’s much more expensive if you need more than 5 GB but a lot less than 2 TB.

5

Thanks for the info.

6

Thanks to all for quick replies!
In fact I struggled to make syncing work using DropBox initially but gave up. When I went through the exact same paces with iCloud it worked first time. So the milage varies :slight_smile:

7

et al:

Any remote sync location has inherent weaknesses due to:

  • Network conditions - local and remote
  • Remote server reachability and response times
  • Maximum concurrent connection limitations imposed by the service
  • Bandwidth throttling measures employed by cloud services

These are limitations sync cannot overcome, any more than your web browser can.

For the optimal experience, I suggest you use a remote sync option only when you need to. Just having a Dropbox, iCloud, etc. account does not make it an optimal solution for all situations.
This doesn’t mean you can’t successfully use a remote solution. It just means there are some stumbling blocks that can occur when using them - blocks caused by the conditions mentioned, not our sync engine - and they can inhibit proper syncing. As people often say, YMMV (your mileage may vary).