Patent ID: 7107290

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for accessing a document record stored in a server document database system from a client system, comprising: receiving, by the client system, user selection of a client instance of a document record from a replica database in the client system; and in response to the user selection of the client instance of the document record: querying the server document database system for a server instance of the document record; determining whether the server instance of the document record is available for check-out from the server document database system; and if the server instance of the document record is available for check-out from the server document database system, checking-out the server instance of the document record on the server system, replicating the server instance of the document record to the replica database in the client system and displaying an updated client instance of the document record on the client system, whereby the client instance of the document record is updated automatically in response to the user selection of the client instance of the document record and without an explicit user request to perform the update.