Patent ID: 7209888

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for synchronizing information between two data sets, the method comprising: receiving a request to synchronize information between a first data set and a second data set; detecting a difference between the first data set and the second data set which prevents synchronization being performed directly on said first and second data sets; based on the detected difference, creating a first derived data set and a second derived data set suitable for synchronizing information between the first and second data sets, by determining a data set structure suitable for synchronizing information between the two data sets, and based on the determined data set structure, mapping information from the first data set into the first derived data set and mapping information from the second data set into the second derived data set; and synchronizing information between the first and second data sets by synchronizing information between the first and second derived data sets, and selectively copying information from the first derived data set into the first data set and selectively copying information from the second derived data set into the second data set.