SSP Best Practices - Using SongShow Sync

One very useful feature in SongShow Plus is SongShow Sync.  

 * Ensure that you are using the most current build of SongShow Plus from the Download page for the best experience. *   

SongShow Sync is included with the SongShow Connect subscription, which also includes SongShow Drive.  The SongShow Connect subscription provides the storage space for these services and needs to be renewed to remain available.

NOTE: SongShow Connect services (Drive and Sync) are now included as part of the Silver Subscription. You must maintain a Silver Subscription or higher to preserve access to your files. Content may be deleted if subscription lapses for more than 60 days.

There are a few other articles that you should review that cover specific issues and a basic overview.  Here we will discuss some best practices to keep things running smoothly.

 Operational Note: Neither SongShow Drive nor SongShow Sync are automatically executed.  Both require intentional and deliberate actions on the part of the user to upload or download content from the SongShow Connect repositories.

As with any type of software, SongShow Sync can be used in many ways or use models. Users may have some specific content they want to share between machines or simply use it as a cloud backup if only one machine is used. Regardless, there are a few best practices that can apply to most use models:

• SongShow Sync repositories - Once you purchase a Connect subscription, it is recommended that only the paid repositories are synced. In most cases this will be the Corporate repository.
  This will avoid loss of data stored in temp accounts.
  
• Caching - Be aware that to improve performance. some caching strategies are employed.  This may cause a delay in updates to the Current Service Status for storage and bandwidth accounting so the Sync Status dialog may not show accurate numbers if numerous sync operations are performed in a short period of time. 
  
• Files in Use - In order for a Sync process to be successful, the files must not be in use.  This may be a file actually displayed in SSP or they could be accessed by another process which in either case would leave the file locked. In some cases the process detects and handles this but in others it does not.  To avoid this condition, it is best to close SSP before completing the sync operation.
• Sync Consistency - The Sync process is not done automatically.  Since, by design, Sync data does exist in multiple locations it is important to initiate the Sync process in a consistent manner when working with and adjusting the data.  It is recommended that when making adjustments that a Sync is done both before and after making local changes to ensure that the data is up to date at each point.
• Filename Construction - Best Practices for file naming is to use no punctuation at all however it does happen. In this case, there are some problem characters that are a subset of special variations of some punctuation. It would be good to scrub your media filenames of any punctuation before attempting to Sync them.

Locate database content easier

1. Launch SongShow Plus.
2. Go to Media Files and select the Songs tab.
3. From the main toolbar select Songs > Show.
4. Make sure that at least "Source" is checked. This shows a tag on each song related to the database it lives in.
5. From the main toolbar select Songs > Search Databases.
6. Make sure that ALL databases are checked. This ensures that all available databases are available for viewing.
7. View Song files listed to confirm both changes were applied.

Typical Sync Setup

While there is a small 50MB "demo" repository available for initial preview called "Shared", most users should be setting up the Sync with their paid repository called "Corporate". This setup will need to be performed on all machines (Projection or Workstation) that need to be synchronized.
Best Practice for initial setup is to start with the machine that has the most up to date content on it, execute a sync so that files are copied to the cloud then setup and sync your remaining machines.

1. Launch SongShow Plus.
2. From the main toolbar select Settings > Synchronized Folders...
3. When the dialog opens, click the Get Repositories button.
4. Place a check mark on the Corporate option.
5. Click Save. SongShow Plus may elevate. Click Yes if needed.
6. Once complete the user will be prompted to restart - Click Yes.
7. Once SongShow Plus restarts, navigate to a media folder (Images) and ensure that the Sync Folders > Corporate folder is present.  You can check other media types as well.
8. Setup is Complete.

Typical Sync Process
There can be variations on this depending on what you want to Sync and how many machines you are syncing.  This is a good start for most Sync processes. While not always required, it is always a good idea to close SongShow Plus after initiating the sync process to ensure no files are in use. View the article regarding file consolidation for additional information.

NOTE: Best Practices are to run this process both before and after changes are made to the sync content.  

1. Launch SongShow Plus.
2. From the main toolbar select Tools > Synchronize > Corporate.
3. When the dialog opens, it will display some information showing the status.  
4. Leave the check marks on the Upload and Download options.  This will ensure all content is current when complete.
5. Close SongShow Plus. This will ensure no files are in use.
6. Click Next. The sync process will start. This may take some time.
7. Once complete, you can view the changes if needed.
8. Click Next to close the panel.
9. Launch SongShow Plus.
10. Once SongShow Plus restarts, navigate to Media Panel and relevant Sync Folders to view updates.
11. Sync is Complete.

Training Videos - A video walk-through of this process may be available.  Depending on your current subscription level, you can go to the GoFishMedia website training page and log in with the same Customer ID and password that you use to log in to the SongShow Plus site or activate SongShow Plus. Review this article for more details.

If you have any questions regarding the use of or issues with any of the SongShow Sync methods, please contact the Support Team.

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