The term client/server describes one possible relationship between two software applications in which the client makes a service request from the server. The client/server relationship can apply to two programs running on a single computer or two programs running over a network. In the case of a network, the client/server model provides a convenient way to interconnect programs that are distributed efficiently across different locations. Computer transactions using the client/server model are very common and it is likely you are involved with such transactions almost daily. For example, to check your e-mail from your computer, a client program on your computer forwards your request to a server program at your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Once the server program has retrieved your e-mail, it forwards them to the client on your computer, which then allows you to read the e-mail. The client/server model has become one of the central ideas of network computing. Most business applications being written today use the client/server model. A distinction used to be made between client/server applications and internet-based applications. However, that distinction is being blurred such that even internet-based applications are beginning to make use of the client/server model. Using Visual Basic and SQL Server (or Oracle), I've built complex and highly-scalable client/server based systems for well-known international companies. Read more about the software I wrote and my role as a COMPUTER PROGRAMMER for MASTER CARD INTERNATION....

MasterCard International: Phase I

The Challenge: Worry-Free Data Synchronization

As part of the cost saving initiatives of the merger between Master card and Europay, my team was responsible for consolidating the data in two different systems. Although the data seemed similar from a high-level perspective, the fact that each database was designed and maintained by two different teams meant that there were significant technical obstacles.

The Solution: Automated, Maintenance-Free Data Synchronizer

The first step in consolidating the data and eliminating redundancy was to identify the business need for every piece of data stored by both systems. Because the existing systems were used in a production environment for many years and used by many people, it was necessary to interview many business owners both in the US and Brussels (Europay).

Once the mapping was complete, it became my responsibility to architect an application that, without user intervention, could keep data synchronized in both systems on a nightly basis. This systems was completed at the end of 2002 and has been running error free since then.