Troubleshooting Offline Sync Failures in Temenos Quantum (Kony)

Details: Category: Mobile Frameworks; By Mindful Chase; 25.Jul; Hits: 15

Temenos Quantum (formerly Kony) is a leading mobile and omnichannel development platform used by financial institutions and large enterprises for secure, cross-platform apps. While it abstracts much of the complexity, teams often encounter hard-to-diagnose issues in hybrid or native apps, especially when integrating custom widgets, dealing with offline sync, or managing multichannel deployments. One particularly elusive issue in production environments is the failure of offline data synchronization—where sync failures go undetected or cause silent data corruption. This can severely affect mobile workflows, customer experiences, and data consistency across devices. In regulated industries like finance or healthcare, such issues can even lead to compliance violations if not handled correctly.

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Background: Offline Sync in Temenos Quantum

How Offline Sync Works

Quantum supports offline-first architecture using Sync Objects and Object Services. These allow apps to cache and modify data locally and synchronize with the backend when connectivity is restored. Data sync happens via service adapters, versioned models, and pre/post sync hooks.

Architectural Considerations

In enterprise deployments, sync behavior must account for:

Large payloads and poor network conditions
Multi-device concurrency
Backend API throttling
Field-level data encryption and conflict resolution

Root Causes of Offline Sync Failures

Incorrect Metadata Versioning: When local metadata is outdated, sync requests may be rejected by the backend.
Custom Object Services Missing Conflict Policies: Lack of conflict resolution logic results in overwritten or lost data.
Silent Adapter Failures: Adapters may return HTTP 200 but embed error messages in the response body.
Faulty Network Detection: Apps may think they are online due to cached connectivity status, initiating invalid sync calls.

Diagnostic Strategy

Enable Full Logging

Set log levels to DEBUG for both client and middleware using the Temenos Console or AppConfig:

// Enable debug logging in app init
kony.print("Sync Start")
kony.sdk.mvvm.LogLevel = kony.sdk.mvvm.LogLevel.DEBUG;

Monitor Adapter Response Content

Use networkInspector or postman to examine sync adapter responses. Watch for payloads like:

{
  "status": "partial_success",
  "error": "Metadata version mismatch",
  "details": {...}
}

Inspect Client Storage

Use developer tools to inspect local DBs (IndexedDB for hybrid, SQLLite for native) and confirm sync queue content.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

1. Force Metadata Refresh

In cases of schema changes or adapter upgrades, force metadata download:

kony.sdk.mvvm.KonyApplicationContext.getAppInstance().getSyncManager().reset();
kony.sdk.mvvm.KonyApplicationContext.getAppInstance().init();

2. Add Conflict Resolution Logic

Customize Object Services with syncConfig.json settings like:

{
  "conflictPolicy": "server_wins",
  "retryLimit": 3
}

3. Wrap Adapter Responses with Error Parsers

Handle adapter errors manually instead of relying on HTTP status:

if(response.status === 200 && response.data.error) {
   showError(response.data.error);
}

4. Refresh Network State Explicitly

Call explicit network checks before triggering sync:

if(kony.net.isNetworkAvailable(constants.NETWORK_TYPE_ANY)) {
   startSync();
} else {
   showOfflineBanner();
}

Best Practices for Reliable Sync

Schedule periodic background sync with retry logic.
Encrypt local storage if offline data includes PII.
Separate sync from user actions to avoid blocking UI.
Use incremental sync models for large datasets.
Test in poor network conditions using simulators like Charles Proxy or Network Link Conditioner.

Conclusion

Offline sync failures in Temenos Quantum can silently impact user trust, data integrity, and compliance readiness. Proactively designing sync flows, monitoring metadata consistency, and enhancing error handling are essential for production-grade mobile apps. With proper diagnostics and architectural foresight, development teams can transform a fragile sync model into a robust, audit-ready system.

FAQs

1. How can I detect if sync is failing silently?

Enable full adapter logging and inspect response bodies for embedded error objects even when HTTP status is 200.

2. Is server_wins always the best conflict policy?

Not necessarily. Use server_wins for system-of-record integrity, but prefer custom logic when user-generated content is critical.

3. Can sync failures affect other Object Services?

Yes. Shared adapters or token expirations can cascade failures across services. Isolate services where possible.

4. What tools help simulate poor network for testing sync?

Use Charles Proxy or Apple's Network Link Conditioner to simulate drops, latency, or throttling during sync sessions.

5. How often should metadata be refreshed?

Whenever backend schema or adapter contracts change. Automate this during app updates or session renewals.

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