Database Sharing and Sync (DSS)
Real-time sync between every basehead client — without a dedicated server and without dragging IT into it.
How it works
Once a client connects to a shared database, every change made on any client is pushed to the host the moment it happens — provided the host’s basehead is open. If the host is offline, connected clients keep working against their local copy; when the host comes back online, all pending changes sync automatically.
For sync to occur, the database must be marked Active on the Shared tab. A single client can share multiple databases at the same time.
Sharing a database
- Open the Shared tab. This is where you manage every database your client is currently sharing.
- Note the local IP address and port shown for each shared database.
- Click Copy Info to copy the connection string to your clipboard. Send it to anyone who needs to connect.
Connecting to a remote database
- Open the Remote tab.
- With a connection string from Copy Info on your clipboard, click Paste/Pull. The remote database is pulled locally and starts syncing immediately.
- Use Ping to verify the server is reachable.
- If the host’s IP changes, enter the new value and click Connect to Server to refresh the connection.
Sync health badge
The badge sits next to the active database name in the title bar — it reports the live sync state for whichever Remote DB is active, and is hidden entirely when no Remote DB is active. Hover for a tooltip; right-click for a header that summarizes the same state plus a state-aware action menu.
| Color | State | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
Sage green #8CA667 |
Healthy | Sync is working normally — peer connected, server reachable, host still sharing, no changes stuck waiting to upload. |
Neutral gray #9AA0A6 |
Indeterminate | Share state can’t be verified yet — usually you host this DB and have deactivated your own share, or the Teams remote-DB list is mid-refresh. |
Soft yellow #F7E186 |
Sync paused — host offline | DB pragma reports a problem, the server is unreachable, the primary host stopped sharing, or local changes have been queued more than 120 s without draining (stuck sync). |
Sky blue (pulsing) #6EB6E6 |
Recovering | Auto-reconnect in progress — basehead is retrying on its own, no action needed. |
Orange-red #FA5D48 |
Failed — repair recommended | Recovery attempts exhausted. Open Sync Diagnostics for the specific reason and run Repair if offered. |
Tooltip
Hover the badge for Database Sync: <state> plus the last-check time, the count of pending changes, and a one-line status message.
Right-click menu
The action menu adapts to the current state:
- Online — when the badge is yellow or red and the server is reachable: Reconnect, Repair, View Diagnostics, Show Raw Sync Status.
- Offline — when the server is unreachable: Retry Connection Now, View Diagnostics.
- Local share deactivated — when you host the DB and deactivated your own share: only View Diagnostics is shown — re-activating the share is the fix, not reconnecting.
- Teams login needed — when the Teams addon is enabled and you’re not signed in, the menu header changes to Log in to Teams to reconnect. The misleading “Primary host is no longer sharing this database” detail is suppressed in this case (the host is still sharing — your client just lost its Teams session and can’t see the shared-DB list).