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10 December 2009

iPhone and Oracle Calendar (cross-posted from thenewadvancement)

If you're like me, you have to deal with the extremely frustrating process of trying to match the service you have with what you want.

Last August I bought an iPhone for work, but had no way to easily integrate it into our Oracle Calendar system. I simply wanted mobile, editable access to both my e-mail and calendar; while the web/online interfaces worked, they didn't seamlessly integrate. I couldn't just open my calendar app and have it populated with that day's events.

I tried searching all over the web, and unfortunately, there was an utter void when it came to the subject. Everyone was asking how but no one had the answers.

So, in service to those who'd like to connect their Oracle Calendar to their iPhone, I developed the following work around. It requires these tools (all links are to external sites):

  1. Oracle Connector for Office (OCFO), downloadable here.
  2. Calgoo Connect, downloadable here, or Google Calendar Sync, downloadable here.
  3. A Google account (mail and calendar).
  4. An iPhone.
  5. Outlook 2007 or 2003.
  6. A NuevaSync or Google Sync account.

Graphically, this is what will happen (click to expand):

From Blog

Here are the steps to syncing nirvana:

  1. Sign up for a Google account, if you haven't already, and start a calendar and gMail account.
  2. Back up your existing iPhone contacts, and export them to your desktop.
  3. Import your contacts to gMail. If you have a Mac (or PC), you can do this fairly easily by setting them up to sync with Google. Mac instructions, PC instructions.
  4. Set up your iPhone to sync with Google.
  5. Install the OFCO; contact your system admin for instructions (sometimes you can find this by peeking in your Oracle's menu: Tools > Manage Connections… > click your connection > click edit > copy information down). This will two-way sync between Outlook and Oracle Calendar.
  6. Install Calgoo Connect or Google Sync. A tip for those, like me, who already had data on their calendar: unless you want everything duplicated, Calgoo is the better option. Unfortunately, Google is more likely to update their software someday (Calgoo hasn't since September 2008). Pick the lesser of two evils.
  7. Set up Calgoo or Google Sync to sync with your MS Outlook.

This should set everything up so you have two-way, up-to-date, editable calendar information. Added bonus: it gives me access to my Oracle calendar while on the road.

Comment if you have questions, I'm happy to help!

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