Systems and methods for mapping e-mail records between a client and server that use disparate storage formats

1. A method, comprising:

operating an e-mail application program on a client wherein e-mail records are stored in a hierarchical database;

linking the client to a server wherein the server stores e-mail records in a flat database; and

creating a mapping table that associates email records stored in the hierarchical database with corresponding e-mail records stored in the flat database.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a hierarchical database uses folders and subfolders to store the e-mail records.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the flat database uses a single folder to store the e-mail records.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

ascertaining a server identification key for an e-mail record from the flat database;

creating one or more new client records that correspond to the e-mail record from the flat database;

assigning one or more client identification keys to each of the one or more new client records; and

mapping each of the client identification keys to the server identification key.

5. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 1 .

6. A method, comprising: in a client, storing a server identification key and one or more client identification keys that correspond to the server identification key in a mapping table, wherein the server identification key uniquely identifies a server record from an e-mail server database and each of the one or more client identification keys uniquely identify client records stored in an e-mail client database that are related to the server record from the e-mail server database, wherein one of the e-mail sever database or the e-mail client database is a flat database while the other is a hierarchical database.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 , replicating a change made to one or more of the client records stored in the e-mail client database, by using the mapping to locate the corresponding server record; and sending a message to notify the server database of the change to the server record.

8. The method as recited in claim 6 , further comprising adding one or more additional fields to the mapping table that indicates whether a folder is associated with a client record.

9. The method as recited in claim 6 , further comprising adding one or more additional fields to the mapping table that indicates whether a folder is associated with a client record; and

if there is no folder associated with the client record, then not replicating any changes made to the client record.

10. A system, comprising:

means for operating an e-mail application program on a client wherein e-mail records are stored in a hierarchical database;

means for linking the client to a server wherein the server stores e-mail records in a flat database;

means for mapping the e-mail records stored in the hierarchical database to the e-mail records stored in the flat database and vice versa; and

means for storing the mapping in a mapping table.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein a hierarchical database uses folders and subfolders to store the e-mail records.

12. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the flat database uses a single folder to store the e-mail records.

13. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein the mapping of the e-mail records stored in the hierarchical database to the e-mail records stored in the flat database and vice versa, further comprises:

means for ascertaining a server identification key for an e-mail record received from the flat database;

means for creating one or more new client records that correspond to the e-mail record received from the flat database;

means for assigning one or more client identification keys to each of the one or more new client records; and

means for mapping each of the client identification keys to the server identification key.

14. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors of a computer system to:

operate an e-mail application program on a client wherein e-mail records are stored in a hierarchical database;

link the client to a server wherein the server stores e-mail records in a flat database;

map the e-mail records stored in the hierarchical database to the e-mail records stored in the flat database and vice versa; and store the mapping in a mapping table.

15. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14 , wherein the hierarchical database uses folders and subfolders to store the e-mail records.

16. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14 , wherein the flat databases uses a single folder to store the e-mail records.

17. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 14 , further comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct the computer system to:

ascertain a server identification key for an e-mail record from the flat database;

create one or more new client records that correspond to the e-mail record from the flat database;

assign one or more client identification keys to each of the one or more new client records; and

map each of the client identification keys to the server identification key.