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Understanding the Implementation of Replication
The following steps comprise the replication process:
These steps can be completed in the following ways:
- Through the Access user interface
- By using the Windows Briefcase
- By using the Replication Manager
- By using ADO code
A brief discussion of replication is covered in this chapter. An overview of each alternative for replication is outlined in the following sections. For the details of the replication process and how to implement replication in your own development environment, please consult Alison Balter's Mastering Access 2002 Enterprise Development .
The Access User Interface
The Access user interface gives you a series of menu items that allow you to perform all the steps of the replication process. The Tools, Replication menu has the following options: Create Replica, Synchronize Now, Partial Replica Wizard, Resolve Conflict, and Recover Design Master.
Briefcase Replication
The Windows Briefcase supplies the foundation Access needs for the replication process. Users can simply drag a database file to the Briefcase to replicate it, make changes to the file while on the road, and synchronize the replica with the design master when they reconnect to the network. This is done because, when Access is installed, it registers a special class ID with the Windows Briefcase. When a database is dragged to the Briefcase, the Briefcase's Reconciler code is called. When the user selects Update Selection or Update All from the Briefcase menu, the Merge Reconciler is called. Briefcase replication is available as an installation option through Windows 95, its successors, and Windows NT 4.0 and later.
The Replication Manager
The Replication Manager is a sophisticated tool that's part of Microsoft Office 2000 and Office 2002 Developer. It's a mandatory player in the replication process when you're managing many replicas. Besides providing basic replication functionality, the Replication Manager lets you schedule the synchronization of replicas. In fact, the Replication Manager allows you to manage and intricately control all aspects of the replication process. The Replication Manager is covered in detail in Alison Balter's Mastering Access 2002 Enterprise Development .
ADO Code
Most aspects of the replication process can also be done by using ADO code, which can be used to make a database replicable, create and synchronize replicas, and get and set properties of a replicable database. ADO can easily be integrated with the other methods of replication. Although it requires the most time and effort on your part, ADO code lets you base replication on events rather than time and give your users a custom user interface for the replication process.
