One of the challenges in working with Merge Replication is handling conflicts since writes can occur at any node in a topology. In an earlier post I demonstrated how to handle conflicts using the business logic handler framework - now I would like to show how to create Merge Replication… Read more

Over the last couple of years I've come to the conclusion that the default replication agent profiles just don't cut it.  For example, usually I want my replication agent jobs (Snapshot, Log Reader, Distribution, or Merge) to have a custom replication agent profile which differs from the default agent profile.… Read more

When creating a subscription in SQL Server sometimes the following error will occur:

The remote server "%s" does not exist, or has not been designated as a valid Publisher, or you may not have permission to see available Publishers.

The error is pretty straightforward and indicates that the replication agent… Read more

SQL Azure Data Sync

This weekend I decided to setup a SQL Azure sync group to synchronize a SQL Azure database with an on-premise replication publisher.  I was curious if this would work, as I’ve been unable to find any documentation stating whether or not SQL Azure Data Sync can… Read more

This blog post is basic in nature but highlights a very real requirement that may arise when administering replication.  Occasionally we, as Database Administrators, need to grant non-administrator business users the ability to run replication agent jobs due to business needs.  Instead of giving the business user the ability to… Read more

I've noticed in the forums there have been a number of people inquiring about making schema changes in a replication topology.  I understand the concern and I'm here to assure you that yes, it is possible to do.  If you think about it, DDL statements are used to create and… Read more