Methods of Implementing Replication
Replication provides several methods for implementing and administering replication, including SQL Server Management Studio, programming interfaces, and other Microsoft Windows components.
SQL Server Management Studio
SQL Server Management Studio includes a graphical organization of replication objects, which you can use to implement and administer a complete replication environment across your enterprise. SQL Server Management Studio provides the Replication folder as a central location to organize and administer publications and subscriptions. From the Replication folder you can launch the following:
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
Replication wizards and property sheets |
Use wizards and property sheets to configure publications and subscriptions and then view and modify their properties. For more information, see Replication Wizards and Replication Properties. |
Replication Monitor |
Replication Monitor provides a systemic view of replication activity, focusing on the movement of data between the Publisher and the Subscribers. Replication Monitor is a tool for watching real-time activity, troubleshooting problems, and analyzing past replication activity. For more information, see Monitoring Replication with Replication Monitor. |
Conflict Viewer |
Another tool accessible through SQL Server Management Studio is the Conflict Viewer. The Conflict Viewer helps you view and resolve any conflicts that occurred during the synchronization of a merge subscription or queued updating subscription. For more information, see Advanced Merge Replication Conflict Detection and Resolution and Queued Updating Conflict Detection and Resolution. |
Windows Synchronization Manager
Windows Synchronization Manager allows you to synchronize data, subscribe to publications, and organize and access replication objects from within Windows applications. For more information, see Windows Synchronization Manager.
Replication Programming Interfaces
As an alternative to using SQL Server Management Studio, you can use the following programming interfaces to implement, administer, and monitor replication:
- Replication system stored procedures and replication agent executable files are documented and available as a method for implementing replication using batch files and scripts. For more information, see Programming Replication Using System Stored Procedures and Programming Replication Agent Executables.
An advantage of using scripts based on system stored procedures is that you can configure replication, create publications and subscriptions on a server, generate the script automatically through SQL Server Management Studio, and then use that script at other servers to set up replication. Executing a script is more efficient than manually performing the same steps repeatedly using SQL Server Management Studio. For more information, see Scripting Replication. - Replication Management Objects (RMO) allows you to create custom applications in managed code, which can be used to configure, implement, maintain, and synchronize your replication topology. For more information, see Programming with Replication Management Objects.