Merge Replication SQL Server 2005 and SQL Express

We are going to be implementing merge replication between a main instance of
SQL Server 2005 and potentially a hundred or so instances of SQL Express
subscribers. Our business model is such that the SQL Express users will not
be online all the time and when they are the merge replication will take
place over an HTTPS connection, which I understand is supported. Since data
changes can occur on either or both ends does the fact that SQL Express is
only a subscriber mean that the changes made on that end won't be propogated
back to the SQL Server unless SQL Server requests them? Is it best to
schedule the replications? Is HTTPS or FTP the better mechanism for
transport?
Where can I find some examples or tutorials of setting up replication
between SQL Server 2005 and SQL Express?
Thanks!
RSH
I also noticed that when performing a DDL change, I could do it at the
Publisher level and the change propogated to the subscribers...IF and only
IF when I added columns I didn't insert them BEFORE the RowGuid. Is this a
bug or is this correct behaviour?
"RSH" <way_beyond_oops@.yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Of%23IsMD9FHA.4036@.TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> We are going to be implementing merge replication between a main instance
> of SQL Server 2005 and potentially a hundred or so instances of SQL
> Express subscribers. Our business model is such that the SQL Express
> users will not be online all the time and when they are the merge
> replication will take place over an HTTPS connection, which I understand
> is supported. Since data changes can occur on either or both ends does
> the fact that SQL Express is only a subscriber mean that the changes made
> on that end won't be propogated back to the SQL Server unless SQL Server
> requests them? Is it best to schedule the replications? Is HTTPS or FTP
> the better mechanism for transport?
> Where can I find some examples or tutorials of setting up replication
> between SQL Server 2005 and SQL Express?
> Thanks!
> RSH
>
|||Data flow is in each direction even though SQL Express is limited to being a
subscriber. FTP is used for initialization while the HTTPS transport is for
the subsequent synchronizations. The info in BOL is pretty comprehensive for
this new functionality and AFAIK there are no articles outside of BOL on the
setup.
Cheers,
Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
(recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)
|||Can you run sp_helpmergepublication and let us know the value of
replicate_ddl.
Cheers,
Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
(recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)
|||I simply get "
Command(s) completed successfully."
"Paul Ibison" <Paul.Ibison@.Pygmalion.Com> wrote in message
news:ebzCtSD9FHA.808@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Can you run sp_helpmergepublication and let us know the value of
> replicate_ddl.
> Cheers,
> Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
> (recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)
>
|||This needs to be executed at the Publisher on the publication database.
Cheers,
Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
(recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)
|||replicate_ddl = 1
"Paul Ibison" <Paul.Ibison@.Pygmalion.Com> wrote in message
news:ebzCtSD9FHA.808@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Can you run sp_helpmergepublication and let us know the value of
> replicate_ddl.
> Cheers,
> Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
> (recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)
>