Replication Processes (DMM)

A replication process is an instance of a replication engine that copies data from one or more source databases to one or more remote databases or other replication processes.

Note: You should use a replication process when your main focus is to copy all or part of a database as a backup, or to synchronize remote sites. For more complex operations, you should use a transformation process (Transformation Processes (DMM)).

In the following example, the Europe replication process copies data contained in the World source database into the Paris replication process, which in turn copies data into the Finance and HR remote databases:

A replication process can contain the following items:

Publications - specify the tables, views or procedures to replicate (see Publications (DMM)).
Subscriptions - specify to which remote databases the publications will be replicated (see Subscriptions (DMM)).
Users - specify people who are granted appropriate permissions on the replication process (see Users (DMM)).
Connection groups - specify a set of data connections in which one acts as a backup for the other (see Data Connection Groups (DMM)).
Event scripts - specify instructions for executing a global function in a database (see Event Scripts (DMM)).

Note: You must deploy your replication process to a server (see Servers (DMM)) to ensure correct script generation.

Although you can create all the objects necessary to model data replication by hand in any order, we recommend that you use the following workflow:

Create a PDM to represent the schema of your source database, or be ready to reverse engineer one from a data source.
Create a DMM and launch the Replication Wizard to create your basic replication environment (see Replicating Data with the Replication Wizard).
[optional] Launch the Mapping Editor to visualize and refine the details of your replications (see Visualizing and Refining Data Replications with the Mapping Editor).
Add additional objects to your environment as necessary either by hand or by relaunching the Replication Wizard (see Completing your Replication Environment.
Generate scripts for your replication or synchronization engine.

Creating a Replication Process
You can create a replication process using a Wizard or from the Toolbox, Browser, or Model menu.
Replication Process Properties
To view or edit a replication process's properties, double-click its diagram symbol or Browser or list entry. The property sheet tabs and fields listed here are those available by default, before any customization of the interface by you or an administrator.
Replication Server Properties
Replication Server property sheets contain all the standard replication process tabs, along with the RepServer Connection tab.
Replicating Data with the Replication Wizard
The Replication Wizard guides you through creating all the objects necessary to replicate data from a source to a remote database. You can replicate the entire database or choose specific tables to replicate. You can run the wizard as many times as necessary to create additional replications on one or multiple replication processes.
Visualizing and Refining Data Replications with the Mapping Editor
The Mapping Editor provides a quick and convenient way to visually create and refine data replications between source and remote databases. Each replication displays as an arrow linking source and target objects.

Parent topic: Data Movement Diagrams