Re: Replication (ER) confusion

Informix Enterprise Replication allows you to define rules to replicate changes (updates, insert, deletes) to data to other Informix instances (ODS to ODS only) asynchronously (usually shortly after the change). The rules are defined at an instance/database/table[column] level. The part of the manual you are referring to has confused many people. Basically, ER allows update anywhere (all masters) and/or a mix in primaries and targets. For example you have three sites (1,2,3) and you have three tables A, B, C. Site 1 is you headquarters site and sites 2 & 3 are branch sales offices. Table A contains pricing data established at HQ. Table B contains actual sales transactions made at sites 2 and 3. Table C contains sales leads entered at all sites. In this situation you would use update anywhere and primary target (to consolidate and disseminate). This is more realistic than the examples in the manual. The following rules are of course not syntactically correct! Replicate for Table A (disseminate pricing data) Site 1 instance, database xyz, table A, Primary Site 2 instance, database xyz, table A, Target Site 3 instance, database xyz, table A, Target Replicate for Table B (Consolidate sales data) Site 1 instance, database xyz, table B, Target Site 2 instance, database xyz, table B, Primary Site 3 instance, database xyz, table B, Primary Replicate for Table C (Update Anywhere*) Site 1 instance, database xyz, table C, Primary Site 2 instance, database xyz, table C, Primary Site 3 instance, database xyz, table C, Primary ER has a variety of ways to handle conflicts (same data changed at 2 or more sites at the same time). We use "lastest timestamp Wins". Hope this helps. -- Bob Carts - SAIC rcarts@agccs.lmco.com 703-813-2914 Christian Balzer <cb@aichan.swb.de> wrote in article <5sen31$8da$1@aichan.swb.de>... > Hello, > > I read the fine manual (Dynamic Server 7.2), looked at the nice IIUG FAQ, > stared at the marketing talk on the Informix homepage and still am > no wiser... > > The manual and all references I found so far define the replication > as a strict 2 machine setup, one master and one slave. > And while the first paragraph on the Informix page also mentions > this the rest talks also about one master and multiple read-only > slaves (which is what I might eventually want/need). > > So what _is_ Enterprise Replication and am I right in suspecting > that the setup with multiple slaves is not like that what is > mentioned in single slave replication section in the manual? > > Advance thanks for answers or pointers, > > <CB> > -- > // <CB> aka Christian Balzer, Tannenstr. 23c, D-64342 Seeheim, Germany > \\X/ CB@brewhq.swb.de | Voice: +49 6257 83036, Fax/Data: +49 6257 83037 > SWB - The Software Brewery - | Team H, Germany HQ | Anime no Otaku >