How to replicate databases

[eguzman]

Hi, anybody knows how to replicate two databases?

I'm need to use this approach to sinchronize two databases in different locations.

Any scripts around?

Any comment would be apreciated.

Thanks

[ May 28, 2001: Message edited by: eguzmana ]

[Chuck]

This isn't easy, but it's possible. There are a number of ways to go about it.

The first is to script everything yourself, but I wouldn't recommend it. I did this once, and it was a bear. You have to consider issues like, what if both locations edit the same record, which should have precidence? Should both changes be kept or only those of one of them which overrights the other? If both should be kept, should they be kept in different records? If the same record is edited, but different fields were edited, should you attempt to merge the two records together?

What I did in this case was add a field that tracked what fields were changed and what the changes were. This is done with a technique for record tracing using lookups that you can find on www.databasepros.com. Then I exported from both (actually in this case the three) database copies the records that had changed, looked through each one with a script to see if there were duplicate record IDs and had a priority to decide what to do in case there were. Then I merged all the changed records into a single database, sent this to each location and deleted the original records from the databases and imported these new ones. I made sure that each location used a different field ID scheme so that there wouldn't be any duplicate IDs.

But there are other solutions. One is SyncDek. I tried using this about a year and a half ago, and at the time it just wasn't up to snuff, and their tech support wasn't able to help me enough. But I've heard that they've improved the product significantly. Checkout their web site at www.syncdek.com.

At the FileMaker Dev Con last year, there was an exhibitor called Casahl who was publishing a product called ecKnowledge which, although not meant exactly for syncronization, can be used that way. You can check them out at www.casahl.com.

Bascially my advice regarding doing it on your own is, Don't. And if you can, avoid the need for syncronization. Do both locations have fast connections to the Internet? Perhaps having one location serve the database system and the other location logging on using FileMaker Server would be a good solution. If not (as was the case with me last year, because the connection was too slow), perhaps a web interface would work, either with Web Companion or Instant Publishing. Both of these ideas eliminate the need to sync the databases, since both locations are editing the same data.

Chuck

[eguzman]

Thank Chuck

I'll look into it.

Today I found a plugin, perhaps you can check it. http://www.e4marketing.com/ they have a Database replicating plugin that works only on PC's, I ask for some information.

I'll post my findings.

saludos