Replication Steps

Before you can replicate data to other sites, you must set up a multi-site environment, as described in the Multi-Site Implementation Guide.

You also should understand the basic concepts of replication: what data you need to replicate, and which sites you need to replicate the data to and from. Use the Multi-Site Planning Guide and the Replication Reference Guide to determine that information.

Set up intranets and sites:

Note: If you plan to set up shared tables and a master site for an intranet, do not use these steps. Instead, see Setting Up Multi-Site Shared Tables.
1. Use the Intranets form to define the intranets that will group sites coexisting on a high speed network. For example, if you are running two sites and they are on the same LAN, define them in this application to use the same intranet so that you can use transactional replication at run time. Groups of databases may not be defined in the same intranet if they will replicate data but are not on the same version of the application.
2. Each site can have a system type, or application version number, associated with it. Use the System Types form to list the system types you are using. For example, you might go to a higher version of the application for one of your sites, but still be using a lower version at another site.
3. Use the Sites or Sites/Entities form to define your sites and to determine the relationships between the sites. You could also temporarily disable replication for a site from this form, if needed.
4. You might want to use the Site Groups form to segregate your sites into different groups for reporting and cross-site data viewing. There is a default multi-site group that is used as the Site Group if you do not provide one. In that case, all sites are associated with the default group.
Set up replication categories and rules for transferring data directly to or from application databases. The administrator for the target site can allow the source site to replicate some data to the target database, but prevent other data from being replicated. To do this, the administrator writes replication rules based on the replication categories, and then regenerates the triggers.
1. Use the Replication Categories form to specify these objects and to group them into categories:
  - Tables that should be replicated.
    Caution: If you try to replicate a table where RowPointer is part of the primary key, and you clear the Retain Site field for that table in the Replication Categories form, inserts would occur with a different RowPointer to the other site, so updates would never find that record. No failure would occur, but replication updates to the other site would simply not occur.
  - Stored procedures that should be run at the target site.
  - XML documents that should be sent to the target site.
  The installation process creates some categories. Do not delete these standard categories. These categories have been created and tested to ensure that they handle the standard system processes. They should meet most of your needs without requiring any changes.
  
  Caution: If you choose to create new categories or modify existing ones, we strongly recommend that you get help from Infor Consulting Services. Determining all the relationships between tables and stored procedures is not a simple task.
2. Set Replication Rules for each site and category where replication should be performed. For example, if you want to replicate order entry information from Site A to Site B, create a replication rule (at both sites A and B) where the Source Site=A, Target Site=B, Category=Centralized Order Entry, and the Interval Type is either synchronous (Transactional) or asynchronous (sent to a queue at specified intervals).
  
  Note: Replication to or from a site on an external intranet cannot be transactional. It must be non-transactional (asynchronous). If you set up a rule that violates this, an error message is displayed.
3. Use the button on the Replication Management form to regenerate the replication triggers. Any time you change a category or rule, you should regenerate the triggers.