Replicated database won't Synch Properly

[vaiamo]

Hi -

First some background. A few months ago I replicated an Access 2003 database so that folks in various locations could all enter data. There is one master and 3 copies. One of these copies was operating on a computer with Access 2000 and it also happened to be the copy of the database that gave me some headaches (never with the synching) which I am almost positive were related to the version difference.

So, despite those other problems this copy of the database synched up fine throughout the summer. Now all the sudden I have found a few recently entered records in the copy which are not being transferred during synchronization. And from what I have been able to tell so far they seem to be from a particular data entry session on a particular date. I have already looked through the records in question to see if they are missing an important field of data or something and they seem to be complete and legitimate records.

I have tried a number of things and at this point am at a loss as to where to go next. Does anybody have experience with replicated databases and potentially run into this problem before? Any advice on what to look at next to figure out the casue and the fix?

Thanks for any help.... Steph

 

[boblarson]

Is this a split database (Frontend/backend) with the backend being replicated and the frontend as a copy on each user's desktop/laptop?

If not, it should be. Replication is ONLY meant for the backend data. Other objects (forms, reports, code, etc.) will corrupt the database if replication is used.

 

[vaiamo]

No, it is not a split database and none of the literature I read before doing it mentioned that though that they may have thought it was common sense. Though thinking about it, if you have it split and are not synching the frontend then how do you pass on any changes that need to be made to forms and such?

Regardless this database will shortly be passed on to the professionals who are going to migrate it to SQL Server and build a web-based frontend for it. What I am trying to achieve here is how to get the synch to work for this copy so I am 100% sure all the data has been transferred to the master. Then I will retire that copy since the fieldstation it was serving is closed down for the season anyway.

 

[dfenton]

Microsoft has done a poor job with documenting replication since it was released back in Access 95. To address some of that, I've created the Jet Replication Wiki here:

http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/Replication/

Here's a rundown of replication Best Practices:

http://www.dfenton.com/DFA/Replication/index.php?title=Best_Practices

You might also want to read "Things not to believe in the MS documentation", which is accessible from the wiki front page.