Choosing Microsoft Replication Manager or DAO

When you’re building your replication-based application, you can use either Replication Manager, DAO, or both. Deciding which one is best for your application depends on a few factors.

Replication Manager offers the fastest way to create a replication system. You can use its graphical interface to quickly define a replication topology and set replication schedules — without programming. If possible, you should use Replication Manager to incorporate replication into your application.

In some cases, DAO may be a better solution than Replication Manager. Although DAO requires programming, it gives you the ability to customize your replication system. Generally, DAO should be used under the following circumstances:

• When you need to synchronize replicas when certain events occur. For example, you might want to trigger synchronization whenever updated product pricing information is received from headquarters. Because Replication Manager does not support event-based replication, you must use DAO to achieve this.
  
  
• When you need to distribute your replicated application to users who have minimal computer expertise. In this case, you could use DAO to design a simplified replication interface or make replication completely transparent to users. Although you can distribute Replication Manager to your customers on a royalty-free basis, it might not be suitable for users with minimal knowledge of computer concepts.
  
  
• When you need to create a partial replica. For example, you may want to create a replica that contains only a subset of the data contained in the Design Master.