Discuss the functionality required of a replication server.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

At its basic level, we expect a distributed data replication service to be capable of copying data
from one database to another, synchronously or asynchronously. However, there are many other
functions that need to be provided, including:
? Scalability - The service should be able to handle the replication of both small and large
volumes of data.
? Mapping and transformation - The service should be able to handle replication across
heterogeneous DBMSs and platforms. mapping and transforming the data from one data model into a different data model, or the
data in one data type to a corresponding data type in another DBMS.
? Object replication - It should be possible to replicate objects other than data. For example,
some systems allow indexes and stored procedures (or triggers) to be replicated.
? Specification of replication schema - The system should provide a mechanism to allow a
privileged user to specify the data and objects to be replicated.
? Subscription mechanism - The system should provide a mechanism to allow a privileged user
to subscribe to the data and objects available for replication.
? Initialization mechanism - The system should provide a mechanism to allow for the
initialization of a target replica.
? Easy administration - It should be easy for the DBA to administer the system and to check the
status and monitor the performance of the replication system components.