"Phil396" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:502e01c52328$6d842d10$a601280a@phx.gbl...
> I need to change a column that is a six character varchar
> called meeting_date to a datetime value. My plan is to
> create a table that stores a int value
> and a datetime value. Copy the primary key (an identity
> column) and converted the value to a datetime on the
> insert. Disable or alter all objects, especially triggers,
> that use the column meeting_date. Then drop the
> meeting_date column and add the column as a datetime
> value. Wait for replication to make the change. Update
> the new datetime column meeting_date with the converted
> datetime value joining on the identity column.
> Reestablish all objects and update all applications that
> use that the meeting_date column.
>
>
> Will this work with replication ? Is there a better
> way ? etc
>
> We are using merge replication and the column has 200,000
> values of a 3,900,000 row table.
> It is fairly easy to convert meeting_date value itself to
> datetime. I am a developer not a DBA so I do not know all
> the nuances of replication.

>-----Original Message-----
>Have a look at this article which should help:
>http://www.replicationanswers.com/AddColumn.htm
>HTH,
> Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
> (recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
> http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)
>
>.