"Troy Wolbrink" <wolbrink@ccci.org> wrote in message
news:eu%23DAe0KGHA.1532@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> I develop downloadable (shrink-wrap) software currently used by
individuals.
> My users are typically running MSDE/SQL Express on their own computer for
> their personal database. But now small groups of people here and there
want
> to move past having their own personal database and they want to share a
> database and stay in sync with each other. I want to explore the solution
> of allowing them to stay in sync by providing a Windows server with SQL
> Server 2005 to support merge replication via HTTPS (over the Internet).
My
> customer base are not in the context of a conrolled/enterprise
environment.
>
> Here's in broad strokes how I'd like this system to work. A customer
> decides they'd like to share their database with their team. They contact
> me, and I set them up with an account and a new empty database on my Web
> server for their use. They *somehow* upload all their data from their
local
> database to the publisher database on my server. Then they create a "no
> sync" subscription to the publisher, and they are all setup. Their team
> members simply create a new local database, and then initialize a
> subscription to the central publisher via a snapshot.
>
> So what is the best way to upload all their data from their local database
> to the publisher database on my server? I'm assuming (and will verify)
that
> the database structure is the same between the local database and the
> publisher database. I only want to copy data. I don't want to wipe out
the
> publisher database with a copy of the local database. I do plan on
> providing a Web service to help manage this, so the solution doesn't have
to
> be completely built into SQL Server. But the less I have to build, the
> better.
>
> Thanks,
> Troy
>
>
>
>

> How about bcp out of this database/table and then using this to bcp in
> into
> the publisher server.
> And note that if this table is already published, you will need to call
> sp_addtabletocontents (look BOL for the syntax and functionality)
>
> Another options is create a temp table in a new database on the Express,
> backup and then restore this database on the publisher, then do a insert
> of
> those rows at the publisher.

"Troy Wolbrink" <wolbrink@ccci.org> wrote in message
news:uCO52I$KGHA.3100@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > How about bcp out of this database/table and then using this to bcp in
> > into
> > the publisher server.
> > And note that if this table is already published, you will need to call
> > sp_addtabletocontents (look BOL for the syntax and functionality)
> >
> > Another options is create a temp table in a new database on the Express,
> > backup and then restore this database on the publisher, then do a insert
> > of
> > those rows at the publisher.
>
> Thanks for the pointers. I'll keep this in mind. It also occurred to me
> that this could all be done on the client. I could create a new database
> subsribed to the publisher (via merge replication), then on the subscriber
> database, I could import the old database's data (same local server), and
> let merge replication manage it from there.
>
> --Troy
>
>