sql server replication: I realize this may not be fully supported, but is there a SQL trick that can
be used at the publisher to force all the rows in a particular article to be
downloaded to the subscribers? This is where a merge publication is being
used and the subscribers are anonymous.

I continue to be plagued with data validation errors (not sure how these
happen unless there is a bug in the replication implementation), but it
would sure be easier to just have the offending rows be downloaded rather
than force the entire publication to be reinitialized, especially when the
subscribers have flakey internet connections.

Thanks!

rb

This is possible in transactional but not in merge. I suppose you could keep
the publication in place and export the data to another database on the
publisher then delete all the rows then import the data again. Sounds like a
lot of work and will depend on referential integrity as to whether it is
viable or not, but might be worth a try.
Cheers,
Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
(recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)

That sounds like it would work if there were no referential integrity
constraints built into the database (which is true in this case).

I was thinking more along the lines of a direct update to the merge
replication control tables so that the subscriber would think that every row
in the table had been updated at the publisher (and perhaps every column
also). Very dangerous of course, but it seemed like a possibility. That way,
the subscriber would think like it needed to download everything.

rb

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You could look at sp_mergedummyupdate for this.
Cheers,
Paul Ibison SQL Server MVP, www.replicationanswers.com
(recommended sql server 2000 replication book:
http://www.nwsu.com/0974973602p.html)