Specify the Conflict Tracking and Resolution Level for Merge Articles
This topic describes how to specify the conflict tracking and resolution level for merge articles in SQL Server 2012 by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL.
When a subscription to a merge publication is synchronized, replication checks for conflicts caused by changes to the same data made at both the Publisher and the Subscriber. You can specify whether conflicts are detected at the row-level, where any change to the row is considered a conflict, or column-level, where only changes to the same row and column are considered a conflict. Conflict resolution for articles is performed at the row-level. For more information about conflict detection and resolution when logical records are used, see Detecting and Resolving Conflicts in Logical Records.
In This Topic
Before you begin:
Limitations and Restrictions
To specify the conflict tracking and resolution level for merge articles, using:
SQL Server Management Studio
Transact-SQL
Before You Begin
Limitations and Restrictions
If you modify the tracking level after subscriptions have been initialized, those subscriptions must be reinitialized. For more information about the effects of property changes, see Change Publication and Article Properties.
With row- and column-level tracking, conflict resolution is always performed at the row-level: the winning row overwrites the losing row. Merge replication also allows you to specify that conflicts be tracked and resolved at the logical record level, but these options are not available from SQL Server Management Studio. For information about setting these options from replication stored procedures, see Define a Logical Record Relationship Between Merge Table Articles.
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Using SQL Server Management Studio
Specify row- or column-level tracking for merge articles on the Properties tab of the Article Properties dialog box, which is available in the New Publication Wizard and the Publication Properties - <Publication> dialog box. For more information about using the wizard and accessing the dialog box, see Create a Publication and View and Modify Publication Properties.
To specify row- or column-level tracking
On the Articles page of the New Publication Wizard or the Publication Properties - <Publication> dialog box, select a table.
Click Article Properties, and then click Set Properties of Highlighted Table Article or Set Properties of All Table Articles.
On the Properties tab of the Article Properties <Article> dialog box, select one of the following values for the Tracking level property: Row-level tracking or Column-level tracking.
If you are in the Publication Properties - <Publication> dialog box, click OK to save and close the dialog box.
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Using Transact-SQL
To specify conflict tracking options for a new merge article
At the Publisher on the publication database, execute sp_addmergearticle and specify one of the following values for @column_tracking:
true - Use column-level tracking for the article.
false - Use row-level tracking, which is the default.
To change conflict tracking options for a merge article
To determine the conflict tracking options for a merge article, execute sp_helpmergearticle. Note the value of the column_tracking option in the result set for the article. A value of 1 means that column-level tracking is being used, and a value of 0 means that row-level tracking is being used.
At the Publisher on the publication database, execute sp_changemergearticle. Specify a value of column_tracking for @property and one of the following values for @value:
true - Use column-level tracking for the article.
false - Use row-level tracking, which is the default.
Specify a value of 1 for both @force_invalidate_snapshot and @force_reinit_subscription.
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See Also
Concepts
Advanced Merge Replication Conflict Detection and Resolution
Detecting and Resolving Conflicts in Logical Records
Define a Logical Record Relationship Between Merge Table Articles