Replication concepts

In this recipe, we do not solve any specific replication problem—or, rather, we try to prevent the generic problem of getting confused when discussing replication. We do that by clarifying in advance the various concepts related to replication.

Indeed, replication technology can be confusing. You might be forgiven for thinking that people have a reason to keep it that way. Our observation is that there are many techniques, each with its own advocates, and their strengths and weaknesses are often hotly debated.

There are some simple, underlying concepts that can help you understand the various options available. The terms used here are designed to avoid favoring any particular technique, and we’ve used standard industry terms whenever available.

Topics

Database replication is the term we use to describe technology that’s used to maintain a copy of a set of data on a remote system.

There are usually two main reasons for you...