Define Replicate

Use this page to define a new replicate and the participants, and to set options for replicating the data.

With the Define Replicate action, you define a strict master replicate and its participants. A master replicate verifies that replicated tables on different servers have consistent column data types. A strict master replicate also verifies that the replicated tables have identical column names. All database servers containing master replicates must be able to establish a direct connection with the master replicate database server.

Important: You can define a replicate by using the OpenAdmin Tool (OAT) for Informix® only on nodes that can be accessed directly from the node that you are connected to. If you are defining a replicate in a hierarchical topology by using OAT, you might not be able to access all the nodes.

Prerequisites: Only tables that can be replication participants are displayed in the list of selectable tables. These restrictions determine which tables are displayed:

The table must have a primary key or the ERKEY shadow columns to be a replication participant.
The table must be an actual table. It cannot be a synonym, a view, or a sequence.
The table cannot be an external table.
The database that contains the table cannot be an ANSI database. OAT does not support defining replicates that include ANSI databases, although replicates that include ANSI databases are supported by the IBM® Informix database server.
The database must be a logging database. Enterprise Replication requires that the databases involved in replication are created with logging.
The database cannot be a system database; for example, sysadmin or sysmaster.

Replicate name

Type a name for the replicate. The name must be unique in the Enterprise Replication (ER) domain.

Master replicate server

Select the server group to use as the basis of the master replicate.

The master replicate server must be a participant in the new replicate. When you select the tables to participate in the replicate, you must select a table on the master replicate server.

Create missing tables on target servers

If the master replicate server contains a table that does not exist on a target server, you can create the table automatically by selecting the option Create missing tables on target servers. When you select a table on the master replicate server that does not exist on a target server, the name of the table is displayed in italics for the target server in the list of tables. When you define the replicate, the table is created on the target server.

The new tables do not automatically include non-primary key indexes, defaults, constraints (including foreign constraints), triggers, or permissions. If the tables require the use of these objects, you must explicitly create the objects.

Database filter

Use this filter to display only the databases that contain the tables that you want to define as participants in the replicate. For Database filter, begin typing the database name. The list expands to display the database on each server and the tables in the database.

Table filter

Use this filter to display only the tables that you want to define as participants in the replicate. For Table filter, begin typing the table name. The list displays for each database only the tables that match. Only tables that can be replication participants are displayed in the list of selectable tables.

Select and Clear buttons

Use the Select button to select all the participants specified by the filters. The button is active when not more than one table is selected for each database, and the tables on the different servers have consistent column data types and identical column names.

Click Clear to clear the selected tables.

Alternatively, click the tables in the list to select them.

List of tables

Use this list to select the tables that you want to define as participants in the replicate and to set the participant type and privileges options.

The list displays the following information about the tables in the ER domain:

Group: The ER database server group for the table.
Database: The database that contains the table.
Owner: The owner of the table.
Table: The name of the table.
Type: The participant type. To change the type, click the icon.
- Primary: The participant both sends and receives replicated data. (Default)
- Receive-only: The participant only receives data from primary participants.
Privileges: The user whose privileges are used to apply replicated data. To change the selection, click the icon.
- Table owner
- User informix

Finish and Next buttons

Create the replicate or set the advanced options.

To create the new replicate with the default options, click Finish.
To set the options, click Next.