Two-way replication

A type of geodatabase replication that allows data changes to be sent multiple times from the parent replica to the child replica or from the child replica to the parent replica. The data on both replicas must be editable, versioned and have GlobalID columns. ArcSDE geodatabases are used to create two-way replicas.

Two-way replication allows changes to be sent back and forth between databases without having to recreate the replica. Changes can be sent from either the parent to the child, from the child to the parent, or in both directions at the same time. Two-way replication is very useful in situations where two departments or organizations want to share data that they both need to edit.

In ArcGIS software, replicas are managed using Replica Manager. With this utility, relicas can be renamed, refreshed, the properties of each replica can be reviewed, and datasets can be removed from a replica. All replicas may also be viewed with a role of parent or child; list only checkout/check-in, one-way, two-way, or all types of replicas; and the replica log may be viewed. This utility is available in both ArcCatalog and ArcMap.