Replication Object Wizard

The “Replication Object Wizard” builds the rules of a Capture or an Apply Process for you. You search the tables of the Source Database, tick the ones you need and the wizard writes the rules in the exact syntax of the process, so you do not have to type them or to remember the syntax. It generates two kinds of rules: the object rules of a Capture Process, which define the tables to replicate, the tables whose DDL statements are replicated and the tables whose existing data is copied before the replication starts (see Capture Objects Specification and Initial Load), and the transformation rules, which rename, add, change or remove tables and columns (see Objects Mapping and Transformation Rules).

The wizard is a window of the process form. It changes nothing in the process until you click “Save Changes” in the wizard and then “Save Process” in the form.

Open the wizard

Click “Replication Object Wizard” in the “Replication Object Settings” section of the “Capture Process Configuration” form (see Edit Replication Processes to open the form). The wizard starts from the rules which are in the form now, so it works in the same way for a new process and for an existing one. It asks the server for the tables of the Source Database, so the Database Settings of the form must be correct (use “Test connection” in the Database Settings window, see Setup First Replication):

The “Apply Process Configuration” form has the same button:

The wizard of an Apply Process has one tab only, “Transform Tables”, because the objects to replicate are defined by the Capture Process. The search lists the tables which the Capture Process replicates:

The window

The “Replication Objects Visual Editor” window of a Capture Process has three tabs:

• “Include Tables” chooses the tables to replicate, the tables whose DDL statements are replicated and the tables whose existing data is loaded first. The rules are written to the fields “DML Include”, “DDL Include” and “Load Include” below the list.
• “Exclude Tables” takes tables out of the replication in the same way. The rules are written to “DML Exclude”, “DDL Exclude” and “Load Exclude”. See Replication Objects for these two tabs.
• “Transform Tables” builds the transformation (mapping) rules: it renames tables, adds, changes and removes columns and removes tables. See Transformation (Mapping) Rules.

The “Replicated Tables” list shows the tables which the rules of the process include now. The columns “DML”, “DDL” and “Load” show for which of them a table is included and “Map” marks the tables which have a transformation rule. The list is refreshed every time the wizard generates rules, so you see the effect at once.

How the wizard works

1. Choose the tab.
2. Enter the schema and the table (and, on the “Transform Tables” tab, the column) to search for and click “Show results”.
3. Tick the tables in the list, or leave them unticked to generate one rule from the search criteria (“General Rule”).
4. Click “Generate include rules”, “Generate exclude rules” or “Transform Selected Tables”. The new rules are added to the rules which are already in the window, nothing is overwritten.
5. Repeat the steps for other tables and tabs.
6. Click “Save Changes”.

The fields with the rules are not read-only: you can also type the rules there or click the three dots (…) to edit them one by one (see Edit Replication Processes). The wizard works with the rules which are in the fields.

Save the changes

Click “Save Changes” (it is available when something has been changed). The window closes and the rules are in the process form: the object rules in the fields of the “Objects Rules” tab, the transformation rules in the “Transformation Rules” tab. They are stored only when you click “Save Process”:

If the process is running, Repstance asks whether it must be restarted to use the new rules (see Edit Replication Processes). The new objects and transformation rules are put into effect when the process is run (see Run any Capture or Apply Processes).

“Close” or the cross in the corner closes the window without saving. If something has been changed the wizard asks for a confirmation, “Yes” discards the changes made in the wizard:

More about the tabs

• Replication Objects – the “Include Tables” and “Exclude Tables” tabs: search, flags, Initial Load options and the generated rules.
• Transformation (Mapping) Rules – the “Transform Tables” tab: the five types of the rules and their priority.

For the syntax of the rules see Capture Objects Specification, Initial Load and Objects Mapping and Transformation Rules.