Questions to Ask When Making a Database Replication Tool Comparison
In performing your database replication tool comparison, here are some basic questions to consider.
Which source and target platforms will I need to support, now and in the foreseeable future?
What types of replication will I need – snapshot, real-time, bi-directional and/or streaming?
Will you need to support heterogeneous data replication? For example, will you migrate data from SQL Server to Oracle or to other non-SQL Server databases?
Will you need to apply data transformations and mappings in the target database? Or content-based filtering?
Once you've narrowed down your database replication tool comparison to a few options, you may want to try each product first and investigate these three critical questions:
Does it offer a graphical user interface and a centralized dashboard for replication monitoring and management, reducing the skill and training requirements?
Is the tool easy to use? How much effort and expertise are required to implement and maintain the technology?
How much does it cost—for the software, any necessary plug-ins, associated hardware, and staff to manage it?