In the context of databasesand object databases, in
particularreplication is the ability to duplicate an object from
one database (call it "database A") into another ("database B").
The duplication is performed in such a way that both object
instances can be modified, so that at a later time the
duplicated object can be returned to its original database, and
any differences between the object in A and the object in B can
be resolved. There are variations on this scenario, but that's
the basic idea. Users of mobile devices might recognize this as
"synchronization." In such applications, the desktop system
maintains a set of "master" databases that are replicated onto
the handheld device. In the process of using the handheld, you
add phone numbers, delete appointments, create new shopping
lists, and so on. And, at some future point, you synchronize the
mobile device with the desktop, which records the changes you've
made into the master database. In short, replication allows a
subset of information to be drawn