A comparison of row and column level conflict resolution

In Microsoft Access 95 and 97, conflicts are determined at the row-level. Conflicts will occur whenever the same record is changed in two separate replicas, even if different fields are changed at each replica. For example, changing a customer's phone number in one replica and that same customer's zip code in another replica will cause a conflict.

In Access 2000, conflicts are determined at the column-level. Changes to the same record in two different replicas cause a synchronization conflict only if the same column, or field, is changed. So in the previous example, there would no longer be a synchronization conflict since the two users changed different fields.

Column-level conflict resolution is the default when a database is made replicable. To specify row-level conflict resolution for a table, you must set it prior to making the table replicable.

You can set the conflict tracking on a database or an individual table prior to making it replicable. Once you create a replica, you can’t change the setting. However, you can change the value of individual tables to row-level tracking by setting the table RowLevelTracking property.

Note By using Jet and Replication Objects (JRO) you can only specify the default tracking for the database, not for individual tables. When making a database replicable, you can set ColumnLevelTracking to either True or False by using the JRO MakeReplicable method.

More information

Create a replica of your database

Replication with Jet and Replication Objects (JRO)

About replication in a Microsoft Access project