Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 Unleashed

Data Replication

The next technology option that can be utilized to achieve high availability is data replication. Originally, data replication was created to offload processing from a very busy server (such as an OLTP application that must also support a big reporting workload) or to geographically distribute data for different, very distinct user bases (such as worldwide product ordering applications). As data replication (transactional replication) became more stable and reliable, it started to be used to create “warm” (almost “hot”) standby SQL Servers that could also be used to fulfill basic reporting needs. If the primary server ever failed, the reporting users would still be able to work (hence a higher degree of availability achieved ...