Access to SQL replication

I have a customer who has Access databases at many sites across the country
who wants the
data replicated nightly to a centralized MS-SQL Server using broadband
connection (Cable, DSL, etc.)
I have very limited knowledge of best practices to accomplish this reliably
but know their current solution is not at all reliable. Right now they are
using some Java app that exports the Access data to CSV, then emails the
files. The emails are then manually taken, copied then imported. Very
cumbersome process and VERY unreliable. There's gotta be a better way!
I want to recomend that they contract an expert to set this up for them and
then they can maintain it. However because this isn't my area, I can't
really
say for certian what type of person they should look for or how it should be
done.
Any ideas from a 40,000 foot perspective?
Thanks in advance.
you can use merge replication for this. Each access database would enabled
as a subscriber to a single merge publication on your host SQL Server.
You will have to do some partitioning or filtering to ensure that there are
no conflicts.
"Ben" <Sorry@.TooManyViruses.com> wrote in message
news:dSvic.37377$lS2.27451@.twister.rdc-kc.rr.com...
> I have a customer who has Access databases at many sites across the
country
> who wants the
> data replicated nightly to a centralized MS-SQL Server using broadband
> connection (Cable, DSL, etc.)
> I have very limited knowledge of best practices to accomplish this
reliably
> but know their current solution is not at all reliable. Right now they are
> using some Java app that exports the Access data to CSV, then emails the
> files. The emails are then manually taken, copied then imported. Very
> cumbersome process and VERY unreliable. There's gotta be a better way!
> I want to recomend that they contract an expert to set this up for them
and
> then they can maintain it. However because this isn't my area, I can't
> really
> say for certian what type of person they should look for or how it should
be
> done.
> Any ideas from a 40,000 foot perspective?
> Thanks in advance.
>