Sql-server – I couldn’t see Conflict tables in replication monitor SQL Server 2008 R2 in Merge Replication

Well .. so nobody got an answer. But I think I (finally) got it. Guess what... it is somewhere in the metamodel (as usual)!

• When adding an item to the subscription, the new conflict resolver references to be used by the stored procedure come from the [distribution].[MSmerge_articleresolver] table
• But, for existing subscriptions, previous conflict resolver references are stored in the system tables of the publishing database, ie [sysmergearticles], [sysmergeextendedarticlesview], and [sysmergepartitioninfoview]

So we have on one side an item initialy published with SQLSERVER 2005, where the publication references the 2005 conflict resolver, as per the publishing database metamodel. On the other side, the machine will attempt to add the same item to a new publication, this time with a default reference to the conflict resolver available in the distibution database, which is indeed different from the 2005 one ....

To illustrate this, you can check the following

USE distribution
go
SELECT article_resolver, resolver_clsid
  FROM [MSmerge_articleresolver] WHERE article_resolver like '%Later Wins%'
  GO

Then,

USE myPublicationDatabase
go
SELECT article_resolver, resolver_clsid
  FROM [sysmergearticles] WHERE article_resolver like '%Later Wins%'
  GO
 SELECT article_resolver, resolver_clsid
  FROM [sysmergeextendedarticlesview] WHERE article_resolver like '%Later Wins%'
  GO
 SELECT article_resolver, resolver_clsid
  FROM [sysmergepartitioninfoview] WHERE article_resolver like '%Later Wins%'
  GO  

So it seems that I should update either the references in the distribution database or the references in the publication database. Let's give it a try!

Straight from Advanced Merge Replication Conflict Detection and Resolution:

The Conflict Viewer displays information from three system tables:

• Replication creates a conflict table for each table in a merge article, with a name in the form MSmerge_conflict__.

• Conflict tables have the same structure as the tables on which they are based. A row in one of these tables consists of the losing version of a conflict row (the winning version of the row is in the actual user table).

• The MSmerge_conflicts_info table provides information about each conflict, including the conflict type.

• The sysmergearticles table identifies which user tables have conflict tables and provides information about the conflict tables.

This means that if you find a record in the MSmerge_conflict_[PublicationName]_[ArticleName] table, it is the "loser". The record that you find in the actual table is the "winner".

Hope this helps,

Matt