Merging Accounts and Contacts on a Remote Database - Good, Bad or Ugly?

[pjames95003]

Hi,

We are on 7.2.2 LAN with Remote Users and 1 Remote Office.  What is the conventional wisdom regarding allowing remote users (Remote Office and/or Single user Remote Databases) to Merge Account and Contacts?  The  SalesLogix application doesn't seem to care in that it allows it, but are there gotcha's in there or should it always be performed on the host and/or by the admin role?

Thanks

[RJLedger]

Not recommended. If possible always do this (and other db maint) on the main db. Disable the capability via the admin to prevent remotes from doing this. 

Think of the full sync cycle and what is happening here:

  A - If you merge on a remote.. the changes have to go back in (and hopefully within the conflict resolution window timeframe) and interact w/all other changes coming back in.

  B - If someone else has touched one (or more of the merged records) you will hit conflict... and probably wipe out their changes.

  C - It has to update the main

  D - Changes then "fly" back out to impacted remotes

The main is (supposed to be) the "master". The remotes are not peers nor are they "superior".