Deploying local replica's to field staff

I would appreciate any tips/ideas on how to deploy local replica of our office database to field staff.

Currently we use the following method to install the local replica on each laptop before it goes out into the field.

We use a batch file to open an installer database. From here we run following agent from a button.

Sub Click(Source As Button)

Dim session As New NotesSession

Dim parentdb As NotesDatabase

Dim replica As NotesDatabase

Set parentdb = session.getdatabase(“server”, “databasename”)

Set replica = parentdb.createreplica (“”, “nameofreplicadb”)

Dim dbName As String

dbName$=“replicadb”

Dim ReplicaDb As NotesDatabase

Set ReplicaDb = session.GetDatabase(“”,dbName$)

Dim rep As NotesReplication

Dim re As NotesReplicationEntry

If Not Replicadb.IsOpen Then

Messagebox “ERROR …No local replica created”

Exit Sub

End If

Dim eString As String

eString = |( Form = “Form1” & @Name([CN]; @UserName) = InterviewerNme & VariableName !=“New”) || ( Form = “Form2” ) || ( Form = “Form3” & @Name([CN]; @UserName) = InterviewerNme)|

REM Get source and destination computers

Dim sourcedb As String

Dim destinationdb As String

sourcedb$ = “-”

destinationdb$ = session.UserName

REM Get replication entry

Set rep = ReplicaDb.ReplicationInfo

Set re = rep.GetEntry(sourcedb$, destinationdb$, True)

If re Is Nothing Then

Messagebox _"No replication entry for " & sourcedb$ & _

" and " & destinationdb$, _

“No such replication entry”

Exit Sub

End If

rep.Priority = DB_REPLICATION_PRIORITY_LOW

re.Formula = eString

'rep.Disabled = True ‘’'Temporarily disable replication

Call re.Save()

Call rep.Save()

Call Replicadb.Replicate(“ServerName” ) ’ replicate immediately

ans = Messagebox (“SUCCESS …New local replica created” & Chr(10) & “Do you want to open the replica now ?” ,MB_ICONQUESTION + MB_YESNO,“Open Database”)

If ans = IDYES Then

Dim workspace As New NotesUIWorkspace

Call workspace.OpenDatabase _

( “”, dbName$ , , , False, True )

End If

End Sub

Our code is doing the following…

1.Open the database on server which we want to create local replica of

2.Create local replica of this database on the laptop we are logged on to.

3.Find this local replica and apply the formula & other replication setting.

4.Open this newly created replica.

While this agent works for the most part it does require us having to run the agent, manually replicate the database with the server copy so that the formula kicks in, also change some settings i.e. switch off scheduled replication and apply deletions of the local replica replication settings.

I would be interested in hearing from others who deploy local replica’s to field staff.

Many thanks

Subject: Have you considered using policies

Under the “desktop settings” policy documents it’s possible to create doc-links to databases you would like those covered by the policy to get created locally.

kind regards

Simon