What is replication ?

In order to understand why a replication conflict occurs, we have to understand replication itself.

Lotus Notes allows databases to synchronize between different machines. This means that each machine have a synchronized copy of a database stored locally. The process of synchronizing the databases is called replication. There are many benefits from this capability:

• Users can work off-line with databases, such as with their own mail database. Even if the user doesn't have connection with a network or central Notes server, the user can easily continue to work with his mail, such as creating new mail, editing mail, replying to mail or deleting or reorganize mail. All changes done on the local database will be synchronized to the central copy on the server as soon as the user has connection with the server. Likewise will any changes done on the central copy synchronize "down" to the local copy.
• The capability to replicate databases goes for any database that the user has at least read access to!
• Servers can also synchronize databases between themselves. The main benefit of this is to use network resources efficient. The replication process is very quick and efficient compared to using the database on-line. If you have dial-up telephone lines, ISDN or any other slow network connection, replication may be a very efficient way to synchronize data.
  
  In addition, replication also fail-safes the database. If the central server in a company goes down, the database may still be available on any of the spoke-servers. This helps keeping the up-time of the database at a maximum rate!