CascadeCascade is genuine Lotus Notes replication between non-replica Notes databases - a fully automated one-way process using the Lotus Notes replicator to move information: the user simply tells Cascade the filename of the "From" database and the "To" database. To produce two-way replication, two Cascade tasks have to be defined. This gives the user total control over the direction information moves.
The Cascade System
Cascade is installed as a Windows Service. It uses the Lotus Notes client to move information between databases on a remote server. At no point are the databases altered except by the replication of documents. Each Cascade task is defined by creating a "request" document in the Cascade Requests database. The actual work is done by the Cascade Domino program that reads the requests database. The request document allows you to specify a selective replication formula to limit the documents that are replicated from the first database to the second, just for that request. Cascade has a built in scheduler and the schedule is defined in the request document. Both the time of day and day of the week can be specified. The request can be temporarily de-activated if required. Each time a request is actioned the Cascade server program records the actual time of replication and how many deletions, additions and updates were made to the target database.
Cascade Flexibility
There are many different situations in designing a Lotus Notes system where Cascades "virtual replication" ability can help.
Custom Address Books
Cascade allows you to take the different address books you replicate from other companies (or other domains in your own company) and combine them into one. Not only does this simplify the use of address books for your users, but it means that the setup of your servers does not need to change each time an address book is added or removed from your system. If you have users with portable computers you can create an address book for them that they can update with new business addresses and, with Cascade, replicate selected address book entries from the public address book too so the combined database allows them to communicate with their departmental or regional contacts. This gives them the best of both worlds - an address book they can control and company information that is automatically kept up to date. Control for Domino ISPs If you are an Internet Service Provider for Domino you can create an address book for each customer on a shared server that they can control. Using Cascade, you can replicate certain types of document (perhaps Group or Person entries) into the main address book. With selective replication and Cascade you can limit replication to groups that start with "customer_" for example. Cascade makes managing a complex system easier and allows you to give limited control to power users.
Mobile Sales Force
If you have a mobile sales force, Cascade allows you to have a separate database for each sales persons calls and contacts, but still provide each team manager with one database for their team and the national sales manager with one database with all the information by using Cascade to pull the information from the small databases to the larger ones. As none of these databases need to be a replica of another, they can all be kept on the same server.
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