It is a common requirement to make data that lives on one server available on another. You might want to speed up cross-server queries by providing a local copy of the data. You might want to make the data available to resource intensive reporting queries without affecting the OLTP load, maybe even with an intentional delay in synchronization, so that reports run against complete days only. You may wish to replicate a complete database to a secondary ‘standby’ server for high availability. In each case, SQL Server Replication is a viable option, and Fundamentals of SQL Server 2012 Replication provides the hands-on introduction you need to get started, and explores all of the technology’s most important strengths and weaknesses. It will help you make an informed decision on whether replication is the right feature for your requirements, and on which type of replication most appropriate. Equally, it offers guidance on when to avoid replication in favor of features such as simple log shipping, or the Always On feature set. This is a practical guide, with all major concepts illustrated with exercises.