I have setup Replication to implement a Merge Pull Subscription. Published and Distributor are on one server running SQL Server 2012. Client is running SQL Express Server 2008 R2. Connection is via VPN, Clients are NOT domain users so all security is via sql logins
I have a couple of issues.
1. If I choose a Snapshot type of Native SQL, I am receiving 'scrambled' data, basically some fields are coming across looking like Japanese characters, this is causing the sync to fail when it happens on a key field as it seems to be duplicating the values. All server installs have the same collation and Language selection. I can avoid this if I choose Character Mode.
2. Once I have a a good initial sync done, if I add a record to a table which is two way updatable, then try to sync the changes back to the Main server I get the following error message:
Uploading data changes to the Publisher Enumerating Deletes in all Articles Enumerating inserts and Deletes in article tblArCust No Data needed to be merged The merge process could not enumerate changes at the 'Subscriber' The merge process could not enumerate changes at the 'Subscriber'
I can sync any changes made at the Master down to the Client, but not the other way. The strange thing is that I can successfully do the sync if I use my PC which has a full version of SQL 2012. I have on occasion during testing been able to sync from a Express Client that I did a clean install on, however if I then cleared the PC, then tried the same steps, I cannot sync so it doesn't seem consistent.
I have spent at least a week searching on-line for this issue but other than a few articles about people having an issue like this pop up on a install that has been successfully running there has been no real explannation of what can cause it.
I would think it has something to do with permissions and that the subscriber process is not able to update the publisher, but in all of my testing I am using the same permissions setup, and it does work on my PC.
Any idea of what I should be looking at?