Replication between SQL 2005 Express Edition and SQL 2005 Standard Edition

Hello everybody,

I got a problem in my development phase. I'm developing a web-application system that running merge database technology which is centralized database and distributed database. This is because my customer want a highly optimum system standby.

My centralized database running SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition and the distributed database running SQL Server 2005 Express Edition (because it is free). Each of these database, the users can change the data on its database. So, every database must have the same data. from my understanding, each server must act as Publisher and Subscriber. Can SQL Server 2005 Express Edition be a Publisher?

If not, what the solution you all may suggest, because cost is the first factor. If my architecture is not correct, so what you all suggest to me to resolve the problem.

Thanks so much. Any suggestion and opinion is highly appreciate and I'm highly thanks to you all.

You cannot republish with SQL Express, you need Standard Edition or higher. As for solutions, see if you can try to not republish and use the single publisher scenario, or pay for Standard Edition. If cost is a factor, then you have to weigh $$$ versus not being able to meet your business requirements.|||If your intent is that you want the Standard and the express editions to be in sync, and that you want the DML that happen at the Express to be sent to the Standard edition too, you dont need to make the Express as a publisher. By default when you setup merge replication between 2 nodes, they both are read-write. That is Express site and do DML and the merge agent can send across these DML to the Standard edition site.