Developing Replication Merge Conflict Resolvers Through a Custom Resolver

Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2000 supports two types of user-implemented conflict resolvers:

Custom conflict resolvers built as COM components and compiled into dynamic-link libraries (.dll) through products such as Microsoft Visual Basic® and Microsoft Visual C++®. The COM custom conflict resolver is a DLL that implements the ICustomResolver interface, methods, and properties. There are interfaces and type definitions designed specially for conflict resolution. For information about the required header file, see COM Conflict Resolver Header File.
To use a COM object resolver, make sure the DLL is registered at the computer where the Merge Agent runs. For a push subscription, this is the Distributor computer, and for a pull subscription, it is the Subscriber computer. When using Visual C++ or Visual Basic, the name of the project becomes the name of the .DLL. The DLL name must be a unique resolver name. Run the sp_enumcustomresolvers stored procedure to ensure uniqueness. sp_enumcustomresolvers displays all the resolvers currently registered on the system.
User-built Transact-SQL stored procedures can be used instead of a COM component. The stored procedures must implement a specific set of parameters required for a conflict resolver. For more information about the use of each field defined, see Custom Stored Procedure Conflict Resolver.

The Microsoft SQL Server 2000 CD-ROM ships with some resolver samples. For more information, see Replication Resolver Samples.