FIX: The columns of the XML data type are replicated as empty strings in a merge replication that uses a merge filter of the logical record relationship type in SQL Server 2005

Consider the following scenario in Microsoft SQL Server 2005:

• You configure a merge replication for a table that contains one or more columns of the XML data type.
• You create a merge filter for the table. The merge filter is a logical record relationship type. The @filter_type parameter of the sp_addmergefilter stored procedure is 2 or 3.
• You execute a batch statement against this table on the publisher or on a subscriber.
• The batch statement consists of a DELETE statement followed by an INSERT statement.
• Then, you synchronize the replication.

In this scenario, when you examine the inserted data on the other replica, the columns of the XML data type may be empty strings. This issue results in non-convergence of data.

In Microsoft SQL Server 2005, if you perform an insert operation or an update operation on a table that contains XML columns, the merge replication does the operation in two steps. The first step inserts or updates all the columns that are not the XML data type. The second step performs an update operation for each column of the XML data type. These steps occur because the XML columns can be bound only as streams. However, the OLE DB provider does not allow for binding more than one stream for a row.

Because a batch has only one command type, the command type of the batch is DELETE if a DELETE statement is present in a batch first. In the scenario that is described in the "Symptoms" section, if there is a batch that contains a DELETE statement followed by an INSERT statement, the change is skipped in the INSERT statement for XML columns.

The fix for this issue was first released in Cumulative Update 6. For more information about how to obtain this cumulative update package for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:Note Because the builds are cumulative, each new fix release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server 2005 fix release. Microsoft recommends that you consider applying the most recent fix release that contains this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:Microsoft SQL Server 2005 hotfixes are created for specific SQL Server service packs. You must apply a SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 hotfix to an installation of SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2. By default, any hotfix that is provided in a SQL Server service pack is included in the next SQL Server service pack.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

You can use the following query to find out whether a merge filter of the logical record relationship type is created for a table.A DELETE statement does not require this two-step process. The decision of whether to do the second step is performed at the batch level by looking at the command type of the first command in the batch. The assumption is that all commands in the batch are of the same type. Therefore, it is sufficient to examine only the first command in the batch. If there are logical records in a batch, the batch can be made up of different command types. Therefore, it is insufficient to examine only the first command. The decision of whether to do the second step should be made at the command level and not at the batch level. This hotfix fixes this issue. After the hotfix is applied, all the commands are examined, and then the steps are determined based on the command type.

For more information about what files are changed, and for information about any prerequisites to apply the cumulative update package that contains the hotfix that is described in this Microsoft Knowledge Base article, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information about the list of builds that are available after SQL Server Service Pack 2, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about the Incremental Servicing Model for SQL Server, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:For more information about how to obtain SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about the new features and the improvements in SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information about the naming schema for SQL Server updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: