Figure 32-7 shows an example of merge replication
being used to scale out a sales database to multiple offices within Australia.
The Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Darwin offices
all merge replicate their new orders and customers with the head office in Sydney.
Sydney then merge replicates this information to all of the offices.
Because Sydney is responsible for the ordering, delivery,
and con-signment of requested products from overseas,
it maintains the product catalog and the status of overseas orders,
which it merge replicates with the various offices.
This sort of a scale-out solution does not need to work in real-time,
so merge replication is the perfect technology.
Source: Microsoft SQL 2005 Administrator's Companion,
Page 1102-1103