The Advanced Replication architecture is designed for a large variety of topologies that all support multi-tier data redundancy. In a multi-tier architecture, replica databases can also be master databases for other replica databases. The data is known as redundant when the same data exists in multiple databases in the same system. Thus, by nature, multiple and possibly temporarily different versions of the same data item can coexist.

Advanced Replication also supports synchronization models where a single replica database is synchronized with multiple master databases.