1. A method of maintaining a database having a central database and a plurality of individual partially replicated databases, wherein updates made to the central database or to one of the individual, partially replicated databases are selectively propagated to a recipient partially replicated database if the owner of the recipient partially replicated database has visibility to the data being selectively transmitted, said method comprising: (a) replicating a group of records as a single logical docking object which is composed of one or more physical database tables; (b) applying a single set of visibility rules to the data content of the entire logical docking unit; and (c) propagating the docking object to the recipient individual partially replicated database if the owner thereof has visibility to the data being transmitted in the single logical docking object.