A useful alternative to the methods described here that avoids the site selectivity concerns of the SHJ reaction is tandem Michael reaction/cyclization to simultaneously form the heterocyclic base and establish its connection to the sugar moiety.
A second alternative is enzymatic transglycosylation, which is completely kinetically controlled (avoiding issues of chemical transglycosylation associated with thermodynamic control). However, operational complications associated with the use of enzymes are a disadvantage of this method.