Setting Up Push Subscriptions

A push subscription is carried out while a publication server is being administered. As part of the process of creating or managing a publication, subscriptions are created by "pushing" out an article to one or more subscription servers. A push subscription is possible only after a user with SA privileges on the subscription server has enabled this publication server (in the Replication Subscribing dialog box, as described in Setting Subscription Options, earlier in this chapter).

One advantage of using push subscriptions is that they simplify and centralize subscription administration. The act of publishing is combined with the act of subscribing, and one person can perform both in the same administrative session. The need to separately administer each subscriber is eliminated. Another advantage is that for each article, many subscribers can be set up at once.

However, push subscriptions can only be accomplished at the article level. (Pull subscriptions, on the other hand, can be accomplished at both the publication and article levels.)

Before subscribing articles, create the necessary destination databases on the subscription server, and authorize those databases to subscribe to publications. For information on creating databases, see Chapter 6, Managing Databases. For information on authorizing databases to subscribe to publications, see Configuring Servers for Replication, earlier in this chapter.

You set up a push subscription while creating or editing publications on a publication server.

    To set up a push subscription

1. Create or edit the publication as described in Creating Publications, earlier in this chapter.
2. While creating or editing the publication, in the Edit Publications dialog box, select an article from the Articles in Publication list, and choose Edit.

   The Manage Article dialog box appears.

3. Choose Subscribers.

   The Publication Subscribers dialog box appears, listing the servers that are authorized to subscribe to publications of this publication server.

   

4. From Subscription Servers list, select a server, and choose Subscribe.

   The Subscription Options dialog box appears.

   

5. From the list in the Destination Database box, select a database.

   This is a database on the subscription server that will receive the replicated tables and data.

6. Under Sync Method, select a synchronization option.
   • Select Data Synchronization Automatically Applied when you want SQL Server to automatically synchronize the schema and data of the destination table with the published table. This is the default synchronization method.
   • Select Data Synchronization Manually Applied by Operator when synchronization will be carried out by a user. The user must obtain schema and data files from the distribution server, manually synchronize the schema and data of the destination table with the published table, and then inform SQL Server that the synchronization is complete.

     Selecting manual synchronization can affect all the replicated data being sent to a destination database, since when the synchronization job becomes the next job in the distribution database queue, replication to the entire subscription database is paused until the manual synchronization is carried out and SQL Server is informed that the synchronization is complete. For more information about manual synchronization, see Acknowledging a Manual Synchronization, later in this chapter. Also see Chapter 13, Replication Concepts.

   • Select No Data Synchronization when you want SQL Server to immediately begin sending modifications to published data to the destination database. SQL Server assumes that the publication and destination tables are already synchronized. This option is intended for advanced users who will be implementing a custom replication solution.
7. Choose OK.

   The subscription is added. The Publication Subscribers dialog box returns.

8. To subscribe to another server, repeat steps 4 through 7.
9. When you are done subscribing servers, from the Publication Subscribers dialog box, choose OK, and then complete the creation or editing of the publication or article.

For more information on creating or editing publications and articles, see Publishing, earlier in this chapter.