How to: Define and Modify a Join Filter Between Merge Articles (Replication Transact-SQL Programming)

Article
12/03/2008

Merge replication supports join filters, which are typically used in conjunction with parameterized filters to extend table partitioning to other related table articles. This topic shows a parameterized filter on a parent article with join filters between this article and related child articles. Join filters can be defined and modified programmatically using replication stored procedures.

Define the filtering for the article being joined to, which is also known as the parent article.
- For an article filtered using a parameterized row filter, see How to: Define and Modify a Parameterized Row Filter for a Merge Article (Replication Transact-SQL Programming).
- For an article filtered using a static row filter, see How to: Define and Modify a Static Row Filter (Replication Transact-SQL Programming).
At the Publisher on the publication database, execute sp_addmergearticle (Transact-SQL) to define one or more related articles, which are also known as child articles, for the publication. For more information, see How to: Define an Article (Replication Transact-SQL Programming).
At the Publisher on the publication database, execute sp_addmergefilter (Transact-SQL). Specify @publication, a unique name for this filter for @filtername, the name of the child article created in step 2 for @article, the name of the parent article being joined to for @join_articlename, and one of the following values for @join_unique_key:
- 0 - indicates a many-to-one or many-to-many join between the parent and child articles.
- 1 - indicates a one-to-one or one-to-many join between the parent and child articles.
This defines a join filter between the two articles.

Warning

Only set @join_unique_key to 1 if you have a constraint on the joining column in the underlying table for the parent article that guarantees uniqueness. If @join_unique_key is set to 1 incorrectly, non-convergence of data may occur.

Example

This example defines an article for a merge publication, where the SalesOrderDetail table article is filtered against the SalesOrderHeader table that is itself filtered using a static row filter. For more information, see How to: Define and Modify a Static Row Filter (Replication Transact-SQL Programming).

DECLARE @publication AS sysname;
DECLARE @table1 AS sysname;
DECLARE @table2 AS sysname;
DECLARE @table3 AS sysname;
DECLARE @salesschema AS sysname;
DECLARE @hrschema AS sysname;
DECLARE @filterclause AS nvarchar(1000);
SET @publication = N'AdvWorksSalesOrdersMerge'; 
SET @table1 = N'Employee'; 
SET @table2 = N'SalesOrderHeader'; 
SET @table3 = N'SalesOrderDetail'; 
SET @salesschema = N'Sales';
SET @hrschema = N'HumanResources';
SET @filterclause = N'Employee.LoginID = HOST_NAME()';

-- Add a filtered article for the Employee table.
EXEC sp_addmergearticle 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table1, 
  @source_object = @table1, 
  @type = N'table', 
  @source_owner = @hrschema,
  @schema_option = 0x0004CF1,
  @description = N'article for the Employee table',
  @subset_filterclause = @filterclause;

-- Add an article for the SalesOrderHeader table that is filtered
-- based on Employee and horizontally filtered.
EXEC sp_addmergearticle 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table2, 
  @source_object = @table2, 
  @type = N'table', 
  @source_owner = @salesschema, 
  @vertical_partition = N'true',
  @schema_option = 0x0034EF1,
  @description = N'article for the SalesOrderDetail table';

-- Add an article for the SalesOrderDetail table that is filtered
-- based on SaledOrderHeader.
EXEC sp_addmergearticle 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table3, 
  @source_object = @table3, 
  @source_owner = @salesschema,
  @description = 'article for the SalesOrderHeader table', 
  @identityrangemanagementoption = N'auto', 
  @pub_identity_range = 100000, 
  @identity_range = 100, 
  @threshold = 80,
  @schema_option = 0x0004EF1;

-- Add all columns to the SalesOrderHeader article.
EXEC sp_mergearticlecolumn 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table2, 
  @force_invalidate_snapshot = 1, 
  @force_reinit_subscription = 1;

-- Remove the credit card Approval Code column.
EXEC sp_mergearticlecolumn 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table2, 
  @column = N'CreditCardApprovalCode', 
  @operation = N'drop', 
  @force_invalidate_snapshot = 1, 
  @force_reinit_subscription = 1;

-- Add a merge join filter between Employee and SalesOrderHeader.
EXEC sp_addmergefilter 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table2, 
  @filtername = N'SalesOrderHeader_Employee', 
  @join_articlename = @table1, 
  @join_filterclause = N'Employee.EmployeeID = SalesOrderHeader.SalesPersonID', 
  @join_unique_key = 1, 
  @filter_type = 1, 
  @force_invalidate_snapshot = 1, 
  @force_reinit_subscription = 1;

-- Add a merge join filter between SalesOrderHeader and SalesOrderDetail.
EXEC sp_addmergefilter 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table3, 
  @filtername = N'SalesOrderDetail_SalesOrderHeader', 
  @join_articlename = @table2, 
  @join_filterclause = N'SalesOrderHeader.SalesOrderID = SalesOrderDetail.SalesOrderID', 
  @join_unique_key = 1, 
  @filter_type = 1, 
  @force_invalidate_snapshot = 1, 
  @force_reinit_subscription = 1;
GO

This example defines a group of articles in a merge publication where the articles are filtered with a series of join filters against the Employee Table that is itself filtered using a parameterized row filter on the value of HOST_NAME in the LoginID column. For more information, see How to: Define and Modify a Parameterized Row Filter for a Merge Article (Replication Transact-SQL Programming).

-- To avoid storing the login and password in the script file, the value 
-- is passed into SQLCMD as a scripting variable. For information about 
-- how to use scripting variables on the command line and in SQL Server
-- Management Studio, see the "Executing Replication Scripts" section in
-- the topic "Programming Replication Using System Stored Procedures".

--Add a new merge publication.
DECLARE @publicationdb AS sysname;
DECLARE @publication AS sysname;
DECLARE @table1 AS sysname;
DECLARE @table2 AS sysname;
DECLARE @filter AS sysname;
DECLARE @schema_hr AS sysname;
DECLARE @schema_sales AS sysname;

SET @publicationdb = N'AdventureWorks';
SET @publication = N'AdvWorksSalesPersonMerge';
SET @table1 = N'Employee';
SET @table2 = N'SalesPerson';
SET @filter = N'SalesPerson_Employee';
SET @schema_hr = N'HumanResources';
SET @schema_sales = N'Sales';

USE [AdventureWorks];

-- Enable AdventureWorks for merge replication.
EXEC sp_replicationdboption
  @dbname = @publicationdb,
  @optname = N'merge publish',
  @value = N'true';  

-- Create new merge publication with Subscriber requested snapshot
-- and using the default agent schedule. 
EXEC sp_addmergepublication 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @description = N'Merge publication of AdventureWorks.', 
  @allow_subscriber_initiated_snapshot = N'true',
  @publication_compatibility_level = N'90RTM';

-- Create a new snapshot job for the publication, using the default schedule.
-- Pass credentials at runtime using sqlcmd scripting variables.
EXEC sp_addpublication_snapshot 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @job_login = $(login), 
  @job_password = $(password);

-- Add an article for the Employee table, 
-- which is horizontally partitioned using 
-- a parameterized row filter.
EXEC sp_addmergearticle 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table1, 
  @source_owner = @schema_hr, 
  @source_object = @table1, 
  @type = N'table', 
  @description = 'contains employee information', 
  @subset_filterclause = N'[LoginID] = HOST_NAME()';

-- Add an article for the SalesPerson table, 
-- which is partitioned based on a join filter.
EXEC sp_addmergearticle 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table2, 
  @source_owner = @schema_sales, 
  @source_object = @table2, 
  @type = N'table', 
  @description = 'contains salesperson information';

-- Add a join filter between the two articles.
EXEC sp_addmergefilter 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @article = @table1, 
  @filtername = @filter, 
  @join_articlename = @table2, 
  @join_filterclause = N'[Employee].[EmployeeID] = [SalesPerson].[SalesPersonID]', 
  @join_unique_key = 1, 
  @filter_type = 1;
GO

-- Start the agent job to generate the full snapshot for the publication.
-- The filtered data snapshot is generated automatically the first time 
-- the subscription is synchronized. 
DECLARE @publication AS sysname;
SET @publication = N'AdvWorksSalesPersonMerge';

EXEC sp_startpublication_snapshot 
  @publication = @publication;
GO

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How to: Define and Modify a Join Filter Between Merge Articles (Replication Transact-SQL Programming)

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How to: Define and Modify a Join Filter Between Merge Articles (Replication Transact-SQL Programming)

To define a join filter to extend an article filter to related articles in a merge publication

Example

See Also

Concepts

Other Resources

Help and Information

Additional resources