sp_addsubscription (Transact-SQL)
Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Database
Adds a subscription to a publication and sets the Subscriber status. This stored procedure is executed at the Publisher on the publication database.
Transact-SQL syntax conventions
Syntax
sp_addsubscription
[ @publication = ] N'publication'
[ , [ @article = ] N'article' ]
[ , [ @subscriber = ] N'subscriber' ]
[ , [ @destination_db = ] N'destination_db' ]
[ , [ @sync_type = ] N'sync_type' ]
[ , [ @status = ] N'status' ]
[ , [ @subscription_type = ] N'subscription_type' ]
[ , [ @update_mode = ] N'update_mode' ]
[ , [ @loopback_detection = ] N'loopback_detection' ]
[ , [ @frequency_type = ] frequency_type ]
[ , [ @frequency_interval = ] frequency_interval ]
[ , [ @frequency_relative_interval = ] frequency_relative_interval ]
[ , [ @frequency_recurrence_factor = ] frequency_recurrence_factor ]
[ , [ @frequency_subday = ] frequency_subday ]
[ , [ @frequency_subday_interval = ] frequency_subday_interval ]
[ , [ @active_start_time_of_day = ] active_start_time_of_day ]
[ , [ @active_end_time_of_day = ] active_end_time_of_day ]
[ , [ @active_start_date = ] active_start_date ]
[ , [ @active_end_date = ] active_end_date ]
[ , [ @optional_command_line = ] N'optional_command_line' ]
[ , [ @reserved = ] N'reserved' ]
[ , [ @enabled_for_syncmgr = ] N'enabled_for_syncmgr' ]
[ , [ @offloadagent = ] offloadagent ]
[ , [ @offloadserver = ] N'offloadserver' ]
[ , [ @dts_package_name = ] N'dts_package_name' ]
[ , [ @dts_package_password = ] N'dts_package_password' ]
[ , [ @dts_package_location = ] N'dts_package_location' ]
[ , [ @distribution_job_name = ] N'distribution_job_name' ]
[ , [ @publisher = ] N'publisher' ]
[ , [ @backupdevicetype = ] N'backupdevicetype' ]
[ , [ @backupdevicename = ] N'backupdevicename' ]
[ , [ @mediapassword = ] N'mediapassword' ]
[ , [ @password = ] N'password' ]
[ , [ @fileidhint = ] fileidhint ]
[ , [ @unload = ] unload ]
[ , [ @subscriptionlsn = ] subscriptionlsn ]
[ , [ @subscriptionstreams = ] subscriptionstreams ]
[ , [ @subscriber_type = ] subscriber_type ]
[ , [ @memory_optimized = ] memory_optimized ]
[ ; ]
Arguments
[ @publication = ] N'publication'
The name of the publication. @publication is sysname, with no default.
[ @article = ] N'article'
The article to which the publication is subscribed. @article is sysname, with a default of all. If all, a subscription is added to all articles in that publication. Only values of all or NULL are supported for Oracle Publishers.
[ @subscriber = ] N'subscriber'
The name of the Subscriber. @subscriber is sysname, with a default of NULL.
Note
Server name can be specified as <Hostname>,<PortNumber> for a default instance or <Hostname>\<InstanceName>,<PortNumber> for a named instance. Specify the port number for your connection when SQL Server is deployed on Linux or Windows with a custom port, and the browser service is disabled. The use of custom port numbers for remote distributor applies to SQL Server 2019 (15.x) and later versions.
[ @destination_db = ] N'destination_db'
The name of the destination database in which to place replicated data. @destination_db is sysname, with a default of NULL. When NULL, @destination_db is set to the name of the publication database. For Oracle Publishers, @destination_db must be specified. For a non-SQL Server Subscriber, specify a value of (default destination) for @destination_db.
[ @sync_type = ] N'sync_type'
The subscription synchronization type. @sync_type is nvarchar(255), and can be one of the following values:
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
none 1 |
Subscriber already has the schema and initial data for published tables. |
automatic (default) |
Schema and initial data for published tables are transferred to the Subscriber first. |
replication support only 2 |
Provides automatic generation at the Subscriber of article custom stored procedures and triggers that support updating subscriptions, if appropriate. Assumes that the Subscriber already has the schema and initial data for published tables. When configuring a peer-to-peer transactional replication topology, ensure that the data at all nodes in the topology is identical. For more information, see Peer-to-Peer - Transactional Replication. |
initialize with backup 2 |
Schema and initial data for published tables are obtained from a backup of the publication database. Assumes that the Subscriber has access to a backup of the publication database. The location of the backup and media type for the backup are specified by @backupdevicename and @backupdevicetype. When using this option, a peer-to-peer transactional replication topology need not be quiesced during configuration. |
initialize from lsn |
Used when you're adding a node to a peer-to-peer transactional replication topology. Used with @subscriptionlsn to make sure that all relevant transactions are replicated to the new node. Assumes that the Subscriber already has the schema and initial data for published tables. For more information, see Peer-to-Peer - Transactional Replication. |
1 This option has been deprecated. Use replication support only instead.
2 Not supported for subscriptions to non-SQL Server publications.
Note
System tables and data are always transferred.
[ @status = ] N'status'
The subscription status. @status is sysname, with a default of NULL. When this parameter isn't explicitly set, replication automatically sets it to one of these values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
active |
Subscription is initialized and ready to accept changes. This option is set when the value of @sync_type is none, initialize with backup, or replication support only. |
subscribed |
Subscription needs to be initialized. This option is set when the value of @sync_type is automatic. |
[ @subscription_type = ] N'subscription_type'
The type of subscription. @subscription_type is nvarchar(4), with a default of push. Can be push or pull. The Distribution Agents of push subscriptions reside at the Distributor, and the Distribution Agents of pull subscriptions reside at the Subscriber. @subscription_type can be pull to create a named pull subscription that is known to the Publisher. For more information, see Subscribe to Publications.
Note
Anonymous subscriptions don't need to use this stored procedure.
[ @update_mode = ] N'update_mode'
The type of update. @update_mode is nvarchar(30), and can be one of these values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
read only (default) |
The subscription is read-only. The changes at the Subscriber aren't sent to the Publisher. |
sync tran |
Enables support for immediate updating subscriptions. Not supported for Oracle Publishers. |
queued tran |
Enables the subscription for queued updating. Data modifications can be made at the Subscriber, stored in a queue, and then propagated to the Publisher. Not supported for Oracle Publishers. |
failover |
Enables the subscription for immediate updating with queued updating as a failover. Data modifications can be made at the Subscriber and propagated to the Publisher immediately. If the Publisher and Subscriber aren't connected, the updating mode can be changed so that data modifications made at the Subscriber are stored in a queue until the Subscriber and Publisher are reconnected. Not supported for Oracle Publishers. |
queued failover |
Enables the subscription as a queued updating subscription with the ability to change to immediate updating mode. Data modifications can be made at the Subscriber and stored in a queue until a connection is established between the Subscriber and Publisher. When a continuous connection is established the updating mode can be changed to immediate updating. Not supported for Oracle Publishers. |
The values sync tran and queued tran aren't allowed if the publication being subscribed to allows DTS.
[ @loopback_detection = ] N'loopback_detection'
Specifies if the Distribution Agent sends transactions that originated at the Subscriber back to the Subscriber. @loopback_detection is nvarchar(5), and can be one of these values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
true |
Distribution Agent doesn't send transactions originated at the Subscriber back to the Subscriber. Used with bidirectional transactional replication. For more information, see Bidirectional Transactional Replication. |
false |
Distribution Agent sends transactions that originated at the Subscriber back to the Subscriber. |
NULL (default) |
Automatically set to true for a SQL Server Subscriber and false for a non-SQL Server Subscriber. |
[ @frequency_type = ] frequency_type
The frequency with which to schedule the distribution task. @frequency_type is int, and can be one of these values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
1 |
One time |
2 |
On demand |
4 |
Daily |
8 |
Weekly |
16 |
Monthly |
32 |
Monthly relative |
64 (default) |
Autostart |
128 |
Recurring |
[ @frequency_interval = ] frequency_interval
The value to apply to the frequency set by @frequency_type. @frequency_interval is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @frequency_relative_interval = ] frequency_relative_interval
The date of the Distribution Agent. This parameter is used when @frequency_type is set to 32 (monthly relative). @frequency_relative_interval is int, and can be one of these values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
1 |
First |
2 |
Second |
4 |
Third |
8 |
Fourth |
16 |
Last |
NULL (default) |
[ @frequency_recurrence_factor = ] frequency_recurrence_factor
The recurrence factor used by @frequency_type. @frequency_recurrence_factor is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @frequency_subday = ] frequency_subday
How often, in minutes, to reschedule during the defined period. @frequency_subday is int, and can be one of these values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
1 |
Once |
2 |
Second |
4 |
Minute |
8 |
Hour |
NULL |
[ @frequency_subday_interval = ] frequency_subday_interval
The interval for @frequency_subday. @frequency_subday_interval is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @active_start_time_of_day = ] active_start_time_of_day
The time of day when the Distribution Agent is first scheduled, formatted as HHmmss. @active_start_time_of_day is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @active_end_time_of_day = ] active_end_time_of_day
The time of day when the Distribution Agent stops being scheduled, formatted as HHmmss. @active_end_time_of_day is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @active_start_date = ] active_start_date
The date when the Distribution Agent is first scheduled, formatted as yyyyMMdd. @active_start_date is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @active_end_date = ] active_end_date
The date when the Distribution Agent stops being scheduled, formatted as yyyyMMdd. @active_end_date is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @optional_command_line = ] N'optional_command_line'
The optional command prompt to execute. @optional_command_line is nvarchar(4000), with a default of NULL.
[ @reserved = ] N'reserved'
Identified for informational purposes only. Not supported. Future compatibility is not guaranteed.
[ @enabled_for_syncmgr = ] N'enabled_for_syncmgr'
Whether the subscription can be synchronized through Windows Synchronization Manager. @enabled_for_syncmgr is nvarchar(5), with a default of NULL, which is the same as false. If false, the subscription isn't registered with Windows Synchronization Manager. If true, the subscription is registered with Windows Synchronization Manager and can be synchronized without starting SQL Server Management Studio. Not supported for Oracle Publishers.
[ @offloadagent = ] offloadagent
Specifies that the agent can be activated remotely. @offloadagent is bit, with a default of 0.
Note
This parameter has been deprecated and is only maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.
[ @offloadserver = ] N'offloadserver'
Specifies the network name of server to be used for remote activation. @offloadserver is sysname, with a default of NULL.
[ @dts_package_name = ] N'dts_package_name'
Specifies the name of the Data Transformation Services (DTS) package. @dts_package_name is sysname, with a default of NULL. For example, to specify a package of DTSPub_Package, the parameter would be @dts_package_name = N'DTSPub_Package'. This parameter is available for push subscriptions. To add DTS package information to a pull subscription, use sp_addpullsubscription_agent.
[ @dts_package_password = ] N'dts_package_password'
Specifies the password on the package, if there's one. @dts_package_password is sysname, with a default of NULL.
Note
You must specify a password if @dts_package_name is specified.
[ @dts_package_location = ] N'dts_package_location'
Specifies the package location. @dts_package_location is nvarchar(12), with a default of NULL, which is the same as distributor. The location of the package can be distributor or subscriber.
[ @distribution_job_name = ] N'distribution_job_name'
Identified for informational purposes only. Not supported. Future compatibility is not guaranteed.
[ @publisher = ] N'publisher'
Specifies a non-SQL Server Publisher. @publisher is sysname, with a default of NULL.
Note
@publisher shouldn't be specified for a SQL Server Publisher.
[ @backupdevicetype = ] N'backupdevicetype'
Specifies the type of backup device used when initializing a Subscriber from a backup. @backupdevicetype is nvarchar(20), and can be one of these values:
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
logical (default) |
The backup device is a logical device |
disk |
The backup device is disk drive |
tape |
The backup device is a tape drive |
url |
The backup device is a URL |
@backupdevicetype is only used when @sync_method is set to initialize_with_backup.
[ @backupdevicename = ] N'backupdevicename'
Specifies the name of the device used when initializing a Subscriber from a backup. @backupdevicename is nvarchar(1000), with a default of NULL.
[ @mediapassword = ] N'mediapassword'
Specifies a password for the media set if a password was set when the media was formatted. @mediapassword is sysname, with a default of NULL.
Note
This feature will be removed in a future version of SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature.
[ @password = ] N'password'
Specifies a password for the backup if a password was set when the backup was created. @password is sysname, with a default of NULL.
[ @fileidhint = ] fileidhint
Identifies an ordinal value of the backup set to be restored. @fileidhint is int, with a default of NULL.
[ @unload = ] unload
Specifies if a tape backup device should be unloaded after the initialization from back is complete. @unload is bit, with a default of 1, which specifies that the tape should be unloaded. @unload is only used when @backupdevicetype is tape.
[ @subscriptionlsn = ] subscriptionlsn
Specifies the log sequence number (LSN) at which a subscription should start delivering changes to a node in a peer-to-peer transactional replication topology. @subscriptionlsn is binary(10), with a default of NULL. Used with a @sync_type value of initialize from lsn to make sure that all relevant transactions are replicated to a new node. For more information, see Peer-to-Peer - Transactional Replication.
[ @subscriptionstreams = ] subscriptionstreams
The number of connections allowed per Distribution Agent to apply batches of changes in parallel to a Subscriber, while maintaining many of the transactional characteristics present when using a single thread. @subscriptionstreams is tinyint, with a default of NULL. A range of values from 1 to 64 is supported. This parameter isn't supported for non-SQL Server Subscribers, Oracle Publishers or peer-to-peer subscriptions. Whenever @subscriptionstreams is used, additional rows are added in the msreplication_subscriptions table (one row per stream) with an agent_id set to NULL.
Note
Subscription streams don't work for articles configured to deliver Transact-SQL. To use subscription streams, configure articles to deliver stored procedure calls instead.
[ @subscriber_type = ] subscriber_type
The type of Subscriber. @subscriber_type is tinyint, and can be one of these values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
0 (default) |
SQL Server Subscriber |
1 |
ODBC data source server |
2 |
Microsoft Jet database |
3 |
OLE DB provider |
[ @memory_optimized = ] memory_optimized
Indicates that the subscription supports memory optimized tables. @memory_optimized is bit, with a default of 0 (false). 1 (true) means that the subscription supports memory optimized tables.
Return code values
0 (success) or 1 (failure).
Remarks
sp_addsubscription is used in snapshot replication and transactional replication.
When sp_addsubscription is executed by a member of the sysadmin fixed server role to create a push subscription, the Distribution Agent job is implicitly created and runs under the SQL Server Agent service account. We recommend that you execute sp_addpushsubscription_agent and specify the credentials of a different, agent-specific Windows account for @job_login and @job_password. For more information, see Replication Agent Security Model.
sp_addsubscription prevents ODBC and OLE DB Subscribers access to publications that:
Were created with the native @sync_method in the call to sp_addpublication.
Contain articles that were added to the publication with the sp_addarticle stored procedure that had a @pre_creation_cmd parameter value of 3 (truncate).
Attempt to set @update_mode to
sync tran.Have an article configured to use parameterized statements.
In addition, if a publication has the @allow_queued_tran option set to true (which enables queuing of changes at the Subscriber until they can be applied at the Publisher), the timestamp column in an article is scripted out as timestamp, and changes on that column are sent to the Subscriber. The Subscriber generates and updates the timestamp column value. For an ODBC or OLE DB Subscriber, sp_addsubscription fails if an attempt is made to subscribe to a publication that has @allow_queued_tran set to true and articles with timestamp columns in it.
If a subscription doesn't use a DTS package, it can't subscribe to a publication that is set to @allow_transformable_subscriptions. If the table from the publication needs to be replicated to both a DTS subscription and non-DTS subscription, two separate publications have to be created: one for each type of subscription.
When selecting the sync_type options replication support only, initialize with backup, or initialize from lsn, the log reader agent must run after executing sp_addsubscription, so that the set-up scripts are written to the distribution database. The log reader agent must be running under an account that is a member of the sysadmin fixed server role. When the @sync_type option is set to Automatic, no special log reader agent actions are required.
Permissions
Only members of the sysadmin fixed server role or db_owner fixed database role can execute sp_addsubscription. For pull subscriptions, users with logins in the publication access list can execute sp_addsubscription.
Examples
-- This script uses sqlcmd scripting variables. They are in the form
-- $(MyVariable). 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".
DECLARE @publication AS sysname;
DECLARE @subscriber AS sysname;
DECLARE @subscriptionDB AS sysname;
SET @publication = N'AdvWorksProductTran';
SET @subscriber = $(SubServer);
SET @subscriptionDB = N'AdventureWorks2022Replica';
--Add a push subscription to a transactional publication.
USE [AdventureWorks2022]
EXEC sp_addsubscription
@publication = @publication,
@subscriber = @subscriber,
@destination_db = @subscriptionDB,
@subscription_type = N'push';
--Add an agent job to synchronize the push subscription.
EXEC sp_addpushsubscription_agent
@publication = @publication,
@subscriber = @subscriber,
@subscriber_db = @subscriptionDB,
@job_login = $(Login),
@job_password = $(Password);
GO