Use the Spotlight Overview page to diagnose bottlenecks and problem areas on a single SQL Server Replication connection.

How to open (and Use) the Spotlight Overview page

The Spotlight Overview page can be opened from:

The Spotlight Overview page for SQL Server Replication

The Spotlight Overview page is made up of components and flows tailored to the SQL Server Replication connection. Refer to the sidebar navigation of this help system for more information on a specific component or flow.

Microsoft uses a publishing metaphor to describe its SQL Server Replication model.

In this model, the servers and processes involved in replication can be likened to the roles within a publishing environment. This list briefly describes each of the components in a replication environment.

Publisher

Makes data available for subscription to other servers within the replication environment.

Distributor

Hosts the distribution database. The Distributor can be local or remote to a Publisher.

Subscriber

Receive the replicated data.

Publication

A collection of one or more articles from a database.

Article

A table or partition of data, or a database object, specified for replication.

Subscription

A request made by either a Publisher or Subscriber for a copy of data.

Agents

Replication processes responsible for managing, copying, and moving data between publishers and subscribers. Examples of agents include:

  • Distribution agent
  • Snapshot agent
  • Log Reader agent
  • Merge agent
  • Queue Reader agent
  • Miscellaneous agents