sp_addpullsubscription_agent (Transact-SQL)

Applies to: SQL Server Azure SQL Managed Instance

Adds a new scheduled agent job used to synchronize a pull subscription to a transactional publication. This stored procedure is executed at the Subscriber on the subscription database.

Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

sp_addpullsubscription_agent
    [ @publisher = ] N'publisher'
    [ , [ @publisher_db = ] N'publisher_db' ]
    , [ @publication = ] N'publication'
    [ , [ @subscriber = ] N'subscriber' ]
    [ , [ @subscriber_db = ] N'subscriber_db' ]
    [ , [ @subscriber_security_mode = ] subscriber_security_mode ]
    [ , [ @subscriber_login = ] N'subscriber_login' ]
    [ , [ @subscriber_password = ] N'subscriber_password' ]
    [ , [ @distributor = ] N'distributor' ]
    [ , [ @distribution_db = ] N'distribution_db' ]
    [ , [ @distributor_security_mode = ] distributor_security_mode ]
    [ , [ @distributor_login = ] N'distributor_login' ]
    [ , [ @distributor_password = ] N'distributor_password' ]
    [ , [ @optional_command_line = ] N'optional_command_line' ]
    [ , [ @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 ]
    [ , [ @distribution_jobid = ] distribution_jobid OUTPUT ]
    [ , [ @encrypted_distributor_password = ] encrypted_distributor_password ]
    [ , [ @enabled_for_syncmgr = ] N'enabled_for_syncmgr' ]
    [ , [ @ftp_address = ] N'ftp_address' ]
    [ , [ @ftp_port = ] ftp_port ]
    [ , [ @ftp_login = ] N'ftp_login' ]
    [ , [ @ftp_password = ] N'ftp_password' ]
    [ , [ @alt_snapshot_folder = ] N'alt_snapshot_folder' ]
    [ , [ @working_directory = ] N'working_directory' ]
    [ , [ @use_ftp = ] N'use_ftp' ]
    [ , [ @publication_type = ] publication_type ]
    [ , [ @dts_package_name = ] N'dts_package_name' ]
    [ , [ @dts_package_password = ] N'dts_package_password' ]
    [ , [ @dts_package_location = ] N'dts_package_location' ]
    [ , [ @reserved = ] N'reserved' ]
    [ , [ @offloadagent = ] N'offloadagent' ]
    [ , [ @offloadserver = ] N'offloadserver' ]
    [ , [ @job_name = ] N'job_name' ]
    [ , [ @job_login = ] N'job_login' ]
    [ , [ @job_password = ] N'job_password' ]
[ ; ]

Arguments

[ @publisher = ] N'publisher'

The name of the Publisher. @publisher is sysname, with no default.

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.

[ @publisher_db = ] N'publisher_db'

The name of the Publisher database. @publisher_db is sysname, with a default of NULL. @publisher_db is ignored by Oracle Publishers.

[ @publication = ] N'publication'

The name of the publication. @publication is sysname, with no default.

[ @subscriber = ] N'subscriber'

The name of the Subscriber instance or the name of the AG listener if the subscriber database is in an availability group. @subscriber is sysname, with a default of NULL.

Note

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.

When running sp_addpullsubscription_agent for a subscriber that is part of an AG, set @subscriber to the AG listener name. If you run SQL Server 2016 (13.x) and earlier versions, or SQL Server 2017 (14.x) before CU 16, the stored procedure executes without returning an error, but the @subscriber parameter on the Replication Distribution Agent doesn't reference the AG listener name; the parameter is created with the subscriber server name on which the command is executed. To amend this issue, manually update the Distribution Agent job @subscriber parameter with the AG listener name value.

[ @subscriber_db = ] N'subscriber_db'

The name of the subscription database. @subscriber_db is sysname, with a default of NULL.

Note

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.

[ @subscriber_security_mode = ] subscriber_security_mode

The security mode to use when connecting to a Subscriber when synchronizing. @subscriber_security_mode is int, with a default of NULL.

• 0 specifies SQL Server authentication
• 1 specifies Windows authentication

Note

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts. The Distribution Agent always connects to the local Subscriber using Windows Authentication. If a value other than NULL or 1 is specified for this parameter, a warning message is returned.

[ @subscriber_login = ] N'subscriber_login'

The Subscriber login to use when connecting to a Subscriber when synchronizing. @subscriber_login is sysname, with a default of NULL.

Note

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts. If a value is specified for this parameter, a warning message is returned, but the value is ignored.

[ @subscriber_password = ] N'subscriber_password'

The Subscriber password. subscriber_password is required if subscriber_security_mode is set to 0. @subscriber_password is sysname, with a default of NULL. If a subscriber password is used, it's automatically encrypted.

Note

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts. If a value is specified for this parameter, a warning message is returned, but the value is ignored.

[ @distributor = ] N'distributor'

The name of the Distributor. @distributor is sysname, with a default of the value specified by @publisher.

[ @distribution_db = ] N'distribution_db'

The name of the distribution database. @distribution_db is sysname, with a default of NULL.

[ @distributor_security_mode = ] distributor_security_mode

Note

Microsoft Entra ID was previously known as Azure Active Directory (Azure AD).

The security mode to use when connecting to a Distributor when synchronizing. @distributor_security_mode is int, with a default of 1. The following values define the security mode:

• 0 specifies SQL Server authentication.
• 1 specifies Windows authentication.
• 2 specifies Microsoft Entra password authentication starting with SQL Server 2022 (16.x) CU 6.
• 3 specifies Microsoft Entra integrated authentication starting with SQL Server 2022 (16.x) CU 6.
• 4 specifies Microsoft Entra token authentication starting with SQL Server 2022 (16.x) CU 6.

Important

When possible, use Windows authentication.

[ @distributor_login = ] N'distributor_login'

The Distributor login to use when connecting to a Distributor when synchronizing. @distributor_login is sysname, with a default of NULL. @distributor_login is required if @distributor_security_mode is set to 0.

[ @distributor_password = ] N'distributor_password'

The Distributor password. distributor_password is required if distributor_security_mode is set to 0. @distributor_password is sysname, with a default of NULL.

Important

Do not use a blank password. Use a strong password. When possible, prompt users to enter security credentials at runtime. If you must store credentials in a script file, you must secure the file to prevent unauthorized access.

[ @optional_command_line = ] N'optional_command_line'

An optional command prompt supplied to the Distribution Agent. For example, -DefinitionFile C:\Distdef.txt or -CommitBatchSize 10. @optional_command_line is nvarchar(4000), with a default of an empty string.

[ @frequency_type = ] frequency_type

The frequency with which to schedule the Distribution Agent. @frequency_type is int, and can be one of the following values.

Value	Description
1	One time
2 (default)	On demand
4	Daily
8	Weekly
16	Monthly
32	Monthly relative
64	Autostart
128	Recurring

Note

Specifying a value of 64 causes the Distribution Agent to run in continuous mode. This corresponds to setting the -Continuous parameter for the agent. For more information, see Replication Distribution Agent.

[ @frequency_interval = ] frequency_interval

The value to apply to the frequency set by @frequency_type. @frequency_interval is int, with a default of 1.

[ @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 the following values.

Value	Description
1 (default)	First
2	Second
4	Third
8	Fourth
16	Last

[ @frequency_recurrence_factor = ] frequency_recurrence_factor

The recurrence factor used by @frequency_type. @frequency_recurrence_factor is int, with a default of 1.

[ @frequency_subday = ] frequency_subday

Specifies how often to reschedule during the defined period. @frequency_subday is int, and can be one of the following values.

Value	Description
1 (default)	Once
2	Second
4	Minute
8	Hour

[ @frequency_subday_interval = ] frequency_subday_interval

The interval for @frequency_subday. @frequency_subday_interval is int, with a default of 1.

[ @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 0.

[ @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 0.

[ @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 0.

[ @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 0.

[ @distribution_jobid = ] distribution_jobid OUTPUT

The ID of the Distribution Agent for this job. @distribution_jobid is an OUTPUT parameter of type binary(16), with a default of NULL.

[ @encrypted_distributor_password = ] encrypted_distributor_password

@encrypted_distributor_password is bit, with a default of 0.

Note

Setting @encrypted_distributor_password is no longer supported. Attempting to set this bit parameter to 1 will result in an error.

[ @enabled_for_syncmgr = ] N'enabled_for_syncmgr'

Specifies whether the subscription can be synchronized through Microsoft Synchronization Manager. @enabled_for_syncmgr is nvarchar(5), with a default of false.

• If false, the subscription isn't registered with Synchronization Manager.
• If true, the subscription is registered with Synchronization Manager and can be synchronized without starting SQL Server Management Studio.

[ @ftp_address = ] N'ftp_address'

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.

[ @ftp_port = ] ftp_port

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.

[ @ftp_login = ] N'ftp_login'

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.

[ @ftp_password = ] N'ftp_password'

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts.

[ @alt_snapshot_folder = ] N'alt_snapshot_folder'

Specifies the location of the alternate folder for the snapshot. @alt_snapshot_folder is nvarchar(255), with a default of NULL.

[ @working_directory = ] N'working_directory'

The name of the working directory used to store data and schema files for the publication. @working_directory is nvarchar(255), with a default of NULL. The name should be specified in UNC format.

[ @use_ftp = ] N'use_ftp'

Specifies the use of FTP instead of the regular protocol to retrieve snapshots. @use_ftp is nvarchar(5), with a default of false.

[ @publication_type = ] publication_type

Specifies the replication type of the publication. @publication_type is tinyint, with a default of 0.

• If 0, publication is a transaction type.
• If 1, publication is a snapshot type.
• If 2, publication is a merge type.

[ @dts_package_name = ] N'dts_package_name'

Specifies the name of the 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'.

[ @dts_package_password = ] N'dts_package_password'

Specifies the password on the package, if there is one. @dts_package_password is sysname, with a default of NULL, which means a password isn't on the package.

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 subscriber. The location of the package can be distributor or subscriber.

[ @reserved = ] N'reserved'

Identified for informational purposes only. Not supported. Future compatibility is not guaranteed.

[ @offloadagent = ] N'offloadagent'

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts. If a value is specified for this parameter, a warning message is returned, but the value is ignored. Setting @offloadagent to a value other than false generates an error.

[ @offloadserver = ] N'offloadserver'

This parameter is deprecated and is maintained for backward compatibility of scripts. If a value is specified for this parameter, a warning message is returned, but the value is ignored. Setting @offloadserver to a value other than false generates an error.

[ @job_name = ] N'job_name'

The name of an existing agent job. @job_name is sysname, with a default of NULL. This parameter is only specified when the subscription is synchronized using an existing job instead of a newly created job (the default). If you aren't a member of the sysadmin fixed server role, you must specify @job_login and @job_password when you specify @job_name.

[ @job_login = ] N'job_login'

The login for the Windows account under which the agent runs. @job_login is nvarchar(257), with no default. This Windows account is always used for agent connections to the Subscriber.

[ @job_password = ] N'job_password'

The password for the Windows account under which the agent runs. @job_password is sysname, with no default.

Important

Do not use a blank password. Use a strong password. When possible, prompt users to enter security credentials at runtime. If you must store credentials in a script file, you must secure the file to prevent unauthorized access.

Return code values

0 (success) or 1 (failure).

Remarks

sp_addpullsubscription_agent is used in snapshot replication and transactional replication.

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".

-- Execute this batch at the Subscriber.
DECLARE @publication AS sysname;
DECLARE @publisher AS sysname;
DECLARE @publicationDB AS sysname;
SET @publication = N'AdvWorksProductTran';
SET @publisher = $(PubServer);
SET @publicationDB = N'AdventureWorks2022';

-- At the subscription database, create a pull subscription 
-- to a transactional publication.
USE [AdventureWorks2022Replica]
EXEC sp_addpullsubscription 
  @publisher = @publisher, 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @publisher_db = @publicationDB;

-- Add an agent job to synchronize the pull subscription.
EXEC sp_addpullsubscription_agent 
  @publisher = @publisher, 
  @publisher_db = @publicationDB, 
  @publication = @publication, 
  @distributor = @publisher, 
  @job_login = $(Login), 
  @job_password = $(Password);
GO

Permissions

Only members of the sysadmin fixed server role or db_owner fixed database role can execute sp_addpullsubscription_agent.

Related content

• Create a Pull Subscription
• Subscribe to Publications
• sp_addpullsubscription (Transact-SQL)
• sp_change_subscription_properties (Transact-SQL)
• sp_droppullsubscription (Transact-SQL)
• sp_helppullsubscription (Transact-SQL)
• sp_helpsubscription_properties (Transact-SQL)