Articles identify the database objects involved with replication. Primary articles identify the source of replicated transactions, that is, objects in the primary database. Replicate articles subscribe to primary articles, and identify the destinations of replicated transactions, which are objects in the replicate database.
You create primary articles to identify the objects in the primary database (tables or stored procedures) for which you want to publish transactions. Each object in the primary database can be identified by only one primary article, so there is a one-to-one relationship between a primary database object and a primary article.
Primary articles that publish tables can identify a subset of the columns in the table to be published. Primary articles that publish stored procedures can identify a subset of the input parameters to be published.
You must create each primary article in an existing publication, but after a primary article is created, you can add it to any number of publications. A primary article must belong to at least one publication, and it may belong to more than one publication.
You create replicate articles to identify the objects in a replicate database that you want to receive the published transactions. Each object in the replicate database can be identified by only one replicate article.
Each replicate article identifies both a primary article that is the source of the published data, and a replicate object in the replicate database that is the destination of the published data.
Replicate articles can subscribe to a subset of the columns or parameters that are published in a primary article. Replicate articles can also use a where clause to further select the operations to which they subscribe.
You must create each replicate article in an existing subscription, and that subscription must subscribe to a publication that contains the primary article identified by the replicate article.
Figure 1-7 illustrates the relationship of multiple replicate articles to a single primary article that belongs to more than one publication. Although the replicate articles belong to different subscriptions, which subscribe to different publications, the replicate articles both subscribe to the same primary article.
Figure 1-7: Primary article in more than one publication
