Each remote database can contain a different subset of the data stored in the consolidated database. You can create your publications and subscriptions so that data is partitioned among remote databases.

The partitioning can be disjoint, or it can contain overlaps. For example, if each employee has their own set of customers, with no shared customers, the partitioning is disjoint. If there are shared customers who appear in more than one remote database, the partitioning contains overlaps.

Sometimes, the rows of a table need to be partitioned even when the subscription expression does not exist in the table. See Using disjoint data partitions.

Sometimes, when there is a many-to-many relationship in the database, the tables need to be partitioned. See Using overlap partitions.