You do not need to add table and function replication definitions when you use a database replication definition. However, to transform the data, replicate minimal columns, not replicate dynamic SQL, or use primary keys to improve performance, you must do so.
Create and use table or function replication definitions that include the send standby clause to:
Change the name of a replicated table or function
Change the name of a replicated column
Publish different column datatypes
Replicate fewer columns or parameters
Replicate minimal columns
Not replicate dynamic SQL
Use customized function strings
Create and use table or function replication definitions where the send standby clause is optional to:
Declare different table column datatypes
Improve performance using primary keys
Set autocorrection for materialization or dematerialization
Use table or function subscription to override database replication
Exclude dynamic SQL in the standby database combined with dynamic_sql setting
As long as a database replication definition and a database
subscription are in place, you can use table or function replication
definitions without table or function subscriptions. You need to
use table or function subscriptions only if you require the functionality
they provide. See “Using database, table, and function subscriptions concurrently”.
If a database replication definition and table replication definitions exist at the primary, and a database subscription but no table subscriptions exist at the replicate, replication behavior depends in part on the presence or absence of the send standby replication definition columns/parameters clause in the table or function replication definition.
If the send standby clause is present, the database subscription honors the table or function replication definition; the table replication definition’s primary key columns and replicate minimal columns settings are used to replicate into the replicate database. The database subscription always treats send standby all columns as send standby replication definition columns.
If the table replication definition does not contain the send standby clause and other replication definitions exist for a given table, the database subscription replicates data using the internal table replication definition (the union of all such replication definitions). All columns are replicated, and data is converted to the declared columns or datatypes.
If a table replication definition is made for a table whose owner is not dbo, the table must be individually marked to replicate the owner information, and the owner information must be included in the replication definition.
