initialize-a-subscription.md

title	Initialize a Subscription | Microsoft Docs
ms.custom
ms.date	03/01/2017
ms.prod	sql
ms.prod_service	database-engine, sql-database
ms.reviewer
ms.technology	replication
ms.topic	conceptual
helpviewer_keywords	snapshot replication [SQL Server], initializing subscriptions transactional replication, initializing subscriptions initializing subscriptions [SQL Server replication] subscriptions [SQL Server replication], initializing initializing subscriptions [SQL Server replication], about initializing subscriptions merge replication [SQL Server replication], initializing subscriptions
ms.assetid	d6013845-cb7a-4203-8e21-edce32f1d330
author	MashaMSFT
ms.author	mathoma
monikerRange	=azuresqldb-mi-current||>=sql-server-2016||=sqlallproducts-allversions

Initialize a Subscription

[!INCLUDEappliesto-ss-asdbmi-xxxx-xxx-md] Subscribers in a replication topology must be initialized, so that they have a copy of the schema from each article in the publication they have subscribed to and any replication objects that are required, such as stored procedures, triggers, and metadata tables. In addition, the Subscriber typically receives an initial dataset. The default initialization method uses a full snapshot that includes schema, replication objects, and data, but publications can also be initialized without a full snapshot.

For more information, see Initialize a Subscription with a Snapshot and Initialize a Transactional Subscription Without a Snapshot.