sp_repldropcolumn

Drops a column from an existing table article that has been published. This stored procedure is executed at the Publisher on the publication database.

Syntax

sp_repldropcolumn [ @source_object = ] 'source_object'
    , [ @column = ] 'column'
    [ , [ @schema_change_script = ] 'schema_change_script' ]
    [ , [ @force_invalidate_snapshot = ] force_invalidate_snapshot ]
    [ , [ @force_reinit_subscription = ] force_reinit_subscription ]

Arguments

[@source_object =] 'source_object'

Is the name of the table article that contains the column to drop. source_object is nvarchar(258), with no default.

[@column =] 'column'

Is the name of the column in the table to be dropped. column is sysname, with no default.

[@schema_change_script =] 'schema_change_script'

Is the path to the SQL script. schema_change_script is nvarchar(4000), with a default of NULL.

[@force_invalidate_snapshot = ] force_invalidate_snapshot

Enables or disables the ability to have a snapshot invalidated. force_invalidate_snapshot is a bit, with a default of 1. 1 specifies that changes to the article may cause the snapshot to be invalid, and if that is the case, a value of 1 gives permission for the new snapshot to occur. 0 specifies that changes to the article will not cause the snapshot to be invalid.

[@force_reinit_subscription = ] force_reinit_subscription

Enables or disables the ability to have the subscription reinitializated. force_reinit_subscription is a bit with a default of 0. 0 specifies that changes to the article will not cause the subscription to be reinitialized. 1 specifies that changes to the article may cause the subscription to be reinitialized, and if that is the case, a value of 1 gives permission for the subscription reinitialization to occur.

Return Code Values

0 (success) or 1 (failure)

Remarks

sp_repldropcolumn is used for all types of replication.

When using sp_repldropcolumn, if a schema change is made to an article that belongs to a publication that uses a DTS package, the schema change is not propagated to the Subscriber, and the custom procedures for INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE are not regenerated on the Subscribers. The user will need to regenerate the DTS package manually, and make the corresponding schema change at the Subscribers. If the schema update is not applied, the Distribution Agent may fail to apply subsequent modifications. Before making a schema change, make sure there are no pending transactions to be delivered. For more information, see How Transforming Published Data Works.

Important  A backup of the publication database should be performed after sp_repldropcolumn has been executed. Failure to do so can cause a merge failure after a restore of the publication database.