A Replication Agent transfers transaction log information, which represents changes made to primary data, from a data server to a Replication Server for distribution to other databases. The Replication Agent for Adaptive Server is RepAgent, which is an Adaptive Server thread.
The Replication Agent reads the database transaction log and transfers log records for replicated tables and replicated stored procedures to the Replication Server that manages the database. The Replication Server reconstructs the transaction and forwards it to the sites that have subscriptions for the data.
A Replication Agent is needed for each database that contains primary data or for each database where replicated stored procedures are executed. A database that contains only copies of replicated data and has no replicated stored procedures does not require a Replication Agent.
Because RepAgent is an Adaptive Server thread, most system diagrams in this book do not include a Replication Agent icon. In Chapter 5, “Introduction to Replication Agents,” however, the Replication Agent described is a separate process and, for clarity, system diagrams contain the Replication Agent icon.
