INF: SQL Server 6.5 SP2: Distribution Task Name Changes (171133)

SUMMARY

The distribution task name is derived from the publishing server name, published database name, subscribing server name and subscribing database name, separated by the underscore character ("_"). The distribution task name itself can be up to 100 characters, so with long server or database names, the subscribing database name may be truncated. Such truncation may lead to problems with database names that use the double-byte character set (DBCS). To avoid such problems, SQL Server version 6.5 Service Pack 2 truncates the subscribing database name to eight characters, retaining only the first eight characters. Please note that service packs are cumulative; therefore, this information also applies to any subsequent service packs.

MORE INFORMATION

If you have a subscribing database name of more than eight characters and have at least one active subscription in the database, a distribution task will already exist. After applying SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 2, if you try to add a new subscription to this database, a new distribution task is created because the distribution task name is different. To avoid this problem, you can do one of the following:

After applying SQL Server 6.5 Service Pack 2 or a later service pack, before you subscribe to any new articles or publications, modify the existing distribution task name by truncating the subscribing database name part of the task to eight characters. You can use sp_updatetask to modify the task name.

-or-
Unsubscribe from all subcriptions to this database and then resubscribe. Doing this removes the existing distribution task and creates a new one with the truncated name.