Get-DbaReplPublisher

Mikey Bronowski (@MikeyBronowski), bronowski.it

Windows, Linux, macOS

Synopsis

Retrieves SQL Server replication publisher configuration and status from distribution servers.

Retrieves detailed information about SQL Server replication publishers configured on distribution servers. This function connects to instances acting as distributors and returns publisher details including status, working directory, distribution database, and publication counts. Use this to audit replication topology, troubleshoot publisher connectivity issues, or verify publisher configurations across your replication environment.

Syntax

Get-DbaReplPublisher
    [-SqlInstance] <DbaInstanceParameter[]>
    [[-SqlCredential] <PSCredential>]
    [-EnableException]
    [<CommonParameters>]

Examples

Example: 1

PS C:\> Get-DbaReplPublisher -SqlInstance mssql1

Gets publisher for the mssql1 instance.

Example: 2

PS C:\> Connect-DbaInstance -SqlInstance mssql1 |  Get-DbaReplPublisher

Pipes a SQL Server object to get publisher information for the mssql1 instance.

Required Parameters

-SqlInstance

The target SQL Server instance or instances.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	True
Pipeline	true (ByValue)
Default Value

Optional Parameters

-SqlCredential

Login to the target instance using alternative credentials. Accepts PowerShell credentials (Get-Credential).
Windows Authentication, SQL Server Authentication, Active Directory - Password, and Active Directory - Integrated are all supported.
For MFA support, please use Connect-DbaInstance.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	False
Pipeline	false
Default Value

-EnableException

By default, when something goes wrong we try to catch it, interpret it and give you a friendly warning message.
This avoids overwhelming you with “sea of red” exceptions, but is inconvenient because it basically disables advanced scripting.
Using this switch turns this “nice by default” feature off and enables you to catch exceptions with your own try/catch.

Property	Value
Alias
Required	False
Pipeline	false
Default Value	False

Outputs

Microsoft.SqlServer.Replication.DistributionPublisher

Returns one DistributionPublisher object for each Publisher configured on the distribution server instance. If no publishers are configured, nothing is returned.

Default display properties (via Select-DefaultView):

ComputerName: The computer name of the SQL Server instance
InstanceName: The SQL Server instance name
SqlInstance: The full SQL Server instance name (computer\instance)
Status: The current status of the Publisher (e.g., Healthy, Unhealthy)
WorkingDirectory: Directory path where publication data and schema files are stored
DistributionDatabase: The name of the distribution database used for this Publisher
DistributionPublications: Number of transactional publications at the Publisher
PublisherType: The type of Publisher (e.g., MSSQLSERVER for SQL Server, or third-party identifier)
Name: The instance name of the Publisher

Additional properties available (from SMO DistributionPublisher object):

PublisherSecurity: Security context for replication agents connecting to the Publisher
RegisteredSubscribers: Collection of Subscribers registered for this Publisher’s publications
TransPublications: Collection of transactional publications at the Publisher
ThirdParty: Boolean indicating if this is a non-SQL Server Publisher
TrustedDistributorConnection: Boolean indicating if the distributor connection is trusted
HeterogeneousLogReaderAgentExists: Boolean indicating if a Log Reader Agent job exists
ConnectionContext: The connection context to the SQL Server instance
IsExistingObject: Boolean indicating if the object exists on the server All properties from the base SMO DistributionPublisher object are accessible using Select-Object * even though only default properties are displayed by default.