A replica is a copy of a database, including its tables, queries, forms, reports, macros, and modules. A replica is a member of a replica set and can be synchronized with other replicas in the set. Changes to the data in a replicated table in one replica are sent and applied to the other replicas.
Partial replicas can have several advantages over full replicas.
Partial replicas are smaller than full replicas. A partial replica requires less disk space and also synchronizes with the replica set faster than does a full replica. Partial replicas contain only the data that you need to work with. For example, a traveling sales person can have access to her orders but not have access to the orders of other sales persons. This is more efficient and also provides a type of data security.