Sql-server – Error in trying to delete a local publication for DB replication

Figured it out. When generating the subscription directly from management studio, it automatically starts the snapshot agent. However, the script that management studio generates for the subscription does not start the snapshot agent. Adding the following line to the generated script makes things work:

EXEC sp_startpublication_snapshot @publication = N'InstitutionPublication'

So my full script for the subscriber after modification is:

-----------------BEGIN: Script to be run at Publisher 'SERVER\INSTANCE'-----------------
-----------------BEGIN: Script to be run at Publisher 'SERVER\INSTANCE'-----------------
use [Profile]
exec sp_addsubscription @publication = N'PublicationName', @subscriber = N'server\instance', @destination_db = N'destinationDatabaseName', @subscription_type = N'Push', @sync_type = N'automatic', @article = N'all', @update_mode = N'read only', @subscriber_type = 0
exec sp_addpushsubscription_agent @publication = N'PublicationName', @subscriber = N'server\instance', @subscriber_db = N'destinationDatabaseName', @job_login = null, @job_password = null, @subscriber_security_mode = 1, @frequency_type = 64, @frequency_interval = 0, @frequency_relative_interval = 0, @frequency_recurrence_factor = 0, @frequency_subday = 0, @frequency_subday_interval = 0, @active_start_time_of_day = 0, @active_end_time_of_day = 235959, @active_start_date = 20091104, @active_end_date = 99991231, @enabled_for_syncmgr = N'False', @dts_package_location = N'Distributor'
GO
-----------------END: Script to be run at Publisher 'SERVER\INSTANCE'-----------------

EXEC sp_startpublication_snapshot @publication = N'PublicationName';
GO

It's also a Windows service and to start and stop it you need permission to do so on the service itself. Since it sounds like you aren't an administrator, you should hopefully just be able to tell your administrator that and they can grant you access. There is a section in Group Policy that lets an administrator control the services, and it also lets you grant permissions to control those services. It's commonly overlooked actually.