No, they are not. That is, if you configure the Publisher like you should.
The process of opening->reloading->looping&reducing->distributing documents comes down to this:
Source documents are what they are: the originals that get reloaded and always contain the full data set. They are the focus of the 'open' & 'reload' steps.
What happens next cannot be performed on the original source document as it would make it - amongst others - unusable for the next reload: a copy of the reloaded document will be dsitributed to one or more targets in different locations and with different content and permissions. Best of all, the script will be removed and replaced by a dummy comment.
A published copy of the reloaded document differs from (all) the original document(s) and therefor may not overwrite the original.
That's also the reason why the source folder should never be the same as the target folder for published documents, where the QVS will pick them up for display in the AP.
Note that this set-up is in no way a disadvantage. It may look a bit over-the-top at first, but you'll soon learn to appreciate the power and flexibility it brings to QlikView document management.
Without a publisher, only the (slightly modified) User tab remains. You will lose all the advanced distribution options in addition to being forced to reload and store to the same document. Simple but often too simple.
Best,
Peter
