Embodiments are directed to synchronizing scopes between a source database and a target database without the target database specifying each scope that is to be synchronized and to determining scope changes based on service subscriptions. In one scenario, a source database receives from a target database a synchronization scopes policy corresponding to scope criteria provided by the target database. The synchronization scopes policy includes both the scope criteria and a version identifier that together identify a point-in-time snapshot of the set of scopes meeting the scope criteria as of the latest synchronization. The source database resolves the set of scopes last synchronized from the source database to the target database based on the synchronization scopes policy's scope criteria and version identifier. The source database synchronizes to the target database the changes to data in the resolved set of scopes.