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SQL Server continuous real-time replication using CDC

Striim offers two CDC readers to read data from your SQL Server databases in real time: MS SQL Reader and MSJet. MSJet’s primary advantage over MS SQL Reader is higher throughput and lower resource consumption at the source database server (compute, memory, and disk I/O). On the other hand, MS SQL Reader can support older versions of SQL Server databases and a wider variety of cloud SQL databases.

Note

MSJet is not available in Striim Developer, only in Striim Cloud and Striim Platform.

If not using an automatic pipeline wizard, before creating the continuous real-time replication application, see Switching from initial load to continuous replication of SQL Server sources.

The following table provides an overview of the two adapters' capabilities:

Feature comparison: MS SQL Reader and MSJet

See also SQL Server feature summary.

MS SQL Reader

MSJet

can read from

  • CDC change tables

✓

  • transaction log backup on disk (reading from backups on tape, virtual devices, mirror backup, or Azure Storage is not supported)

✓

via archive log

✓

  • secondary database in an Always On availability group

✓

  • backup logs encrypted with SQL Server Transport Data Encryption (TDE)

only in Mine mode

  • compressed backup logs

✓

✓

key features

  • preserve order of operations in transactions

when Transaction Support is True (see MS SQL Reader properties for more information)MS SQL Reader properties

✓

  • transaction support

when Transaction Support is True (see MS SQL Reader properties for more information)MS SQL Reader properties

✓

  • uncommitted transaction support

✓

  • Striim-side transaction caching

✓

  • quiesce

✓

  • bidirectional replication

when Transaction Support is True (see MS SQL Reader properties for more information)MS SQL Reader properties

✓

  • TLS 1.2

✓

✓

  • reader does not need to run on the SQL Server host

✓

when Mode is Mine

summary of supported data types (for full details, see SQL Server readers data type support and correspondence)

  • bigint, binary, bit, char, date, datetime, datetimeoffset, datetime2, decimal, float, image, int, money, nchar, ntext, numeric, nvarchar, nvarchar(max), real, rowversion, smalldatetime, smallint, smallmoney, text, time, timestamp, tinyint, udt, uniqueidentifier, varbinary, varbinary(max), varchar, varchar(max)

✓

✓

  • xml

✓

  • cursor, geography, geometry, hierarchyid, sql_variant, table

Striim provides wizards for creating applications that read from SQL Server and write to various targets. SeeCreating an application using a wizard for details.

To learn more about these CDC readers or purchase them, Support for Striim Developer.