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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.

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, Contact Striim support.