DB2 CDC is a type of database replication in which only data changes are captured and delivered to a target system, which may be one or more DB2 databases, a different type of database, or other targets such as a data warehouse. CDC (change data capture) is the preferred method of DB2 replication for many firms today because it is efficient and allows them to keep data on their target systems up-to-date while reducing the need for bulk load updating. DB2 CDC reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed at one time, lowering data warehousing costs and enabling real-time data integration and faster time-to-insight.

Why Firms Choose Third-Party Replication Tools over Vendor-Provided DB2 CDC Technology

Some editions of DB2 database come with a built-in DB2 CDC tool or replication technology called SQL Replication. DB2 SQL Replication detects and captures changes made to a DB2 database or DB2 mainframe system, storing the captured changes in staging tables on the source system. The captured data changes are then applied to the appropriate tables on a target system using standard SQL insert, update, and delete statements. For non-DB2 sources, SQL Replication requires the use of triggers on the source system to capture changed data.

Because this type of DB2 CDC technology can be slow, difficult to use, and introduces unnecessary overhead on source systems, many firms choose to use third-party data replication tools instead. Many third-party replication products not only support DB2 CDC but provide broad support for a range of operating systems, databases, and server platforms.

Database-agnostic solutions may be easier to configure and maintain than vendor-provided tools and provide firms with a single strategic platform for many types of CDC transformations—allowing for standardization on a single architecture for various replication needs. If your firm uses different types of databases and platforms, you may want to consider a versatile vendor-independent solution in your next database replication tool comparison.

Attunity Replicate: Flexible, Non-Invasive DB2 CDC and Efficient Database Replication

Leveraging our fast, non-invasive CDC technology and zero-footprint architecture, Attunity Replicate is a high-performance, low-impact data ingestion and replication solution for data-driven organizations and fast-paced enterprise environments. Our tool features:

• Broad platform support. Attunity Replicate supports various CDC transformations including DB2 CDC and a wide range of source and target platforms including all major relational databases, data warehouses, Hadoop distributions, and cloud platforms.
• Flexible data delivery models. Attunity Replicate lets you choose the delivery method most suitable for your needs. For example, when transactional consistency is more important than ultra-high performance. Attunity Replicate streams changes on a transaction-by-transaction basis. Batch optimized CDC, meanwhile, groups transactions for efficient processing when ultra-low latency is the highest priority and high transaction volumes are involved.
• Integration with message streaming architectures. Attunity Replicate also can create live replicas of source system transactions and send them to Kafka message brokers, which in turn relay that message stream to one or more Big Data targets.
• An intuitive, graphical interface. Our web-based, Click-2-Replicate designer is easy to use and makes configuring, managing, and monitoring replication tasks simpler—accelerating implementation and lowering your total cost of ownership.