What is Data Replication?

What is Data Replication?

Data replication is the process of creating and maintaining multiple copies of the same data in different locations or on different storage devices. The goal of data replication is to improve data availability, reliability, and fault tolerance....

1. Incremental Data Replication

Incremental data replication is a method used in distributed systems to replicate only the changes (inserts, updates, deletes) that have occurred in a dataset since the last replication. Instead of replicating the entire dataset each time, incremental replication captures and transmits only the modifications, reducing the amount of data transferred and improving efficiency....

1.1. Log-based Replication

Log-based replication relies on database transaction logs to capture and replicate changes. It tracks the modifications made to the data, such as insertions, updates, and deletions, by analyzing the database’s transaction logs. This approach ensures data integrity and consistency during replication. There are two subcategories of log-based replication:...

1.2. Key-based Replication

Key-based incremental replication involves identifying specific key values in the source data and replicating only the data associated with those keys. This approach is suitable when the data can be partitioned or segmented based on specific key ranges or values. It allows for selective replication and can improve replication efficiency for large datasets....

2. Full Table Data Replication

Full table data replication involves replicating the entire source table to the destination without considering incremental changes. This strategy is commonly used when the entire dataset needs to be available in multiple locations or systems....

2.1. Snapshot Replication

Snapshot replication copies the entire source table at a specific point in time and replicates it to the destination. It creates a snapshot or image of the source data and transfers it to the destination. Subsequent changes made to the source data are not automatically replicated unless another snapshot is taken. This approach is suitable for scenarios where near real-time replication is not required....

2.2. Transactional Replication

Transactional replication captures and replicates individual database transactions from the source to the destination. It ensures that every transaction performed on the source database is replicated to the destination in the same order. This approach provides real-time or near-real-time replication and is commonly used for applications requiring high availability and data consistency....