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Replication route

Db2 to BigQuery
real-time replication

TwinCommit replicates IBM Db2 to Google BigQuery in real time by reading the Db2 transaction log and applying every committed change exactly once and in commit order. Use it to feed BigQuery with live Db2 data for analytics, AI and reporting, with no triggers or capture tables on the source.

Db2

log reader

commit-ordered · exactly-once

BigQuery

native writer

How capture works on Db2

TwinCommit reads the Db2 recovery log through the native log read API and decodes row images itself. No SQL Replication, no Q Replication, no CD tables, no triggers and no capture agents are installed on the source.

Prerequisites

  • ✓Archive logging enabled (LOGARCHMETH1)
  • ✓DATA CAPTURE CHANGES on each replicated table
  • ✓A primary key or unique index on each replicated table
  • ✓DBADM (or SYSADM) for the capture user
Db2 source docs →

How apply works on BigQuery

Changes stream through the BigQuery Storage Write API into staging tables and are applied with MERGE on a configurable interval, so deletes and updates are reflected exactly.

Requirements

  • ✓A service account with BigQuery Data Editor and Job User
  • ✓A dataset for staging tables
  • ✓Primary keys declared on target tables (recommended)
BigQuery target docs →

Setup

Set up Db2 → BigQuery in four steps

  1. 1

    Prepare Db2

    Run twincommit check. It verifies archive logging enabled (logarchmeth1) and the other prerequisites, and prints the exact fix for anything missing.

  2. 2

    Point at BigQuery

    Add a target block for BigQuery. TwinCommit can generate target DDL with twincommit ddl -apply.

  3. 3

    Snapshot

    twincommit snapshot copies each table under a brief share lock and records the exact log position.

  4. 4

    Stream

    twincommit run streams every committed change from that position, exactly once and in commit order.

pipelines/db2-to-google-bigquery.yaml
source:
  type: db2
  database: PRODDB
  user: ${SRC_USER}
  password: ${SRC_PASSWORD}

target:
  type: bigquery
  project: acme-analytics
  dataset: replica
  credentials_file: /secrets/bq.json

tables:
  - source: SALES.ORDERS
  - source: SALES.ORDER_LINES
    exclude_columns: [INTERNAL_NOTES]

Db2 to BigQuery replication FAQ

How does TwinCommit replicate Db2 to BigQuery?

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TwinCommit reads changes from the Db2 transaction log, buffers them per transaction, and applies each committed transaction to BigQuery in commit order. Changes stream through the BigQuery Storage Write API into staging tables and are applied with MERGE on a configurable interval, so deletes and updates are reflected exactly.

Does Db2 to BigQuery replication need triggers or capture tables?

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No. TwinCommit reads the Db2 log directly and creates no objects in the source database.

Is Db2 to BigQuery replication exactly-once?

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Yes. TwinCommit commits its checkpoint in the same BigQuery transaction as the data, so a crash or restart never loses or duplicates a transaction.

What Db2 versions are supported?

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Db2 LUW 11.1, 11.5, 12.1 · Db2 for z/OS 12 and 13 · Db2 on Cloud (target).

Stream Db2 to BigQuery today.

Download the free Developer edition, or have one of our replication engineers walk you through a migration plan.