SQL Server to Redshift
real-time replication
TwinCommit replicates Microsoft SQL Server to Amazon Redshift in real time by reading the SQL Server transaction log and applying every committed change exactly once and in commit order. Use it to feed Redshift with live SQL Server data for analytics, AI and reporting, with no triggers or capture tables on the source.
SQL Server
log reader
commit-ordered · exactly-once
Redshift
native writer
How capture works on SQL Server
TwinCommit reads the active and backed-up transaction log directly, so you do not need SQL Server Agent CDC jobs or change tables.
Prerequisites
- ✓FULL recovery model
- ✓Primary key on each replicated table
- ✓VIEW SERVER STATE and db_owner on the source database
How apply works on Redshift
Micro-batches are written to S3 as Parquet, loaded with COPY into staging tables, and applied with MERGE in one transaction together with the checkpoint.
Requirements
- ✓An S3 staging bucket and IAM role for COPY
- ✓A database user with CREATE on the target schema
- ✓Network path to the cluster or workgroup endpoint
Setup
Set up SQL Server → Redshift in four steps
- 1
Prepare SQL Server
Run twincommit check. It verifies full recovery model and the other prerequisites, and prints the exact fix for anything missing.
- 2
Point at Redshift
Add a target block for Redshift. TwinCommit can generate target DDL with twincommit ddl -apply.
- 3
Snapshot
twincommit snapshot copies each table under a brief share lock and records the exact log position.
- 4
Stream
twincommit run streams every committed change from that position, exactly once and in commit order.
source:
type: sqlserver
dsn: ${SOURCE_DSN}
target:
type: redshift
host: analytics.123456789.us-east-1.redshift-serverless.amazonaws.com
database: dev
staging_bucket: s3://acme-twincommit-staging
iam_role: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/twincommit-copy
tables:
- source: SALES.ORDERS
- source: SALES.ORDER_LINES
exclude_columns: [INTERNAL_NOTES]SQL Server to Redshift replication FAQ
How does TwinCommit replicate SQL Server to Redshift?
+
TwinCommit reads changes from the SQL Server transaction log, buffers them per transaction, and applies each committed transaction to Redshift in commit order. Micro-batches are written to S3 as Parquet, loaded with COPY into staging tables, and applied with MERGE in one transaction together with the checkpoint.
Does SQL Server to Redshift replication need triggers or capture tables?
+
No. TwinCommit reads the SQL Server log directly and creates no objects in the source database.
Is SQL Server to Redshift replication exactly-once?
+
Yes. TwinCommit commits its checkpoint in the same Redshift transaction as the data, so a crash or restart never loses or duplicates a transaction.
What SQL Server versions are supported?
+
SQL Server 2016–2025 · Azure SQL Managed Instance · Azure SQL Database (target).
Stream SQL Server to Redshift today.
Download the free Developer edition, or have one of our replication engineers walk you through a migration plan.