SQL Server to Synapse
real-time replication
TwinCommit replicates Microsoft SQL Server to Azure Synapse Analytics 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 Synapse 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
Synapse
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 Synapse
Micro-batches are staged as Parquet in Azure Data Lake Storage, loaded with COPY INTO and applied with MERGE in one transaction together with the checkpoint. Tables are created hash-distributed on the primary key.
Requirements
- ✓An ADLS Gen2 staging container
- ✓A service principal or managed identity with db_ddladmin and db_datawriter
- ✓ADMINISTER DATABASE BULK OPERATIONS for COPY INTO
Setup
Set up SQL Server → Synapse 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 Synapse
Add a target block for Synapse. 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: synapse
server: acme-dw.sql.azuresynapse.net
database: replica_dw
auth: managed_identity
staging: abfss://staging@acmelake.dfs.core.windows.net/twincommit/
tables:
- source: SALES.ORDERS
- source: SALES.ORDER_LINES
exclude_columns: [INTERNAL_NOTES]SQL Server to Synapse replication FAQ
How does TwinCommit replicate SQL Server to Synapse?
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TwinCommit reads changes from the SQL Server transaction log, buffers them per transaction, and applies each committed transaction to Synapse in commit order. Micro-batches are staged as Parquet in Azure Data Lake Storage, loaded with COPY INTO and applied with MERGE in one transaction together with the checkpoint. Tables are created hash-distributed on the primary key.
Does SQL Server to Synapse replication need triggers or capture tables?
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No. TwinCommit reads the SQL Server log directly and creates no objects in the source database.
Is SQL Server to Synapse replication exactly-once?
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Yes. TwinCommit commits its checkpoint in the same Synapse transaction as the data, so a crash or restart never loses or duplicates a transaction.
What SQL Server versions are supported?
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SQL Server 2016–2025 · Azure SQL Managed Instance · Azure SQL Database (target).
Use cases for this route
Related replication routes
Stream SQL Server to Synapse today.
Download the free Developer edition, or have one of our replication engineers walk you through a migration plan.