SQL Server to Elasticsearch
real-time replication
TwinCommit replicates Microsoft SQL Server to Elasticsearch in real time by reading the SQL Server transaction log and applying every committed change exactly once and in commit order. Use it to keep Elasticsearch search indexes current with SQL Server, with no triggers or capture tables on the source.
SQL Server
log reader
commit-ordered · exactly-once
Elasticsearch
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 Elasticsearch
Changes are sent through the _bulk API with the document ID set to the primary key and external versioning derived from the log position, so late or replayed writes can never overwrite newer data.
Requirements
- ✓An index template or mapping per table
- ✓API key with index and write privileges
- ✓TLS endpoint
Setup
Set up SQL Server → Elasticsearch 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 Elasticsearch
Add a target block for Elasticsearch. 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: elasticsearch
url: https://search.internal:9200
api_key: ${ES_API_KEY}
index_template: "{schema}-{table}"
tables:
- source: SALES.ORDERS
- source: SALES.ORDER_LINES
exclude_columns: [INTERNAL_NOTES]SQL Server to Elasticsearch replication FAQ
How does TwinCommit replicate SQL Server to Elasticsearch?
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TwinCommit reads changes from the SQL Server transaction log, buffers them per transaction, and applies each committed transaction to Elasticsearch in commit order. Changes are sent through the _bulk API with the document ID set to the primary key and external versioning derived from the log position, so late or replayed writes can never overwrite newer data.
Does SQL Server to Elasticsearch 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 Elasticsearch replication exactly-once?
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Yes. TwinCommit commits its checkpoint in the same Elasticsearch 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).
Stream SQL Server to Elasticsearch today.
Download the free Developer edition, or have one of our replication engineers walk you through a migration plan.