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Basic operations in CDC¶
The CDC log table reflects operations that are performed on the base table. Different types of operations give different corresponding entries in the CDC log. These operations are:
inserts,
updates,
single row deletions,
row range deletions,
partition deletions.
The following sections describe how each of these operations are handled by the CDC log.
Updates¶
Updates are the most basic statements that can be performed. The following is an example of an update with CDC enabled.
Start with a basic table and perform some UPDATEs:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, v1 int, v2 int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled':'true'}; UPDATE ks.t SET v1 = 0 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0; UPDATE ks.t SET v2 = null WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
Confirm that the update was performed by displaying the contents of the table:
SELECT * FROM ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v1 | v2 ----+----+----+------ 0 | 0 | 0 | null (1 rows)
Display the contents of the CDC log table:
SELECT "cdc$batch_seq_no", pk, ck, v1, "cdc$deleted_v1", v2, "cdc$deleted_v2", "cdc$operation" FROM ks.t_scylla_cdc_log;
returns:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck | v1 | cdc$deleted_v1 | v2 | cdc$deleted_v2 | cdc$operation ------------------+----+----+------+----------------+------+----------------+--------------- 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | null | null | null | 1 0 | 0 | 0 | null | null | null | True | 1 (2 rows)
Delta rows corresponding to updates are indicated by cdc$operation = 1. All columns corresponding to the primary key in the log are set to the same values as in the base table, in this case pk = 0 and ck = 0.
Each non-key column, such as v1 above, has a corresponding column in the log with the same name, but there’s an additional column with the cdc$deleted_ prefix (e. g. cdc$deleted_v1) used to indicate whether the column was set to null in the update.
If the update sets a column X to a non-null value, the X column in the log will have that value; however, if the update sets X to a null value, the X column in the log will be null, and we’ll use the cdc$deleted_X column to indicate the update by setting it to True. In the example above, this is what happened with the v2 column.
Column deletions are a special case of an update statement. That is, the following two statements are equivalent:
UPDATE <table_name> SET X = null WHERE <condition>;
DELETE X FROM <table_name> WHERE <condition>;
Thus, in the example above, instead of
UPDATE ks.t SET v2 = null WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
we could have used
DELETE v2 FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
and we would’ve obtained the same result.
Note that column deletions, (which are equivalent to updates that set a column to null) are different than row deletions, i.e. DELETE statements that specify a clustering row but don’t specify any particular column, like the following:
DELETE FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
You can read about row deletions in the corresponding section.
Digression: static rows in ScyllaDB¶
If a table in ScyllaDB has static columns, then every partition in this table contains a static row, which is global for the partition. This static row is different from the clustered rows: it contains values for partition key columns and static columns, while clustered rows contain values for partition key, clustering key, and regular columns. The following example illustrates how the static row can be used:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, s int static, c int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck));
UPDATE ks.t SET s = 0 WHERE pk = 0;
SELECT * from ks.t WHERE pk = 0;
returns:
pk | ck | s | c
----+------+---+------
0 | null | 0 | null
(1 rows)
Even though no regular columns were set, the above query returned a row; the static row.
We can still update clustered rows, of course:
UPDATE ks.t SET c = 0 WHERE pk = 1 AND ck = 0;
SELECT * from ks.t WHERE pk = 1;
returns:
pk | ck | s | c
----+----+------+---
1 | 0 | null | 0
(1 rows)
Somewhat confusingly, CQL mixes the static row with the clustered rows if both appear within the same partition. Example:
UPDATE ks.t SET c = 0 WHERE pk = 2 AND ck = 0;
UPDATE ks.t SET c = 1 WHERE pk = 2 AND ck = 1;
UPDATE ks.t SET s = 2 WHERE pk = 2;
SELECT * from ks.t WHERE pk = 2;
returns:
pk | ck | s | c
----+----+---+---
2 | 0 | 2 | 0
2 | 1 | 2 | 1
(2 rows)
From the above query result it seems as if the static column was a part of every clustered row, and setting the static column to a value within one partition is setting it “for every clustered row”. That is not the case, it is simply CQL’s way of showing the static row when both the static row and clustered rows are present: it “mixes” the static row into each clustered row. But to understand the static row, think of it as a separate row in the partition, with the property that there can be at most one static row in a partition; the static row exists if and only if at least one of the static columns are non-null.
Static rows in CDC¶
CDC separates static row updates from clustered row updates, showing them as different entries, even if you update both within one statement. Example:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, s int static, c int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled': true};
UPDATE ks.t SET s = 0, c = 0 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
SELECT "cdc$batch_seq_no", pk, ck, s, c, "cdc$operation" FROM ks.t_scylla_cdc_log;
returns:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck | s | c | cdc$operation
------------------+----+------+------+------+---------------
0 | 0 | null | 0 | null | 1
1 | 0 | 0 | null | 0 | 1
(2 rows)
CDC recognizes that logically two updates happened: one to the static row and one to the clustered row. In other words, CDC interprets the following:
UPDATE ks.t SET s = 0, c = 0 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
as follows:
BEGIN UNLOGGED BATCH
UPDATE ks.t SET s = 0 WHERE pk = 0;
UPDATE ks.t SET c = 0 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
APPLY BATCH;
However, since they happened in a single statement and had a single timestamp, it grouped them using cdc$batch_seq_no. The static row update can be distinguished from the clustered row update by looking at clustering key columns, in case ck: they are null for static row updates and non-null for clustered row updates.
Inserts¶
Digression: the difference between inserts and updates¶
Inserts are not the same as updates, contrary to a popular belief in Cassandra/ScyllaDB communities. The following example illustrates the difference:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, v int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled':'true'};
UPDATE ks.t SET v = null WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
SELECT * FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
returns:
pk | ck | v
----+----+---
(0 rows)
However:
INSERT INTO ks.t (pk,ck,v) VALUES (0, 0, null);
SELECT * FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
returns:
pk | ck | v
----+----+------
0 | 0 | null
(1 rows)
Each table has an additional invisible column called the row marker. It doesn’t hold a value; it only holds liveness information (timestamp and time-to-live). If the row marker is alive, the row shows up when you query it, even if all its non-key columns are null. The difference between inserts and updates is that updates don’t affect the row marker, while inserts create an alive row marker.
Here’s another example:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, v int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled':'true'};
UPDATE ks.t SET v = 0 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
SELECT * FROM ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v
----+----+---
0 | 0 | 0
(1 rows)
The value in the v column keeps the (pk = 0, ck = 0) row alive, therefore it shows up in the query. After we delete it, the row will be gone:
UPDATE ks.t SET v = null WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
SELECT * FROM ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v
----+----+---
(0 rows)
However, if we had used an INSERT instead of an UPDATE in the first place, the row would still show up even after deleting v:
INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck, v) VALUES (0, 0, 0);
UPDATE ks.t set v = null where pk = 0 and ck = 0;
SELECT * from ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v
----+----+------
0 | 0 | null
(1 rows)
The row marker introduced by INSERT keeps the row alive, even if there are no other non-key columns that are not null. Therefore the row shows up in the query.
We can create just the row marker, without updating any columns, like this:
INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck) VALUES (0, 0);
When specifying both key and non-key columns in an INSERT statement, we’re saying “create a row marker, and set cells for this row”. We can explicitly divide these two operations; the following:
INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck, v) VALUES (0, 0, 0);
is equivalent to:
BEGIN UNLOGGED BATCH
INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck) VALUES (0, 0);
UPDATE ks.t SET v = 0 WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
APPLY BATCH;
The INSERT creates a row marker, the UPDATE sets the cell in the (pk, ck) = (0, 0) row and v column.
Inserts in CDC¶
Inserts affect the CDC log very similarly to updates; if no collections or static columns are involved, the difference lies only in the cdc$operation column:
Start with a basic table and perform some insert:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, v1 int, v2 int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled':'true'}; INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck, v1) VALUES (0, 0, 0); INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck, v2) VALUES (0, 0, NULL);
Confirm that the insert was performed by displaying the contents of the table:
SELECT * FROM ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v1 | v2 ----+----+----+------ 0 | 0 | 0 | null (1 rows)
Display the contents of the CDC log table:
SELECT "cdc$batch_seq_no", pk, ck, v1, "cdc$deleted_v1", v2, "cdc$deleted_v2", "cdc$operation" FROM ks.t_scylla_cdc_log;
returns:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck | v1 | cdc$deleted_v1 | v2 | cdc$deleted_v2 | cdc$operation ------------------+----+----+------+----------------+------+----------------+--------------- 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | null | null | null | 2 0 | 0 | 0 | null | null | null | True | 2 (2 rows)
Delta rows corresponding to inserts are indicated by cdc$operation = 2.
If a static row update is performed within an INSERT, it is separated from the INSERT, in the same way a clustered row update is separated from a static row update. Example:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, s int static, c int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled': true};
INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck, s, c) VALUES (0, 0, 0, 0);
SELECT "cdc$batch_seq_no", pk, ck, s, c, "cdc$operation" FROM ks.t_scylla_cdc_log;
returns:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck | s | c | cdc$operation
------------------+----+------+------+------+---------------
0 | 0 | null | 0 | null | 1
1 | 0 | 0 | null | 0 | 2
(2 rows)
There is no such thing as a “static row insert”. Indeed, static rows don’t have a row marker; the only way to make a static row show up is to set a static column to a non-null value. Therefore, the following statement (using the table from above):
INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, s) VALUES (0, 0);
is equivalent to:
UPDATE ks.t SET s = 0 WHERE pk = 0;
This is the reason why cdc$operation is 1, not 2, in the example above for the static row update.
Row deletions¶
Row deletions are operations where you delete an entire clustering row by using a DELETE statement, specifying the values of all clustering key columns, but not specifying any particular regular column.
The following is an example of a row deletion with CDC enabled.
Start with a basic table and insert some data into it.
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, v int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled': 'true'}; INSERT INTO ks.t (pk, ck, v) VALUES (0,0,0);
Display the contents of the table
SELECT * from ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v ----+----+--- 0 | 0 | 0 (1 rows)
Remove the row where the primary key 0 and the clustering key is 0.
DELETE FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
Check that after performing a row deletion, querying the deleted row returns 0 results:
SELECT * from ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
returns:
pk | ck | v ----+----+------ (0 rows)
Note that row deletions are different than column deletions, which are DELETE statements with some particular non-key column specified, like the following:
DELETE v FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
Column deletions are equivalent to UPDATEs with the column set to null, e.g.:
UPDATE ks.t SET v = null WHERE pk = 0 AND ck = 0;
You can read about UPDATEs in the corresponding section.
Row range deletions¶
Range deletions are statements in which you delete a set of rows specified by a continuous range of clustering keys. They work within one partition, so you must provide a single partition key when performing a range deletion.
The following is an example of a row range deletion with CDC enabled.
Start with a basic table and insert some data into it.
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, v int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled':'true'}; INSERT INTO ks.t (pk,ck,v) VALUES (0,0,0); INSERT INTO ks.t (pk,ck,v) VALUES (0,1,1); INSERT INTO ks.t (pk,ck,v) VALUES (0,2,2); INSERT INTO ks.t (pk,ck,v) VALUES (0,3,3);
Display the contents of the table
SELECT * FROM ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v ----+----+--- 0 | 0 | 0 0 | 1 | 1 0 | 2 | 2 0 | 3 | 3 (4 rows)
Remove all rows where the primary key is 0 and the clustering key is in the
(0, 2]range (left-opened, right-closed).DELETE FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck <= 2 and ck > 0;
Display the contents of the table after the delete:
SELECT * FROM ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v ----+----+--- 0 | 0 | 0 0 | 3 | 3 (2 rows)
Display the contents of the CDC log table:
SELECT "cdc$batch_seq_no", pk, ck, v, "cdc$operation" FROM ks.t_scylla_cdc_log;
returns:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck | v | cdc$operation ------------------+----+----+------+--------------- 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 0 | 0 | 0 | null | 6 1 | 0 | 2 | null | 7 (6 rows)
A range deletion appears in CDC as a batch of up to two entries into the log table: an entry corresponding to range’s left bound (if specified), and an entry corresponding to the range’s right bound (if specified). The appropriate values of cdc$operation are as follows:
5denotes an inclusive left bound,6denotes an exclusive left bound,7denotes an inclusive right bound,8denotes an exclusive right bound.
In the example above we’ve used the range (0, 2], with an exclusive left bound and inclusive right bound. This is presented in the CDC log as two log rows: one with cdc$operation = 6 and the other with cdc$operation = 7.
The values for non-key base columns are null in these entries.
If you specify a one-sided range:
DELETE FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 AND ck < 3;
then two entries will appear in the CDC log: one with cdc$operation = 5 and null clustering key, indicating the range is not left-bounded and the other with cdc$operation = 8, representing the right bound of the range:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck | v | cdc$operation
------------------+----+------+------+---------------
0 | 0 | null | null | 5
1 | 0 | 3 | null | 8
Range deletions with multi-column clustering keys¶
In the case of multi-column clustering keys, range deletions allow to specify an equality relation for some prefix of the clustering key, followed by an ordering relation on the column that follows the prefix.
Start with a basic table:
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck1 int, ck2 int, ck3 int, v int, primary key (pk, ck1, ck2, ck3)) WITH cdc = {'enabled':'true'};
Remove the rows where the primary key is 0, a prefix of the clustering key (
ck1) is0, and the following column of the clustering key (ck2) is in the range(0, 3):DELETE FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0 and ck1 = 0 AND ck2 > 0 AND ck2 < 3;
Display the contents of the table:
SELECT "cdc$batch_seq_no", pk, ck1, ck2, ck3, v, "cdc$operation" FROM ks.t_scylla_cdc_log;
returns:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck1 | ck2 | ck3 | v | cdc$operation ------------------+----+-----+-----+------+------+--------------- 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | null | null | 6 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | null | null | 8 (2 rows)
Partition deletion¶
An example for deleting a partition is as follows:
Start with a basic table and insert some data into it.
CREATE TABLE ks.t (pk int, ck int, v int, PRIMARY KEY (pk, ck)) WITH cdc = {'enabled':'true'}; INSERT INTO ks.t (pk,ck,v) VALUES (0,0,0); INSERT INTO ks.t (pk,ck,v) VALUES (0,1,1);
Display the contents of the base table
SELECT * FROM ks.t;
returns:
pk | ck | v ----+----+--- 0 | 0 | 0 0 | 1 | 1 (2 rows)
Remove all rows where the primary key is equal to 0.
DELETE FROM ks.t WHERE pk = 0;
Display the contents of the corresponding CDC log table:
SELECT "cdc$batch_seq_no", pk, ck, v, "cdc$operation" FROM ks.t_scylla_cdc_log;
returns:
cdc$batch_seq_no | pk | ck | v | cdc$operation ------------------+----+------+------+--------------- 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 0 | 0 | null | null | 4 (3 rows)
In the CDC log, partition deletion is identified by cdc$operation = 4. Columns in the log that correspond to clustering key and non-key columns in the base table are set to null.