SQL Server Track Changes – Know What Happens in Your Database

SQL Server databases are crucial as they store important user data it. However, if that data is deleted or updated without the owner’s knowledge, it can compromise data security. This is why SQL Server track changes becomes important for database administrators. This allows database owners to keep an eye on who made changes to the database. With the help of this article, we will learn thoroughly about the changes tracking in SQL database, and find the best ways this can be done. Let’s first understand the situations that demand tracking the changes in the database. 

Common Reasons for SQL Server Track Changes

When we talk about the databases being manipulated or the data being changed in the database, we mainly talk about INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE commands in such cases. Here are some of the common situations that require users to constantly monitor the changes made in the database. 

• This is majorly beneficial for auditing and compliance purposes. Most organizations often need to record who made what changes in the database for compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA, etc. 
• The next reason is for error resolution and troubleshooting issues. By checking SQL Server changes, users can get an idea of what could be wrong with the database. 
• Another benefit of tracking the SQL Server changes is that they help with the restoration of data in previous formats. 

For these reasons, users and database administrators often need to track and further monitor the changes made by anyone in the databases. We will now take a look at the methods that help users check the database activities easily. 

Best Methods for SQL Server Track Changes

We will now try a few methods that will help with monitoring and tracking the changes made in the SQL Server database. Below are some of the ways that will help with the row change tracking and further know who changed what in the database. 

Method 1: Using a Professional Solution to Track Changes in Database

Along with the other methods, this is one of the most trusted ones. Choosing a professional tool, like SQL Log Analyzer Tool, for tracking the changes in the database can help with more precise and accurate results.

Along with the changes and commands used, like the INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE command, it also shows the table name, query, and the login name by which the changes have been made. With the help of this advanced utility, users can not only track the changes, but also repair the corrupted log files, if any. 

Method 2: SQL Server Track Changes With the Help of Change Data Capture

The CDC helps users with detailed insights into the changes made in the data by reading the transaction logs. The CDC captures the data before and after the changes made. It further saves the data in CDC tables. This method helps users understand the history of the database changes. However, this method has its limitations as well. This method generally requires higher storage and a regular cleanup. The process also requires LSN management and mapping of the captured columns in the database. 

Method 3: Use Change Tracking to Monitor Database Changes

When we talk about Change Tracking, it is basically a feature that helps users know which rows have changed in the SQL Server database. However, the method isn’t able to track the old data in the database. The feature helps database administrators to identify when a row is updated, deleted, or inserted. This method for SQL Server track changes further allows users to know the version numbers to show which data has been updated or changed since the last time. The method is effective when the user only needs to know whether a row has been updated or not. But when it comes to storing or showing the old data, this method fails to do so. Furthermore, this method needs manual handling in applications. 

Conclusion

With the help of this write-up, we have learned the best ways to SQL Server Track Changes. The guide also discusses the common scenarios that require this tracking and monitoring. We have also explained the limitations of the manual methods.