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Status Delivered
Created by Guest
Created on Apr 19, 2018

CDC must show before image when failing to update a row

Opening this RFE as support refused to accept it as a bug.
Currently when CDC can't find a row to apply an UPDATE it states something like:
"Failed to update a row in table USER.TABLE. VI_NIF: [364729Y]
VI_TSTAMPG: [2018-02-08 21:19:40.293305000000] VI_ORIG: [E] VI_NUM_DOC:
[D345367Y] VI_NUM_SOPORTE: [ANR178679] VI_NOMBRE_[Deleted]: [JUAN
PABLO ] VI_APELLIDO1_[Deleted]:
[OFICIAL JUSTICIA ] VI_APELLIDO2_[Deleted]:
[GOMEZ ] VI_NACIONALIDAD:
[MEXICO ] VI_SEXO: [U] VI_FECHA_NAC: [19950228]"

This is event 317. The documentation states:
"Row identification information. A set of key=value pairs that help identify the row where the failure occurs."
The problem is that the values shown are the AFTER image of the update. The AFTER image is useless to help debug the problem. If we want to track what happened to the row on the target it's obviously useless. We need to find by searching the BEFORE image (if the table has triggers, or if we create an AUDIT subscription to track down the row changes that might explain why it doesn't exist.

Someone defended that the AFTER image would be important to find the row on the source. This is also misleading: If we find it on the source, there's no guarantee that it was set by the instruction we're trying to replicate. Even if it was, that would only prove that CDC captured the correct information. And if we don't find the row on source with the AFTER image, we cannot conclude anything because the row(s) may have suffered several changes. So, there is no possible excuse to present the AFTER image and it is useless in any circumstances and it's irrelevant. Even more, by looking at the message we have no idea if the values were changed or not. So, actually we don't even know if it's the same as the before image.

For all of the above this should be considered a bug. Apparently the code makes a distinction: For DELETEs it show the BEFORE image. For INSERTs and UPDATES it shows the AFTER image.
This is eventually funny, as for DELETEs there is no AFTER image, and for INSERTS there is no BEFORE image. So it comes down to what it shows for UPDATES.

We need it to provide (as the documentation states) something to allow us to identify the row. Considering the row is not found, we need (through auditing/triggers/whatever) find what happened to the row that should exist. And that's the BEFORE and not the AFTER image

For all this, this BUG should be fixed and the message should show the BEFORE image. In order to improve the product, the ideal would be to show BOTH images (or show only one stating it didn't change if that's the case)