Enable and disable change data capture
Applies to: 
SQL Server
Azure SQL Managed Instance
This article describes how to enable and disable change data capture (CDC) for a database and a table for SQL Server and Azure SQL Managed Instance. For Azure SQL Database, see CDC with Azure SQL Database.
Permissions
The sysadmin permissions are required to enable or disable change data capture in SQL Server and Azure SQL Managed Instance.
Enable for a database
Before you can create a capture instance for individual tables, you must enable change data capture for the database.
To enable change data capture, run the stored procedure sys.sp_cdc_enable_db (Transact-SQL) in the database context. To determine if a database already has CDC enabled, query the is_cdc_enabled column in the sys.databases catalog view.
When a database has change data capture enabled, the cdc schema, cdc user, metadata tables, and other system objects are created for the database. The cdc schema contains the change data capture metadata tables and, after source tables are enabled for change data capture, the individual change tables serve as a repository for change data. The cdc schema also contains associated system functions used to query for change data.
Change data capture requires exclusive use of the cdc schema and cdc user. If either a schema or a database user named cdc currently exists in a database, the change data capture can't be enabled for the database until the schema and/or user is dropped or renamed.
-- ====
-- Enable Database for CDC
-- ====
USE MyDB
GO
EXEC sys.sp_cdc_enable_db
GO
Note
To find CDC-related templates in SQL Server Management Studio, go to View, select Template Explorer, and then select SQL Server Templates. Change data capture is a sub-folder that contains the templates
Disable for a database
Use sys.sp_cdc_disable_db (Transact-SQL) in the database context to disable change data capture for a database. It's not necessary to disable CDC for individual tables before you disable CDC for the database. Disabling CDC for the database removes all associated change data capture metadata, including the cdc user, schema and the change data capture jobs. However, any gating roles created by CDC won't be removed automatically and must be explicitly deleted. To determine if a database has CDC enabled, query the is_cdc_enabled column in the sys.databases catalog view.
If a CDC-enabled database is dropped, change data capture jobs are automatically removed.
-- Disable Database for change data capture
USE MyDB
GO
EXEC sys.sp_cdc_disable_db
GO
Enable for a table
After a database has been enabled for change data capture, members of the db_owner fixed database role can create a capture instance for individual source tables by using the stored procedure sys.sp_cdc_enable_table. To determine whether a source table has already been enabled for change data capture, examine the is_tracked_by_cdc column in the sys.tables catalog view.
Important
For more information about the sys.sp_cdc_enable_table stored procedure arguments, see sys.sp_cdc_enable_table (Transact-SQL).
The following options can be specified when creating a capture instance:
Columns in the source table to be captured.
By default, all of the columns in the source table are identified as captured columns. If only a subset of columns needs to be tracked, such as for privacy or performance reasons, use the @captured_column_list parameter to specify the subset of columns.
A filegroup to contain the change table.
By default, the change table is located in the default filegroup of the database. Database owners who want to control the placement of individual change tables can use the @filegroup_name parameter to specify a particular filegroup for the change table associated with the capture instance. The named filegroup must already exist. Generally, it's recommended that change tables be placed in a filegroup separate from source tables. See the Enable a Table Specifying Filegroup Option template for an example showing use of the @filegroup_name parameter.
-- Enable CDC for a table specifying filegroup
USE MyDB
GO
EXEC sys.sp_cdc_enable_table
@source_schema = N'dbo',
@source_name = N'MyTable',
@role_name = N'MyRole',
@filegroup_name = N'MyDB_CT',
@supports_net_changes = 1
GO
A role for controlling access to a change table.
The purpose of the named role is to control access to the change data. The specified role can be an existing fixed server role or a database role. If the specified role doesn't already exist, a database role of that name is created automatically. Users must have SELECT permission on all the captured columns of the source table. In addition, when a role is specified, users who aren't members of either the sysadmin or db_owner role must also be members of the specified role.
If you don't want to use a gating role, explicitly set the @role_name parameter to NULL. See the Enable a Table Without Using a Gating Role template for an example of enabling a table without a gating role.
-- Enable CDC for a table using a gating role option
USE MyDB
GO
EXEC sys.sp_cdc_enable_table
@source_schema = N'dbo',
@source_name = N'MyTable',
@role_name = NULL,
@supports_net_changes = 1
GO
A function to query for net changes.
A capture instance always includes a table valued function (TVF) for returning all change table entries that occurred within a defined interval. This function is named by appending the capture instance name to `cdc.fn_cdc_get_all_changes_``. For more information, see cdc.fn_cdc_get_all_changes_<capture_instance> (Transact-SQL).
If the parameter @supports_net_changes is set to 1, a net changes function is also generated for the capture instance. This function returns only one change for each distinct row changed in the interval specified in the call. For more information, see cdc.fn_cdc_get_net_changes_<capture_instance> (Transact-SQL).
To support net changes queries, the source table must have a primary key or unique index to uniquely identify rows. If a unique index is used, the name of the index must be specified using the @index_name parameter. The columns defined in the primary key or unique index must be included in the list of source columns to be captured.
See the Enable a Table for All and Net Changes Queries template for an example demonstrating the creation of a capture instance with both query functions.
-- Enable CDC for a table for all and net changes queries
USE MyDB
GO
EXEC sys.sp_cdc_enable_table
@source_schema = N'dbo',
@source_name = N'MyTable',
@role_name = N'MyRole',
@supports_net_changes = 1
GO
Note
If change data capture is enabled on a table with an existing primary key, and the @index_name parameter is not used to identify an alternative unique index, the change data capture feature uses the primary key. Subsequent changes to the primary key aren't allowed without first disabling change data capture for the table. This is true regardless of whether support for net changes queries was requested when change data capture was configured. If there is no primary key on a table at the time it is enabled for change data capture, the subsequent addition of a primary key is ignored by change data capture. Because change data capture will not use a primary key that is created after the table was enabled, the key and key columns can be removed without restrictions.
Disable for a table
Members of the db_owner fixed database role can remove a capture instance for individual source tables by using the stored procedure sys.sp_cdc_disable_table. To determine whether a source table is currently enabled for change data capture, examine the is_tracked_by_cdc column in the sys.tables catalog view. If there are no tables enabled for the database after the disabling takes place, the change data capture jobs are also removed.
If a change data capture-enabled table is dropped, change data capture metadata that is associated with the table is automatically removed.
See the Disable a Capture Instance for a Table template for an example of disabling a table.
-- Disable a Capture Instance for a table
USE MyDB
GO
EXEC sys.sp_cdc_disable_table
@source_schema = N'dbo',
@source_name = N'MyTable',
@capture_instance = N'dbo_MyTable'
GO