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    Data Transmission Service:Track data changes from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

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    Data Transmission Service:Track data changes from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

    Last Updated:Mar 20, 2025

    The change tracking feature allows you to monitor incremental data from the source database in real time, facilitating tasks such as updating lightweight caches, decoupling business processes asynchronously, and synchronizing data in real time with ETL logic. This topic explains how to create an RDS MySQL change tracking task.

    Prerequisites

    Limits

    Limit type

    Description

    Limits on the source database

    • The source tables must have PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraints, and all fields must be unique. Otherwise, part of the tracked data changes may be duplicate.

    • If you select tables as the objects to be tracked, up to 500 tables can be tracked in a single change tracking task. If you run a change tracking task to track more than 500 tables, a request error occurs. In this case, we recommend that you configure multiple tasks to track the tables in batches or configure a change tracking task for the entire database.

    • The following requirements for binlog logs must be met:

      • By default, the binary logging feature is enabled for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. Make sure the binlog_row_image parameter is set to full. Otherwise, error messages are returned during the precheck and the change tracking instance cannot be started. For more information, see View the parameters of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

      • The binary log files of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance must be retained for three days or longer (seven days recommended). The binary log files of a self-managed MySQL databases must be retained for seven days or longer. Otherwise, DTS may fail to obtain the binary logs and the task may fail. In exceptional circumstances, data inconsistency or loss may occur. Make sure that you set the retention period of the binary logs based on the preceding requirements. Otherwise, the Service Level Agreement (SLA) of DTS does not guarantee service reliability or performance.

        Note

        • For more information about the retention period of the binary log of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, see the section Delete binary log files in the topic "Manage binary log files".

        • The binlog_expire_log_days parameter in the configuration file (in most cases, my.cnf or my.ini) of a self-managed MySQL database specifies the retention period of binary logs.

    • If the source instance is a read-only or temporary instance, make sure that the instance records transaction logs.

      Note

    Other limits

    • Make sure that the precision settings for columns of the FLOAT or DOUBLE data type meet your business requirements. DTS uses the ROUND(COLUMN,PRECISION) function to retrieve values from columns of the FLOAT or DOUBLE data type. If you do not specify a precision, DTS sets the precision for columns of the FLOAT data type to 38 digits and the precision for columns of the DOUBLE data type to 308 digits.

    • DTS does not track the DDL operations that are performed by using pt-online-schema-change. Therefore, the change tracking client may fail to write the consumed data to the destination tables due to schema conflicts.

    • If the size of a single row of data that you track exceeds 16 MB, you cannot consume the row of data. Otherwise, an out of memory (OOM) error may occur on the change tracking client.

    • If a DTS task fails to run, DTS technical support will try to restore the task within 8 hours. During the restoration, the task may be restarted, and the parameters of the task may be modified.

      Note

      Only the parameters of the task may be modified. The parameters of databases are not modified.

    Procedure

    1. Use one of the following methods to go to the Change Tracking Tasks page and select the region in which the change tracking instance resides.

      DTS console

      1. Log on to the DTS console.

      2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Change Tracking.

      3. In the upper-left corner of the page, select the region in which the change tracking instance resides.

      DMS console

      Note

      The actual operations may vary based on the mode and layout of the DMS console. For more information, see Simple mode and Customize the layout and style of the DMS console.

      1. Log on to the DMS console.

      2. In the top navigation bar, move the pointer over Data + AI > DTS (DTS) > Change Tracking.

      3. From the drop-down list to the right of Change Tracking Tasks, select the region in which the change tracking instance resides.

    2. Click Create Task to go to the task configuration page.

    3. Configure parameters in the Source Database and Consumer Network Type sections.

      Warning

      After you specify the source database instance, we recommend that you read the Limits that are displayed in the upper part of the page. Otherwise, the task may fail or the tracked data cannot be consumed.

      Section

      Parameter

      Description

      None

      Task Name

      The name of the change tracking task. DTS automatically assigns a name to the task. We recommend that you specify a descriptive name that makes it easy to identify the task. You do not need to use a unique task name.

      Source Database

      Select Existing Connection

      The database instance that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing instance based on your business requirements.

      • If you select an existing instance, DTS automatically populates the parameters for the database.

      • If you do not use an existing instance, you must configure the following parameters.

      Note

      Database Type

      The type of the source database. Select MySQL.

      Access Method

      The access method of the source database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.

      Instance Region

      The region in which the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance resides.

      Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts

      Specifies whether to track data across Alibaba Cloud accounts. In this example, No is selected.

      Important

      If you want to access cloud resources across Alibaba Cloud accounts, set this parameter to Yes and specify the Alibaba Cloud Account and RAM Role Name parameters. You must configure Resource Access Management (RAM) authorization for the Alibaba Cloud account that is used to configure the DTS task. For more information about how to configure RAM authorization, see Configure RAM authorization for cross-account DTS tasks.

      RDS Instance ID

      The ID of the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

      Database Account

      Enter a database account that has read-only permissions on the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, or a custom account that has the REPLICATION CLIENT, REPLICATION SLAVE, SHOW VIEW, and SELECT permissions.

      Database Password

      The password that is used to access the database instance.

      Encryption

      Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the database instance. Select Non-encrypted or SSL-encrypted based on your requirements. If you select SSL-encrypted, you must enable SSL encryption for the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance before you configure the change tracking task. For more information, see Configure the SSL encryption feature.

      Consumer Network Type

      Network Type

      The value of the Network Type parameter is fixed to VPC. You must select a VPC and a vSwitch. For more information, see VPCs.

      Note

      • After a change tracking task is configured, you cannot change the settings in the Consumer Network Type section.

      • If your change tracking client is deployed in a VPC, we recommend that you select the same VPC and vSwitch connected to the client.

      • If you track data changes over internal networks, the network latency is minimal.

    4. In the lower part of the page, click Test Connectivity and Proceed.

      Note

      • Make sure that the CIDR blocks of DTS servers can be automatically or manually added to the security settings of the source and destination databases to allow access from DTS servers. For more information, see Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers.

      • If the source database is a self-managed database and its Access Method is not set to Alibaba Cloud Instance, click Test Connectivity in the CIDR Blocks of DTS Servers dialog box.

    5. Configure the objects for change tracking.

      1. On the Configure Objects page, configure the objects for change tracking.

        Parameter

        Description

        Data Change Types

        By default, the Data Change Types parameter is specified and cannot be modified.

        • Data Update

          DTS tracks data updates of the selected objects, including the INSERT, DELETE, and UPDATE operations.

        • Schema Update

          DTS tracks the create, delete, and modify operations that are performed on all object schemas of the source instance. You must use the change tracking client to filter the data to be tracked.

        Source Objects

        Select one or more objects from the Source Objects section and click the 向右小箭头 icon to add the objects to the Selected Objects section.

        Note

        You can select tables or databases as the objects for change tracking.

        • If you select a database as the object, DTS tracks incremental data of all objects, including new objects in the database.

        • If you select a table as the object, DTS tracks only incremental data of this table. In this case, if you want to track data changes of another table, you must add the table to the object list. For more information, see Modify the objects for change tracking.

      2. Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced settings.

        Parameter

        Description

        Dedicated Cluster for Task Scheduling

        By default, DTS schedules the task to a shared cluster. You do not need to configure this parameter. You can purchase dedicated clusters of specified specifications to run DTS change tracking tasks. For more information, see What is a DTS dedicated cluster.

        Retry Time for Failed Connections

        The retry time range for failed connections. If the change tracking task fails, DTS immediately retries a connection within the time range. Valid values: 10 to 1440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 720. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 30. If DTS is reconnected to the source database instance within the specified time range, DTS resumes the change tracking task. Otherwise, the change tracking task fails.

        Note

        • If multiple change tracking tasks are configured for a database instance, the shortest retry time range takes precedence. For example, Task A and Task B are configured for the same database instance. Task A is configured with a retry time range of 30 minutes, and Task B is configured with a retry time range of 60 minutes. In this case, the retry time range of 30 minutes takes precedence.

        • When DTS retries a connection, fees are charged. We recommend that you specify the retry time range based on your business requirements, or release the DTS instance at the earliest opportunity after the source database instance is released.

        Retry Time for Other Issues

        The retry time range for other issues. For example, if DDL or DML operations fail to be performed after the change tracking task is started, DTS immediately retries the operations within the retry time range. Valid values: 1 to 1440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 10. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 10. If the failed operations are successfully performed within the specified retry time range, DTS resumes the change tracking task. Otherwise, the change tracking task fails.

        Important

        The value of the Retry Time for Other Issues parameter must be smaller than the value of the Retry Time for Failed Connections parameter.

        Whether to delete SQL operations on heartbeat tables of forward and reverse tasks

        Specifies whether to write SQL operations on heartbeat tables to the source database while the DTS instance is running. Valid values:

        • Yes: does not write SQL operations on heartbeat tables. In this case, a latency of the DTS instance may be displayed.

        • No: writes SQL operations on heartbeat tables. In this case, features such as physical backup and cloning of the source database may be affected.

        Environment Tag

        The environment tag that is used to identify the DTS instance. You can select an environment tag based on your business requirements. In this example, no environment tag is selected.

        Monitoring and Alerting

        Specifies whether to enable alerting for the change tracking task. If alerting is configured and the task fails or the latency exceeds the threshold, alert notifications are sent. Valid values:

    6. In the lower part of the page, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck.

      • To view the parameters to be specified when you call the relevant API operation to configure the DTS task, move the pointer over Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck and click Preview OpenAPI parameters.

      • If you do not need to view or have viewed the parameters, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck in the lower part of the page.

      Note

      • Before you can start the change tracking task, DTS performs a precheck. You can start the change tracking task only after the task passes the precheck.

      • If the task fails to pass the precheck, click View Details next to each failed item. After you troubleshoot the issues based on the error message, you can run a precheck again.

      • If an alert is generated for an item during the precheck, perform the following operations based on the scenario:

        • If an alert item cannot be ignored, click View Details next to the failed item and troubleshoot the issues. Then, run a precheck again.

        • If the alert item can be ignored, click Confirm Alert Details. In the View Details dialog box, click Ignore. In the message that appears, click OK. Then, click Precheck Again to run a precheck again. If you ignore the alert item, data inconsistency may occur and your business may be exposed to potential risks.

    7. Purchase an instance.

      1. Wait until Success Rate becomes 100%. Then, click Next: Purchase Instance.

      2. On the Purchase page, specify the billing method of the change tracking instance. The following table describes the parameters.

        Parameter

        Description

        Billing method

        • Subscription: You pay for your subscription when you create an instance. The subscription billing method is more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method for long-term use. You are offered lower prices for longer subscription durations.

        • Pay-as-you-go: A pay-as-you-go instance is billed on an hourly basis. We recommend that you select the pay-as-you-go billing method for short-term use. If you no longer require a pay-as-you-go instance, you can release the instance to reduce costs.

        Resource Group Settings

        The resource group to which the instance belongs. Default value: default resource group. For more information, see What is Resource Management?

        Billing Type of Change Tracking Instance

        If you select the subscription billing method, you can select only Full-price Configuration Fee (No Data Traffic Fee) for the Billing Type of Change Tracking Instance parameter.

        Subscription Duration

        If you select the subscription billing method, set the subscription duration and the number of instances that you want to create. The subscription duration can be one to nine months, one year, two years, three years, or five years.

        Note

        This parameter is available only if you select the Subscription billing method.

      3. Read and select the Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms.

      4. Click Buy and Start to start the change tracking task. You can view the progress of the task in the task list.

    What to do next

    When the change tracking task is running, you can Create consumer groups based on the downstream client to consume the tracked data.