Change or Modification Flag Fields for Delta Loads or Updates

ETL+ delta update processing creates the logical equivalent of a change flag for each source row or record. Notes on the concept of a ‘change flag’ for delta loads.

By utilizing a change flag, the delta update process optimizes efficiency by only including the records that have changed, minimizing the amount of data transferred and reducing update times.

NOTES

In the context of delta updates, there is typically one field or indicator that signals that a record has changed. This field is often referred to as a "change flag" or a "modification flag."

The change flag is a boolean or binary field associated with each record or data entry. Its purpose is to indicate whether a particular record has been modified or updated since the last update or synchronization process. When the flag is set to true or a specific value, it signifies that the record has changed and needs to be included in the delta update.

During the delta update process, the system examines the change flag for each record in the dataset. If the flag is set, the system includes the updated record or the changes associated with that record in the delta update package. If the flag is not set or is set to false, the system skips that record as it has not been modified and does not require an update.

By utilizing a change flag, the delta update process optimizes efficiency by only including the records that have changed, minimizing the amount of data transferred and reducing update times.