Choose log-based or query-based CDC for a source with no log access

You want every change out of a database, but nobody will grant you access to its transaction log.

Beginner to intermediateRead 5 minDoing: a few hours6 steps

▶ Start

What you'll have at the end

A one-paragraph decision record: log-based or polling for this source, and the one reason it wins

Before you start

You need

You have one specific source table whose changes you need to capture, and whoever operates it has already refused to grant transaction log access (WAL, binlog, or the equivalent) for it.

Not covered

Trigger-based CDC, which can catch deletes without log access but needs permission to add triggers to the source, a permission this recipe assumes you don't have either.

Leans on

6 steps

Where to go next

Choose full reload or incremental for a new source

when even query-based CDC is overkill and a plain incremental reload already meets the freshness bar

Checked 26 Aug 2026

Part of the Change Data Capture (CDC) cookbook