How Can C# Efficiently Monitor SQL Server Table Changes for Real-time Notifications?

Real-time SQL Server Table Change Monitoring with C#

Many applications in today's database environments share access to the same SQL Server database. Real-time notifications are crucial when changes occur within specific tables. This article examines several C# approaches for monitoring these table modifications.

Leveraging Change Tracking

Change tracking offers a lightweight solution. A database-wide version number increments with each data alteration. However, it only signals that changes have occurred; the specific changes aren't directly reported. Polling the change tracking tables is needed to retrieve these notifications.

Utilizing Change Data Capture (CDC)

CDC surpasses change tracking in robustness. It monitors the database log to identify and report changes, recording each individual modification and providing access to the altered data. Similar to change tracking, polling is necessary to retrieve these changes.

Employing Triggers and Queues

This method uses triggers to send change information to a service broker queue upon each modification. C# applications then subscribe to this queue using the Service Broker Message Processor, enabling real-time event handling, unlike the polling-based approaches.

CLR Integration (Not Recommended)

While possible, using CLR to interface with external messaging libraries via triggers or SQL jobs is generally discouraged. This introduces dependencies and potential performance bottlenecks.

Summary

Several methods exist for monitoring SQL Server table changes using C#, each with advantages and disadvantages. Change tracking and CDC necessitate polling, while triggers and queues, along with CLR (though not ideal), provide real-time notification. The lack of a dedicated, built-in SQL Server solution for database eventing highlights an area needing improvement.

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