Change tracking in SQL 2008

Question

What edition of SQL Server 2008 does change tracking require? Change Data Capture requires Enterprise from what I've read, I'm hoping change tracking will run on standard.

TIA Dave

Answer 1

Change Tracking is in every edition - the whole point of it is to support the occasionally-connected systems scenario - e.g. a handheld device. Change Data Capture is Enterprise only.

And here's a feature article I wrote for TechNet Magazine in the November 2008: SQL Server 2008: Tracking Changes in Your Enterprise Database, that gives some of the gotchas you might run into as a DBA on a system with either Change Tracking or Change Data Capture enabled, and an expanded comparison sheet between them. From talking to the tech writers in the SQL Books Online team, they know that the BOL needs to be upgraded a bit for these two features - the TN Mag article is a bit more 'accessible' right now.

Main one for Change Tracking is that you should really use snapshot isolation too -> tempdb load.

Answer 2

See this:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb522489.aspx (Change Data Capture)

and this:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc280462.aspx (Change Tracking)

and this:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc280519.aspx (Comparison)

and, finally, this seems to indicate that Change Tracking is supported by Express Edition:

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqlexpress/thread/3452dd14-d4d1-48e0-9de4-a193619a72be