# Change data capture (CDC) · Glossary
A technique that detects and records changes made to a database, such as inserts, updates and deletes, and passes them to other systems as they happen.
[Glossary](/glossary) · Data platforms and engineering

# Change data capture (CDC)

     A technique that detects and records changes made to a database, such as inserts, updates and deletes, and passes them to other systems as they happen. It keeps analytical platforms and downstream services in step with operational systems without repeated full extracts.

## Why it matters

     Full nightly extracts become slow and expensive as data grows, and they leave reports hours out of date. CDC reduces load on source systems and makes near-real-time analytics and event-driven processes possible.

     CDC also captures history that snapshot extracts miss, such as intermediate status changes. Deletes need particular care, because they may need to be propagated for retention and privacy reasons.

## In practice

     For example, a UK logistics provider might use CDC on its order-management database so that status changes flow into its analytics platform within minutes, allowing the operations team to see delayed consignments during the shift rather than the next morning.

## Where Rodan fits

     Rodan implements CDC and streaming integration where freshness matters, as part of [Data and Analytics Engineering](https://rodan.io/data-analytics-engineering).

## Related terms

- [Stream processing](/glossary/stream-processing)

- [Data pipeline](/glossary/data-pipeline)

- [ETL (extract, transform, load)](/glossary/etl)

- [Event-driven architecture](/glossary/event-driven-architecture)

- [Real-time analytics](/glossary/real-time-analytics)
HTML: https://rodan.io/glossary/change-data-capture