Question { 8302 }

what is difference between scd2 and scd3

Answer

According to my findings, the key difference between SCD type 2 and type 3 is in their ability to maintain historical records. SCD type 2 is capable of storing multiple versions of a record, while SCD type 3 may only retain the current version and one previous version. However, there is some ambiguity regarding how many records SCD type 3 can hold.

To clarify, a good rule of thumb is to use SCD type 3 when the number of historic records that need to be retained is known in advance for e.g. If you need to store 5 records per user_id then the data structure is going to remain consistent over time i.e. 5 records hence implementing type 3 SCD will be a better choice. Conversely, if the number of records per user_id is uncertain, SCD type 2 may be a better choice.