The current HVA connector for DB2 i lacks the ability to capture critical metadata fields from journal entry data, such as CURRENT_USER (the user responsible for the change) and ENTRY_TIMESTAMP (the exact time of the change). This metadata is essential for audit purposes, compliance, and detailed data lineage tracking.

The HVR connector already supports this functionality, as outlined in the documentation on Extra Columns for Capture Fail and History Tables, where fields like hvr_cap_user and hvr_cap_tstamp are made available. Bringing similar capabilities to the HVA connector would significantly improve its utility for DB2 i users.

Proposed Solution:

1. Extend HVA Connector:
   Enhance the HVA connector to capture and replicate additional metadata fields from DB2 i journal entry data, including:
• CURRENT_USER: The user who performed the change.
• ENTRY_TIMESTAMP: The timestamp of the journal entry.
2. Leverage Existing Journal Configuration Options:
   DB2 i journals can already be configured to include this custom metadata. For example:
• To log the user making the change, the journal attribute FIXLENDTA(*USR) can be used.
• This ensures that the username responsible for the change is included in the journal entry metadata.
• Example command to enable this feature:
  CHGJRN JRN(Fivetran/QSQJRN) JRNRCV(*GEN) MINENTDTA(*NONE) RCVSIZOPT(*MAXOPT3) FIXLENDTA(*USR)

Use Cases and Benefits:

• Audit and Compliance: Organizations can track who made changes and when, which is crucial for audit trails and regulatory compliance.
• Data Lineage: Enhanced metadata allows better tracing of data changes across systems.
• Operational Insights: Organizations can analyze metadata to understand the behavior of users interacting with their systems.
• Parity with HVR: Aligns HVA connector capabilities with HVR, reducing the need for workaround solutions for customers transitioning to or using HVA.

References:

• HVR Documentation: Extra Columns for Capture Fail and History Tables

Impact:
By leveraging existing DB2 i journal configurations (FIXLENDTA(*USR)), the HVA connector can be enhanced to capture this valuable metadata seamlessly. This would elevate the HVA connector’s capabilities, making it a more comprehensive and competitive solution for DB2 i environments while addressing critical use cases like auditing, compliance, and data lineage.

Thank you for considering this enhancement!