Choose a snapshot mode appropriate for your use case from the currently supported set: initial, initial_only, no_data, never (deprecated alias for no_data in recent versions), when_needed, always, configuration_based, and recovery
If you previously used schema_only, replace it with no_data — schema_only was removed in Debezium 3.3 (October 2025) and will cause a connector startup error
Set snapshot.mode in the connector configuration to the chosen value
For no_data, Debezium will capture the schema without snapshotting existing table rows, then stream changes from the current log position
Set snapshot.isolation.mode where supported (e.g., for SQL Server and MySQL) to control read consistency during the snapshot phase
Monitor connector status via the Debezium REST API or Kafka Connect status endpoint to confirm the snapshot phase completes before streaming begins
Known gotchas
schema_only was removed in Debezium 3.3; using it in that version or later causes a startup error — migrate to no_data
never is deprecated as a standalone value; use no_data for clarity and forward compatibility
Snapshot mode interacts with replication slot and log retention settings; insufficient log retention can cause a connector to fail if the snapshot takes too long
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