alter recovery model to simple and effect on cdc enabled databases

Question

we need to alter the recover model to simple due to some reasons with space issues.

some of the databases have cdc enabled on them, will altering from full to simple have any impact.

after changing the recovery model to simple, do i need to apply full backup

Answer 1

CDC = Change Data Capture don't have a relation/dependency to the recovery model of the database, so you can change it without impact.
When changing simple => full then it's mandatory to run a full backup before you can make log backup; the other way round it's not mandatory, but having an additional backup is never wrong.

Answer 2

Hi @NeophyteSQL

> some of the databases have cdc enabled on them, will altering from full to simple have any impact.

No, it has no impact. CDC works with all recovery models.

> after changing the recovery model to simple, do i need to apply full backup

Yes, suggest you do a full backup for this database.

SQL server database in the simple recovery model does not supported transaction log backup. It is not supported to point-in-time restores.
The combined application of differential backup and full backup and appropriately increasing the frequency of differential backup can reduce the risk caused by not having separate transaction logs. Perform a full backup first, and then a differential backup. A full backup can provide a new differential benchmark for another series of differential backups.

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