In this episode of the ClickHouse Podcast, the hosts explore the ReplacingMergeTree table engine in ClickHouse. ReplacingMergeTree is designed to handle mutable data, replacing rows with the same primary key instead of appending new ones. It merges rows based on a defined sorting key, keeping only the latest version and removing outdated ones. This engine is useful for cases like real-time updates, deduplication, and slowly changing dimensions.

The hosts emphasize the importance of carefully defining the sorting key using the ORDER BY clause to optimize both query performance and data uniqueness. While ReplacingMergeTree offers powerful features for managing mutable data, considerations include merge timing, storage impact, and row count inflation before merges occur.

For querying, the FINAL modifier ensures the latest version is retrieved but can impact performance. The episode concludes with best practices for using ReplacingMergeTree efficiently and hints at its potential for real-time data synchronization from OLTP systems like MySQL or PostgreSQL.

Looking for more information on the ReplacingMergeTree?

https://www.propeldata.com/blog/understanding-replacingmergetree-in-clickhouse