Data and processes
Delta sync
In short and in plain language
A delta sync only transfers changed records. It covers what changed since the last run. It does not send the full data set.
This keeps run time and system load low. But each record must reliably show when it changed.
A full sync is still useful as a backup, for example after an outage.
Definition
A delta sync transfers only the records changed since the last run instead of the full data set. That keeps runtime and system load low, but it depends on reliable change timestamps. A full sync remains useful as a fallback, for example after an outage.