How to Identify and Resolve the Issue of Write Connectors Continuously Writing Data in a Loop

Fix write connectors stuck in a loop and consuming extra resources by configuring them to write to separate locations, following these easy steps.

Issue

The write connectors are behaving erratically by writing out data in a loop, which can cause an increase in resource consumption and usage in the environment. You may notice that the connectors switch between WAITING, RUNNING, and UP TO DATE without stopping.

Diagnosis

To diagnose the issue, look for a write connector that cycles through WAITING, RUNNING, and UP TO DATE before immediately cycling back to WAITING or RUNNING. You may also notice an increase in usage in the environment.

Cause

The write connectors may have been configured to write to the same location, like a BUCKET, PREFIX, or TABLE. This can happen due to multiple developers working in isolation, deployment patterns that use _dev, _stage, _uat, _prod suffixes, or careless copying and pasting.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, follow these steps:

1. Ensure that each write connector writes to a separate location, like a unique BUCKET/PREFIX combination.
2. Verify whether the connectors are writing to the same location by searching MySQL for components with the same property values or using a script to download component metadata.
3. Use the Ascend Dashboard to filter by Type = Write Connector and search for similarly named components that might be causing trouble.
4. If multiple connectors are writing to the same location, pause all but one or delete any offending copies that aren't necessary.

By following these steps, you can prevent the connectors from using up extra resources and ensure that your environment runs smoothly.