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Hey <@U04S8PLJWMT>! What exactly is sync_id in the airbyte_meta fields of a load. Is it a good fit to distinguish which run the records are coming from?

Yes, the `sync_id` in the `_airbyte_meta` field is indeed a good fit to distinguish which run the records are coming from. Let me explain in more detail:  The `sync_id` is an integer identifier for each sync job. It's included in the `_airbyte_meta` object, which is a structured column containing metadata about each record.   According to the [S3 CSV Output Schema documentation](<https://docs.airbyte.com/integrations/destinations/s3#csv>), the `_airbyte_meta` object includes a `sync_id` field, which is described as "An integer identifier for the sync job."  This `sync_id` can be used to identify which specific sync run a record came from. It's particularly useful when you want to track or analyze data from specific sync jobs.  For example, in the [Data Generations documentation](<https://docs.airbyte.com/operator-guides/refreshes#data-generations>), there's an example showing how `sync_id` can be used to distinguish between different sync runs:  ``` | user_id (pk) | name | _airbyte_extracted_at | _airbyte_generation_id | _airbyte_meta | _airbyte_raw_id | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Evan | 2024-01-01 12:00:00 | 0 | `{ changes: [], sync_id: 1, }` | aaa-aaa | | 2 | Davin | 2024-01-01 12:00:00 | 0 | `{ changes: [], sync_id: 1, }` | bbb-bbb | | 3 | Benoit | 2024-02-02 12:00:00 | 1 | `{ changes: [], sync_id: 2, }` | eee-eee | ```  In this example, you can see that the first two records have `sync_id: 1`, indicating they came from the same sync job, while the third record has `sync_id: 2`, showing it came from a different sync job.  So, to answer your question directly: Yes, the `sync_id` in the `_airbyte_meta` field is an excellent way to distinguish which run the records are coming from in Airbyte.

<@U04S8PLJWMT> is the sync id a monotonically increasing id?

Yes, the sync_id is indeed a monotonically increasing identifier. This is confirmed in the [Data Generations documentation](<https://docs.airbyte.com/operator-guides/refreshes#data-generations>), which states:  "The `sync_id` field is a monotonically-increasing integer representing the current sync."  This means that each new sync job will have a higher sync_id than the previous one. The monotonically increasing nature of the sync_id ensures that you can easily track the sequence of sync jobs and determine which sync occurred more recently.  For example, in the documentation, we see an example where the first sync has `sync_id: 1`, and a later sync has `sync_id: 2`. This pattern would continue with each subsequent sync having a higher sync_id.  This characteristic makes the sync_id not only useful for distinguishing between different sync runs but also for understanding the chronological order of these syncs, which can be particularly helpful when analyzing data changes over time or troubleshooting issues related to specific sync jobs.