> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.streamkap.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Metadata

> Metadata columns added by Streamkap to destination tables

Streamkap Connectors (where applicable) insert the following metadata columns into the data and destination tables:

<Snippet file="metadata-columns.mdx" />

## Using Metadata Columns

Metadata columns enable several important patterns:

* **Delete handling**: Use the `__DELETED` column to identify rows deleted at the source. See [Delete Handling](/insertsupserts#delete-handling) for configuration options and query patterns.
* **Deduplication**: When using insert/append mode, use `_STREAMKAP_TS_MS` and `_STREAMKAP_OFFSET` to build deduplicated final-state tables. See [Creating Final State Tables](/creating-final-state-tables-from-insertsappend) for examples with Snowflake Dynamic Tables, Tasks, and dbt.
* **Debugging**: Use `_STREAMKAP_SOURCE_TS_MS` to determine when events occurred at the source, and `_STREAMKAP_TS_MS` to determine when Streamkap processed them. The difference indicates pipeline latency.