# Kafka Connect SetSchemaMetadata SMT Usage Reference for Confluent Platform The `SetSchemaMetadata` SMT (`org.apache.kafka.connect.transforms.SetSchemaMetadata`) sets the schema name, version, or both on an Apache Kafka® record’s key or value schema. ## Description This transformation allows you to update the metadata associated with your schemas during the data pipeline process. A common use case for `SetSchemaMetadata` is to update the schema name and namespace. Because the schema name inherently includes the namespace, this transformation is particularly useful when you need to align incoming record schemas with your organization’s naming conventions or target Schema Registry requirements. Use the concrete transformation type designed for the record key (`org.apache.kafka.connect.transforms.SetSchemaMetadata$Key`) or value (`org.apache.kafka.connect.transforms.SetSchemaMetadata$Value`). Common use cases include: - *Source connectors* generate records with schemas defined by the connector, often basing key and value schema names on source-specific information. For example, a database source connector might use the name of the table from which rows are read. If the generated schema names don’t adhere to the naming convention you need, use this SMT to override the generated key or value schema names in the source records. - *Sink connectors* use schema names to map Kafka records into the external system. If the schema names used in the record keys and values don’t produce the mapping you want, use this SMT to change the key or value schema names before the sink connector processes the records. ## Properties | Name | Description | Type | Default | Valid values | Importance | |-----------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|-----------|-------------------|--------------| | `schema.name` | Schema name to set. | string | `null` | | high | | `schema.version` | Schema version to set. | int | `null` | | high | | `replace.null.with.default` | Specifies whether to replace null fields with their defined default
values. When set to `true`, the default value is applied. Otherwise,
the field remains null. | boolean | `true` | `true` or `false` | medium | ## Examples The following examples show how to configure and use `SetSchemaMetadata`. ### Set a schema name and version This configuration snippet shows how to set a schema name and version. ```json "transforms": "SetSchemaMetadata", "transforms.SetSchemaMetadata.type": "org.apache.kafka.connect.transforms.SetSchemaMetadata$Value", "transforms.SetSchemaMetadata.schema.name": "order-value", "transforms.SetSchemaMetadata.schema.version": "2" ``` The transform sets the schema name to `order-value` and the version to `2`. ### Set a namespace and schema name This configuration snippet shows how to set a namespace and schema name. ```json "transforms": "AddNamespace", "transforms.AddNamespace.type": "org.apache.kafka.connect.transforms.SetSchemaMetadata$Value", "transforms.AddNamespace.schema.name": "my.namespace.order-value" ``` The transform sets the namespace to `my.namespace` and the schema name to `order-value`. For another example of setting the schema namespace, see [Example 3: JDBC source connector with SpecificAvro](https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/streams/connect-streams-pipeline.html#example-3-jdbc-source-connector-with-specificavro-key-string-null-and-value-specificavro). ## Predicates Configure transformations with predicates to ensure they process only records that satisfy a particular condition. You can also use predicates in a transformation chain with the [Kafka Connect Filter (Kafka) SMT Usage Reference for Confluent Platform](filter-ak.md#ak-filter) to conditionally filter specific records. For more information, see [Predicates](filter-ak.md#predicates).