When performing a large-scale, out-of-band data operation like an IBM load on a target database, the Qlik Replicate task must be stopped. This prevents the task from failing due to table locks, unavailability, or other conflicts caused by the load utility. It also avoids data inconsistency, as the load utility's changes are not captured by Qlik Replicate. Once the IBM load is complete, the task should be resumed. Resuming allows the task to continue capturing and applying transactional changes from the source system from the exact point where it was stopped, ensuring ongoing data synchronization after the merge.

A. Stop task, finish IBM load, reload target: This is incorrect because the IBM load has already populated the target. Performing a full reload with Qlik Replicate immediately after would be redundant and extremely inefficient, overwriting the work just completed.

C. Continue to run the task: This is incorrect as it would likely lead to task failure due to resource contention and locking on the target tables. Furthermore, it would cause severe data integrity issues as the massive changes from the load are not replicated.

D. Create a new task after finishing IBM load: This is a possible but less efficient approach. Creating a new task is unnecessary overhead when the existing task can be simply resumed, preserving its configuration, history, and the correct starting point for change data capture.

1. Qlik Replicate User Guide (November 2023), "Controlling tasks," Page 218: The documentation states, "You may want to stop a task temporarily, for example, to perform maintenance on the source or target machine." The IBM load constitutes a major maintenance/update event on the target.

2. Qlik Replicate User Guide (November 2023), "Resuming a task," Page 219: The guide explains, "When you resume a task, processing continues from the point at which it was stopped." This confirms that resuming is the correct procedure to continue replication after a planned stoppage.

3. Qlik Enterprise Manager User Guide (November 2023), "Task Control," Page 102: The guide describes the Stop and Resume operations as standard controls for managing replication tasks. The described scenario is a primary use case for temporarily stopping and then resuming a task to accommodate external processes affecting the target environment.