Optimizing Database Migration with AWS Database Migration Service

The Database Migration Service of Amazon Web Service (DMS AWS) facilitates seamless migration of databases from on-premises systems to the cloud or one cloud provider to another. The source database during migration remains fully functional and hence, businesses do not have to resort to downtime that results in disruption of work.

Both Homogeneous and Heterogeneous migration can be carried out with the DMS AWS. In the first instance, the database engines of the source and the target, their data codes and types, and the schema structures have to be the same. Heterogeneous migration is done when all these parameters are not the same. This service also helps in replicating data with high availability to consolidate databases into a data warehouse of petabyte-scale by streaming data to Amazon S3 and Amazon Redshift. For users migrating data to Amazon Redshift, Amazon Aurora, Amazon Dynamo DB, or Amazon Document DB, DMS AWS is free for six months.

There are several benefits of DMS AWS.

· User-friendly: Installing additional drivers or applications or making changes to the source database are not required when DMS AWS is used for database migration. A few clicks on the AWS Management Console are enough to start the migration process with DMS managing the intricacies of data migration automatically and replicating data in the source database.

· No downtime: Since changes to data at the source are continuously replicated to the target during DMS AWS database migration, the source database remains functional during migration. Once the migration is completed, the source and the target database have to be kept synchronized so that any changes made thereafter at the source are continually replicated to the target.

· Cost-effective: DMS AWS is a low-cost service. Payment is only for the volume of computing or storage resources used with charges for migrating a terabyte-sized database being just about $3. This is regardless of whether it is for Homogeneous or Heterogeneous database migration.

· Support to common databases: Most common and widely-used databases in open-source or commercial applications are supported by DMS AWS. For instance, Homogeneous migration is database Oracle to Oracle, and heterogeneous migration is Oracle to Amazon Aurora. The service can also move data between text-based targets, SQL, and NoSQL.

· Quick start: The AWS Management Console can start any migration activity in minutes. However, the parameters have to be defined in the DMS AWS to begin the migration. This includes setting up connections to the source as well as the target databases and selecting the replication instance. Once this is completed, the same activity can be used for test runs before the actual migration begins.

· Reliability: The source and target databases, replication instance, and network connectivity are continually tracked by DMS AWS during database migration, and corrective action is taken whenever necessary.

Further, AWS Database Migration Service can also be used to consolidate various source databases into a single target database.