Why Should You Use the ETL Tool for AWS Database Migration

Before going into the intricacies of database migration with the AWS ETL tool, a quick look at the two as separate entities is necessary.

AWS is a cloud-based platform that provides several services including Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). AWS offers all the benefits of the cloud such as unlimited storage options, high computational power, content delivery service, and optimized data safety and security.

A critical service offered by AWS is the migration of databases between data warehouses, NoSQL databases, and relational databases. The only pre-condition is that at least one among the source and the target database should be operating in the cloud. For maximizing this database migration, the most efficient method is to do it with the help of the AWS ETL tool.  

Coming to the ETL tool now, ETL is short for Extract, Transform, and Load and is widely used for combining several databases into one central database or data warehouse for storage. The AWS ETL tool first extracts data from the source database, transforms the data into a format that matches one that is supported by the intended database, and finally loads the processed data into the target database.  

Benefits of using the AWS ETL tool

There are several benefits of using the AWS ETL tool and these can be classified as follows.

• The tool is fully automated and therefore, human intervention is not required at any stage of the migration. As a result, migration is done without any data loss and with high cost savings and accuracy.

• There is no need to make any changes to the source database or install and configure additional drivers or applications when using the AWS ETL tool for migrating databases. The activity is initiated directly from the AWS Management Console and subsequent changes to the data at the source are replicated to the target database through the Change Data Capture feature of the tool.

• During the migration of data with this tool, the source database always remains functional and there is no need for downtime. This is very helpful for large data-driven enterprises as shutting down systems for data migration can affect operating efficiencies.

• Updates to the target database are made continually by the tool at pre-set intervals provided both the source and intended database are continually kept in sync.

• The AWS ETL tool enables on-premises database migration to Amazon RDS or Amazon EC2, Aurora, and databases running on EC2 to RDS or vice versa as well as between SQL, text-based data, and NoSQL databases.

Since most of the common databases used by businesses today are supported by AWS, the AWS ETL tool ensures database migration regardless of the structure of the databases. Migrate with this tool to get all the cutting-edge benefits of the cloud.