Data Migration Service (DMS) is a cloud-based service of Amazon Web Service (AWS). It is optimized to migrate data either from an on-premises database to the cloud, one cloud provider to another, and in rare cases, from the cloud to an on-premises database.

The DMS platform is very versatile and flexible and can be used in a variety of ways. The most important are one-time migration of data between databases or continual data replication when both the source and the target databases are in sync. Data can also be migrated from any relational database, NoSQL database, data warehouse, or any other source of data.

This post will study the many benefits and types of data migration to AWS.

Benefits of data migration to AWS

There are several benefits of AWS DMS that make it the preferred tool of organizations for data migration.

•User-friendly: AWS DMS is not complicated as a process. After all the parameters have been set, migration can be started directly from the AWS Management Console. Additional drivers and applications are not required to be installed as the migration is fully processed and managed by AWS DMS.

•No downtime: During data migration to AWS the source database remains fully functional. Data replication to the target database from the source takes place without system shutdown. It is beneficial for mid and large-sized organizations that find system shutdowns very inconvenient.

•Affordable: The charges for data migration to AWS are only for the quantum of computing and storage resources used for migration. There are no additional upfront or one-time fees as in traditional migration processes.

•Wide support base: Migration between SQL, NoSQL, and text-based targets is easy and seamless as most common and widely-used databases and applications can be handled by AWS DMS.

•Reliable: The databases, both at the source and target, are continually monitored by the data migration to AWS system. If any service disruption occurs, the migration process is resumed immediately after the issue is resolved.

Types of data migration to AWS

There are two types of data migration to AWS

•Homogeneous database migration: This process is followed when the database engines at the source and the target are compatible. Since the data types, data codes, and schema structures of the two match each other, migration is seamless and easy. Examples include Oracle to Amazon RDS for Oracle, MySQL to Amazon Aurora, MySQL to Amazon RDS for MySQL, or Microsoft SQL Server to Amazon RDS for SQL Server.

•Heterogeneous database migration: Here, source and the target database engines have different data codes, schema structures, and data types. Hence schema and code transformation need to be done before migration. It is done automatically by the data migration to AWS system. Examples are Oracle to Amazon Aurora, Oracle to PostgreSQL, or Microsoft SQL Server to MySQL migrations.

These are the various facets of database migration to AWS.