AWS Introduces Database Migration Services for its Cloud

FREMONT, CA: Amazon Web Services (AWS), announces the AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) that helps enterprises migrate their existing databases to the AWS cloud.

The AWS Database Migration Service works by setting up and then managing a replication instance on AWS. This instance unloads data from the source database and loads it into the destination database, and can be used for a one-time migration followed by on-going replication to support a migration that entails minimal downtime.  Along the way DMS handles many of the complex details associated with migration, including data type transformation and conversion from one database platform to another. The service also monitors the replication and the health of the instance, notifies user if something goes wrong, and automatically provisionsa replacement instance if necessary.

While migrating data to the AWS cloud, the AWS Schema Conversion Tool makes heterogeneous database migrations easy by automatically converting the source database schema and a majority of the custom code, including views, stored procedures, and functions, to a format compatible with the target database. Any code that cannot be automatically converted is clearly marked so that it can be manually converted. Users can use this tool to convert their source databases running on either Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server to an Amazon Aurora, MySQL, or PostgreSQL target database in either Amazon RDS or EC2.

The service supports many different migration scenarios and networking options. One of the endpoints must always be in AWS; the other can be on-premises. The source and destination can reside within the same Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) or in two separate VPCs. Users can connect to an on-premises database via the public Internet or via AWS Direct Connect.

“Hundreds of customers moved more than a thousand of their on-premises databases to Amazon Aurora, other Amazon RDS engines, or databases running on Amazon EC2 during the preview of the AWS Database Migration Service,” says Hal Berenson, Vice President, Relational Database Services, AWS. “Customers repeatedly told us they wanted help moving their on-premises databases to AWS, and also moving to more open database engine options,” he added.