This topic describes how to migrate data from a self-managed MySQL database to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance by using Data Transmission Service (DTS). DTS supports schema migration, full data migration, and incremental data migration. When you migrate data from a self-managed MySQL database to Alibaba Cloud, you can select all the supported migration types to ensure service continuity.

Supported source and destination databases

You can use DTS to migrate data between the following types of MySQL databases. In this example, the source database is a self-managed MySQL database with a public IP address and the destination database is hosted in an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. You can follow the procedure to configure data migration tasks for other types of MySQL databases.
Source database Destination database
  • ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance
  • Self-managed databases:
    • Self-managed database with a public IP address
    • Self-managed database that is hosted on Elastic Compute Service (ECS)
    • Self-managed database that is connected over Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway
    • Self-managed database that is connected over Database Gateway
  • ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance
  • Self-managed databases:
    • Self-managed database with a public IP address
    • Self-managed database that is hosted on Elastic Compute Service (ECS)
    • Self-managed database that is connected over Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway
    • Self-managed database that is connected over Database Gateway

Prerequisites

  • The engine version of the self-managed MySQL database is 5.1, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, or 8.0.
  • The CIDR blocks of DTS servers are added to the IP address whitelist of the source MySQL database if the database is an on-premises database. This setting ensures that DTS servers can access the source MySQL database. For more information, see Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security settings of on-premises databases.
  • The destination ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance is created. For more information, see Create an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
  • The available storage space of the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance is larger than the total size of the data in the self-managed MySQL database.

Limits

Category Description
Limits on the source database
  • The server to which the source database belongs must have sufficient outbound bandwidth. Otherwise, the data migration speed decreases.
  • The tables to be migrated must have PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraints and all fields must be unique. Otherwise, the destination database may contain duplicate data records.
  • If you select tables as the objects to be migrated and you need to edit tables, such as renaming tables or columns, in the destination database, you can migrate up to 1,000 tables in a single data migration task. If you run a task to migrate more than 1,000 tables, a request error occurs. In this case, we recommend that you split the tables and configure multiple tasks to migrate the tables, or configure a task to migrate the entire database.
  • If you want to migrate incremental data, make sure that the following requirements are met:
    • The binary logging feature is enabled. The value of the binlog_format parameter is set to row. The value of the binlog_row_image parameter is set to full. Otherwise, error messages are returned during precheck and the data migration task cannot be started.
      Important If the self-managed MySQL database is deployed in a dual-primary cluster, you must set log_slave_updates to ON. This ensures that Data Transmission Service (DTS) can obtain all binary logs.

    • For an incremental data migration task, binary logs of the source database must be stored for more than 24 hours. For a full data and incremental data migration task, binary logs of the source database must be stored for at least seven days. After full data migration is complete, you can set the retention period to more than 24 hours. Otherwise, DTS may fail to obtain the binary logs and the task may fail. In exceptional circumstances, data inconsistency or loss may occur. Make sure that you set the retention period of binary logs based on the preceding requirements. Otherwise, the Service Level Agreement (SLA) of DTS does not ensure service reliability and performance.

  • Limits on operations:
    • During schema migration and full data migration, do not perform DDL operations to change the schemas of databases or tables. Otherwise, the data migration task fails.
    • If you perform only full data migration, do not write data to the source database during data migration. Otherwise, data inconsistency between the source and destination databases occurs. To ensure data consistency, we recommend that you select schema migration, full data migration, and incremental data migration as the migration types.
Other limits
  • To ensure compatibility, we recommend that you use the same engine versions for the source and destination MySQL databases.
  • Before you migrate data, evaluate the impact of data migration on the performance of the source and destination databases. We recommend that you migrate data during off-peak hours. During full data migration, DTS uses the read and write resources of the source and destination databases. This may increase the loads of database servers.
  • During full data migration, concurrent INSERT operations cause fragmentation in the tables of the destination database. After full data migration is complete, the size of used tablespace of the destination database is larger than that of the source database.
  • You must make sure that the precision settings for columns of the FLOAT or DOUBLE data type meet your business requirements. DTS uses the ROUND(COLUMN,PRECISION) function to retrieve values from columns of the FLOAT or DOUBLE data type. If you do not specify a precision, DTS sets the precision for the FLOAT data type to 38 digits and the precision for the DOUBLE data type to 308 digits.
  • DTS attempts to resume data migration tasks that failed within the last seven days. Before you switch workloads to the destination instance, stop or release the data migration task. You can also execute the REVOKE statement to revoke the write permissions from the accounts used by DTS to access the destination instance. Otherwise, the data in the source database will overwrite the data in the destination database after the task is resumed.
Special cases
  • If the source database is a self-managed MySQL database, take note of the following limits:
    • If you perform a primary/secondary switchover on the source database when the data migration task is running, the task fails.
    • DTS calculates migration latency based on the timestamp of the latest migrated data in the destination database and the current timestamp in the source database. If no DML operation is performed on the source database for a long time, the migration latency may be inaccurate. If the latency of the migration task is too high, you can perform a DML operation on the source database to update the latency.
      Note If you select an entire database as the object to be migrated, you can create a heartbeat table. The heartbeat table is updated or receives data every second.
    • DTS executes the CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS `test` statement in the source database as scheduled to move forward the binary log file position.
  • If the destination database runs on an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, take note of the following limits:

    DTS automatically creates a destination database in the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. However, if the name of the source database is invalid, you must manually create a database in the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance before you configure the data migration task. For more information, see Create a database.

Billing

Migration type Instance configuration fee Internet traffic fee
Schema migration and full data migration Free of charge. Charged only when data is migrated from Alibaba Cloud over the Internet. For more information, see Billing overview.
Incremental data migration Charged. For more information, see Billing overview.

Migration types

  • Schema migration

    Data Transmission Service (DTS) migrates the schemas of required objects from the source database to the destination database.

    Note
    • DTS supports schema migration for the following types of objects: table, view, trigger, stored procedure, and function.
    • During schema migration, DTS changes the value of the SECURITY attribute from DEFINER to INVOKER for views, stored procedures, and functions.
    • DTS does not migrate user information. To call a view, stored procedure, or function of the destination database, you must grant the read and write permissions to INVOKER.
  • Full data migration

    DTS migrates historical data of required objects from the source database to the destination database.

  • Incremental data migration

    After full data migration is complete, DTS migrates incremental data from the source database to the destination database. Incremental data migration allows you to ensure service continuity when you migrate data between self-managed databases.

SQL operations that can be incrementally migrated

Operation type SQL statement
DML INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE
DDL
  • ALTER TABLE and ALTER VIEW
  • CREATE FUNCTION, CREATE INDEX, CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE TABLE, and CREATE VIEW
  • DROP INDEX and DROP TABLE
  • RENAME TABLE
  • TRUNCATE TABLE

Permissions required for database accounts

Database Schema migration Full data migration Incremental data migration
Self-managed MySQL database SELECT permission SELECT permission SELECT permission on the objects to be migrated

REPLICATION CLIENT, REPLICATION SLAVE, and SHOW VIEW permissions

Permissions to create databases and tables. The permissions allow DTS to create a database named dts to record heartbeat data during migration.

ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance Read and write permissions

For more information about how to create and grant permissions to a database account, see the following topics:

Procedure

  1. Go to the Data Migration Tasks page.
    1. Log on to the Data Management (DMS) console.
    2. In the top navigation bar, click DTS.
    3. In the left-side navigation pane, choose DTS (DTS) > Data Migration.
    Note You can also configure the settings by using the new DTS console.
  2. From the drop-down list to the right of Data Migration Tasks, select the region in which your data migration instance resides.
    Note If you use the new DTS console, select the region in which your data migration instance resides in the upper-left corner.
  3. Click Create Task. On the page that appears, configure the source and destination databases.
    Warning After you select the source and destination instances, we recommend that you read the limits displayed at the top of the page. This helps you create and run the data migration task.
    Section Parameter Description
    N/A Task Name

    The name of the task. DTS automatically generates a task name. We recommend that you specify an informative name to identify the task. You do not need to specify a unique task name.

    Source Database Select Instance
    The instance that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing instance based on your business requirements.
    • If you use an existing instance, DTS automatically applies the parameter settings of the instance.
    • If you do not use an existing instance, you must set parameters for the source database.
    Database Type The type of the source database. Select MySQL.
    Access Method The access method of the source database. Select an access method based on the deployment location of the source database. In this example, Public IP Address is selected.
    Note If you select other access methods, you must set up the environment that is required for the self-managed database. For more information, see Preparation overview.
    Instance Region The region in which the source MySQL database resides.
    Hostname or IP address The endpoint that is used to access the source MySQL database. In this example, the public IP address is entered.
    Port Number The service port number of the source MySQL database. The port must be accessible over the Internet. Default value: 3306.
    Database Account The account of the source MySQL database. For more information about the permissions that are required for the account, see Permissions required for database accounts.
    Database Password

    The password of the database account.

    Destination Database Select Instance
    The instance that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing instance based on your business requirements.
    • If you use an existing instance, DTS automatically applies the parameter settings of the instance.
    • If you do not use an existing instance, you must set parameters for the destination database.
    Database Type The type of the destination database. Select MySQL.
    Access Method The access method of the destination database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.
    Instance Region The region in which the destination ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance resides.
    RDS Instance ID The ID of the destination ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
    Database Account The database account of the destination ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. For more information about the permissions that are required for the account, see Permissions required for database accounts.
    Database Password

    The password of the database account.

    Encryption

    Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the source database. You can select Non-encrypted or SSL-encrypted based on your business requirements. If you want to select SSL-encrypted, you must enable SSL encryption for the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance before you configure the data migration task. For more information, see Configure SSL encryption for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

  4. In the lower part of the page, click Test Connectivity and Proceed.
  5. If a whitelist is configured for your self-managed database, add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the whitelist. Then, click Test Connectivity and Proceed.
    Warning
    • If the source or destination database instance is an Alibaba Cloud database instance, such as an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL or ApsaraDB for MongoDB instance, or is a self-managed database hosted on Elastic Compute Service (ECS), DTS automatically adds the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the whitelist of the database instance or ECS security group rules. For more information, see Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security settings of on-premises databases. If the source or destination database is a self-managed database on data centers or is from other cloud service providers, you must manually add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to allow DTS to access the database.
    • If the CIDR blocks of DTS servers are automatically or manually added to the whitelist of the database, Alibaba Cloud database instance, or ECS security group rules, security risks may arise. Therefore, before you use DTS to migrate data, you must understand and acknowledge the potential risks and take preventive measures, including but not limited to the following measures: enhancing the security of your username and password, limiting the ports that are exposed, authenticating API calls, regularly checking the whitelist or ECS security group rules and forbidding unauthorized CIDR blocks, or connecting the database to DTS by using Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway.
    • After the DTS task is complete or released, we recommend that you manually detect and remove the added CIDR blocks from the whitelist of the database, Alibaba Cloud database instance, or ECS security group rules.
  6. Select objects for the task and configure advanced settings.
    Parameter Description
    Task Stages
    • To perform only full data migration, select Schema Migration and Full Data Migration.
    • To ensure service continuity during data migration, select Schema Migration, Full Data Migration, and Incremental Data Migration.
    Note If Incremental Data Migration is not selected, we recommend that you do not write data to the source instance during data migration. This ensures data consistency between the source and destination instances.
    Processing Mode of Conflicting Tables

    • Precheck and Report Errors: checks whether the destination database contains tables that have the same names as tables in the source database. If the source and destination databases do not contain tables that have the same names, the precheck is passed. Otherwise, an error is returned during the precheck and the data migration task cannot be started.

      Note You can use the object name mapping feature to rename the tables that are migrated to the destination database. You can use this feature if the source and destination databases contain tables that have identical names and the tables in the destination database cannot be deleted or renamed. For more information, see Map object names .
    • Ignore Errors and Proceed: skips the precheck for identical table names in the source and destination databases.
      Warning If you select Ignore Errors and Proceed, data consistency is not ensured, and your business may be exposed to potential risks.
      • If the source and destination databases have the same schema, DTS does not migrate data records that have the same primary keys as data records in the destination database.
      • If the source and destination databases have different schemas, only specific columns are migrated or the data migration task fails.
    Capitalization of Object Names in Destination Instance

    The capitalization of database names, table names, and column names in the destination instance. By default, DTS default policy is selected. You can select other options to ensure that the capitalization of object names is consistent with that in the source or destination database. For more information,see Specify the capitalization of object names in the destination instance.

    Source Objects

    Select one or more objects from the Source Objects section. Click the Rightwards arrow icon and add the objects to the Selected Objects section.

    Note You can select columns, tables, or schemas as the objects to be migrated. If you select tables or columns as the objects to be migrated, DTS does not migrate other objects such as views, triggers, or stored procedures to the destination database.
    Selected Objects
    • To rename an object that you want to migrate to the destination instance, right-click the object in the Selected Objects section. For more information, see Map the name of a single object.
    • To rename multiple objects at a time, click Batch Edit in the upper-right corner of the Selected Objects section. For more information, see Map multiple object names at a time.
    Note
    • If you use the object name mapping feature to rename an object, other objects that are dependent on the object may fail to be migrated.
    • To specify WHERE conditions to filter data, right-click an object in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, specify the conditions. For more information, see Use SQL conditions to filter data.
    • To select the SQL operations performed on a specific database or table, right-click an object in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, select the SQL operations that you want to migrate. For more information about the SQL operations that can be migrated, see SQL operations that can be incrementally migrated.
  7. Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced settings.
    Parameter Description
    Set Alerts
    Specifies whether to set alerts for the data migration task. If the task fails or the migration latency exceeds the threshold, the alert contacts will receive notifications. Valid values:
    • No: does not set alerts.
    • Yes: sets alerts. If you select Yes, you must also set the alert threshold and alert contacts.
    Replicate Temporary Tables When DMS Performs DDL Operations
    If you use DMS to perform online DDL operations on the source database, you can specify whether to migrate temporary tables generated by online DDL operations. Valid values:
    • Yes: DTS migrates the data of temporary tables generated by online DDL operations.
      Note If online DDL operations generate a large amount of data, the data migration task may take an extended period of time to complete.
    • No: DTS does not migrate the data of temporary tables generated by online DDL operations. Only the original DDL data of the source database is migrated.
      Note If you select No, the tables in the destination database may be locked.
    Retry Time for Failed Connections
    The retry time range for failed connections. If the source or destination database fails to be connected after the data migration task is started, DTS immediately retries a connection within the time range. Valid values: 10 to 1440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 120. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 30. If DTS reconnects to the source and destination databases within the specified retry time range, DTS resumes the data migration task. Otherwise, the data migration task fails.
    Note
    • If you set different retry time ranges for multiple data migration tasks that have the same source or destination database, the shortest retry time range that is set takes precedence.
    • When DTS retries a connection, you are charged for the DTS instance. We recommend that you specify the retry time range based on your business requirements. You can also release the DTS instance at your earliest opportunity after the source and destination instances are released.
    Configure ETL
    Specify whether to configure the extract, transform, and load (ETL) feature. For more information, see What is ETL?.
    Whether to delete SQL operations on heartbeat tables of forward and reverse tasks
    Specifies whether to write SQL operations on heartbeat tables to the source database while the DTS instance is running.
    • Yes: does not write SQL operations on heartbeat tables. In this case, latency of the DTS instance may be displayed.
    • No: writes SQL operations on heartbeat tables. In this case, features such as physical backup and cloning of the source database may be affected.
  8. In the lower part of the page, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck.
    Note
    • Before you can start the data migration task, DTS performs a precheck. You can start the data migration task only after the task passes the precheck.
    • If the task fails to pass the precheck, you can click the Info icon icon next to each failed item to view details.
      • You can troubleshoot the issues based on the causes and run a precheck again.
      • If you do not need to troubleshoot the issues, you can ignore failed items and run a precheck again.
  9. Wait until the Success Rate becomes 100%. Then, click Next: Purchase Instance.
  10. On the Purchase Instance page, specify the Instance Class parameter for the data migration instance. The following table describes the parameter.
    Section Parameter Description
    Parameters Instance Class

    DTS provides several instance classes that have different performance in migration speed. You can select an instance class based on your business scenario. For more information, see Specifications of data migration instances.

  11. Read and select Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms.
  12. Click Buy and Start to start the data migration task. You can view the progress of the task in the task list.