This topic describes how to migrate data from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to a MaxCompute project by using Data Transmission Service (DTS).

Supported source databases

You can use DTS to migrate data from the following types of MySQL databases to a MaxCompute project:
  • ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance
  • Self-managed MySQL 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 Database Gateway
    • Self-managed database connected over Cloud Enterprise Network (CEN)
    • Self-managed database connected over Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway
Note In this topic, an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance is used to describe how to configure a data migration task. You can also follow the procedure to configure data migration tasks for other types of MySQL databases.

Prerequisites

  • An ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance is created as the source database. For more information, see Create an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
  • A MaxCompute project is created as the destination database. For more information, see Create a MaxCompute project.
  • The available storage space of the destination MaxCompute project is larger than the total size of data in the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

Limits

Note DTS does not migrate foreign keys in the source database to the destination database. Therefore, the cascade and delete operations of the source database are not migrated to the destination database.
CategoryDescription
Limits on the source instance
  • 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, up to 1,000 tables can be migrated 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.
  • The binary logging feature must be enabled for the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. The binlog_format parameter must be set to row, and the binlog_row_image parameter must be set to full. For more information, see Modify the parameters of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. Otherwise, error messages are returned during precheck and the data migration task cannot be started.
  • 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 do not select Incremental Data Migration as a migration type, make sure that no data is written to the source database during data migration. Otherwise, data inconsistency may occur between the source and destination databases. To ensure data consistency, we recommend that you select Schema Migration, Full Data Migration, and Incremental Data Migration as the migration types.
Other limits
  • We recommend that you do not use tools such as pt-online-schema-change to perform DDL operations on objects during data migration. Otherwise, data migration may fail.
  • 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. You must check whether the precision settings meet your business requirements.
  • 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 on the 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.
  • DTS attempts to resume data migration tasks that failed within the last seven days. Before you switch workloads to the destination database, stop or release the data migration task. You can also execute the REVOKE statement to revoke the write permissions from the account used by DTS to access the destination database. Otherwise, the data in the source database overwrites the data in the destination database after the task is resumed.

Billing

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

Migration types

  • Schema migration

    DTS migrates the schemas of objects from the source database to the destination database.

  • Full data migration

    DTS migrates the historical data of 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 data to be migrated smoothly without interrupting the services of self-managed applications during data migration.

SQL operations that can be migrated during incremental data migration

Operation typeSQL statement
DMLINSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE
DDLCREATE TABLE, DROP TABLE, RENAME TABLE, TRUNCATE TABLE, ADD COLUMN, and DROP COLUMN

Permissions required for database accounts

DatabaseSchema migrationFull data migrationIncremental data migration
ApsaraDB RDS for MySQLThe SELECT permissionThe SELECT permissionThe SELECT permission on the objects to be migrated, the REPLICATION SLAVE permission, and the REPLICATION CLIENT permission. DTS automatically grants these permissions to the database account.
MaxComputeRead and write permissions

For more information about how to create a database account and grant permissions to the database account of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, see Create an account on an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance and Modify the permissions of a standard account on an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

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
  2. From the drop-down list to the right of Data Migration Tasks, select the region in which the data migration instance resides.
    Note If you use the new DTS console, select the region in which the data migration instance resides in the upper-left corner.
  3. Click Create Task. On the page that appears, configure the source and destination databases.
    SectionParameterDescription
    N/ATask NameThe task name that DTS automatically generates. We recommend that you specify a descriptive name that makes it easy to identify. You do not need to specify a unique task name.
    Source DatabaseSelect InstanceThe database instance that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing instance based on your business requirements.
    • If you select an existing instance, DTS automatically applies the parameter settings of the instance. You do not need to configure the corresponding parameters again.
    • If you do not use an existing instance, you must set parameters for the database.
    Database TypeThe type of the source database. Select MySQL.
    Access MethodThe access method of the source database. Select Cloud Instance.
    Instance RegionSelect the region in which the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance resides.
    Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud AccountsSpecify whether to migrate data across Alibaba Cloud accounts. In this example, No is selected.
    RDS Instance IDThe ID of the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
    Database AccountThe database account of the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. For 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. Select Non-encrypted or SSL-encrypted based on your business requirements. If you 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.

    Destination DatabaseSelect Instance
    Select whether to use an existing instance.
    • If you select an existing instance, DTS automatically applies the parameter settings of the instance. You do not need to configure the corresponding parameters again.
    • If you do not use an existing instance, you must configure parameters for the source database.
    Database TypeThe type of the destination database. Select MaxCompute.
    Access MethodThe access method of the destination database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.
    Instance RegionThe region in which the destination MaxCompute project resides.
    ProjectThe name of the MaxCompute project.
    AccessKey ID of Alibaba Cloud AccountThe AccessKey ID of the account that you use to connect to the destination MaxCompute project. For more information, see Create an AccessKey pair.
    AccessKey Secret of Alibaba Cloud AccountThe AccessKey secret of the account that you use to connect to the destination MaxCompute project. For more information, see Create an AccessKey pair.
  4. In the lower part of the page, click Test Connectivity and Proceed.
    If the source or destination database is an Alibaba Cloud database instance, such as an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL or ApsaraDB for MongoDB instance, DTS automatically adds the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the whitelist of the instance. If the source or destination database is a self-managed database hosted on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, DTS automatically adds the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security group rules of the ECS instance, and you must make sure that the ECS instance can access the database. If the source or destination database is a self-managed database that is deployed in a data center or provided by a third-party cloud service provider, you must manually add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the whitelist of the database to allow DTS to access the database. For more information about the CIDR blocks of DTS servers, see Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security settings of on-premises databases.
    Warning If the CIDR blocks of DTS servers are automatically or manually added to the whitelist of a database or an instance, or to the security group rules of an ECS instance, 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: enhance the security of your username and password, limit the ports that are exposed, authenticate API calls, regularly check the whitelist or ECS security group rules and forbid unauthorized CIDR blocks, or connect the database to DTS by using Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway.
  5. Click OK to grant permissions to your MaxCompute account.
  6. Configure objects to migrate and advanced settings.
    ParameterDescription
    Migration Type
    • 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 cluster 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 some columns are migrated or the data migration task fails.
    Naming Rules of Additional ColumnsIf you migrate data to a MaxCompute project, DTS adds additional columns to the destination table. If the names of additional columns are the same as the names of existing columns in the destination table, data migration fails. Select New Rule or Previous Rule based on your business requirements.
    Warning Before you specify this parameter, check whether additional columns and existing columns in the destination table have name conflicts.
    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 the default capitalization of object names 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 about the procedure, 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 the SQL operations that can be migrated during incremental data migration section of this topic.
  7. Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced settings.
    ParameterDescription
    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:
    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: 720. 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 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
    Specifies whether to configure the extract, transform, and load (ETL) feature. For more information, see What is ETL?. Valid values:
  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, click View Details next to each failed item. After you troubleshoot the issues based on the causes, run a precheck again.
    • If an alert is triggered for an item during the precheck:
      • If an alert item cannot be ignored, click View Details next to the failed item and troubleshoot the issues. Then, run a precheck again.
      • If an alert item can be ignored, click Confirm Alert Details. In the View Details dialog box, click Ignore. In the message that appears, click OK. Then, click Precheck Again to run a precheck again. If you ignore the alert item, data inconsistency may occur, and your business may be exposed to potential risks.
  9. Wait until the Success Rate value 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.
    SectionParameterDescription
    ParametersInstance Class

    DTS provides several instance classes that vary in the 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 the check box to agree to 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.