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Data Management:Migrate data from a sandbox instance to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

Last Updated:Mar 19, 2025

After you create a sandbox instance, you can use Data Transmission Service (DTS) to migrate data from the sandbox instance to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

Background information

Data Disaster Recovery provides the sandbox feature based on copy data management (CDM). You can use this feature to quickly create independent sandbox instances with ease. This way, your backup data is quickly available. For more information, see DBS sandbox overview.

After you create a sandbox instance, you can use DTS to migrate data from the sandbox instance to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. This operation applies to the following scenarios:

  • Save the data that is written in a sandbox instance. Read and write operations performed on sandbox instances do not affect source databases. To save the data that is written to a sandbox instance, you can migrate the data from the sandbox instance to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

  • Accelerate restoration. Compared with the regular restoration methods provided by Data Disaster Recovery, the sandbox feature accelerates the restoration of backup sets. You can use the sandbox instance feature to create a sandbox instance for emergency disaster recovery and then migrate the tables or databases in the sandbox instance to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

Prerequisites

Usage notes

  • Data migration does not affect the data in the sandbox instance. During data migration, DTS reads the data in the sandbox instance and copies the data to the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. DTS does not delete data from the sandbox instance.

  • To ensure data consistency, we recommend that you do not write data to the sandbox instance during full data migration.

Note

For more information, see the "Notes" section of the Migrate data from a self-managed MySQL database to an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance topic.

Billing

Migration type

Instance configuration fee

Internet traffic fee

Schema migration and full data migration

Free of charge.

When the Access Method parameter of the destination database is set to Public IP Address, you are charged for Internet traffic. For more information, see Billing overview.

Incremental data migration

Charged. For more information, see Billing overview.

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 Data + AI.

    3. In the left-side navigation pane, choose DTS (DTS) > Data Migration.

  2. From the drop-down list next to Data Migration Tasks, select the region in which your data migration instance resides.

  3. Click Create Task. In the Create Data Synchronization Task wizard, configure the source and destination databases. The following table describes the parameters.

    Warning

    After you configure the source and destination databases, we recommend that you read the Limits that are displayed in the upper part of the page. Otherwise, the task may fail or data inconsistency may occur.

    Section

    Parameter

    Description

    N/A

    Task Name

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

    Source Database

    Select a DMS database instance

    The 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 populates the parameters for the database.

    • If you do not select an existing instance, you must configure 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 Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway.

    Instance Region

    The region in which the sandbox instance resides.

    Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts

    Specifies whether data is migrated across Alibaba Cloud accounts. In this example, No is selected.

    Connected VPC

    The virtual private cloud (VPC) that is used to connect to the sandbox instance. You can query the VPC on the VPC page.

    IP Address or Domain Name

    The endpoint of the sandbox instance. You can view the endpoint on the details page of the sandbox instance.

    Port Number

    The port number that is used to connect to the sandbox instance. Default value: 3306.

    Database Account

    The database account of the sandbox instance. For more information, see Permissions required for database accounts.

    Note

    The database account and password of the sandbox instance must be consistent with those of the source database whose data was backed up to the sandbox instance.

    Database Password

    The password that is used to access the database instance.

    Encryption

    Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the source database. Select Non-encrypted or SSL-encrypted based on your business requirements.

    • If SSL encryption is not enabled for the self-managed MySQL database, select Non-encrypted.

    • If SSL encryption is enabled for the self-managed MySQL database, select SSL-encrypted. In this case, you must upload a CA Certificate and configure the CA Key parameter.

    Destination Database

    Select a DMS database instance

    The 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 populates the parameters for the instance.

    • If you do not select an existing instance, you must configure 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.

    Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts

    Specifies whether data is migrated across Alibaba Cloud accounts. In this example, No is selected.

    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 that is used to access the database instance.

    Encryption

    Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the destination database instance. Select Non-encrypted or SSL-encrypted based on your business requirements. If you want to set this parameter to SSL-encrypted, you must enable SSL encryption for the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance before you configure the DTS task. For more information, see Use a cloud certificate to enable SSL encryption.

  4. In the lower part of the page, click Test Connectivity and Proceed.

  5. If an IP address whitelist is configured for your self-managed database, you must add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the IP address whitelist. Then, click Test Connectivity.

    Warning

    If the CIDR blocks of DTS servers are automatically or manually added to the IP address whitelist of the database or 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 and forbid unauthorized CIDR blocks, or connect the database to DTS by using Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway.

  6. Configure the objects to be migrated.

    1. On the Configure Objects page, configure the objects that you want to migrate.

      Configuration

      Description

      Migration Types

      • 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 you do not select Schema Migration, make sure a database and a table are created in the destination database to receive data and the object name mapping feature is enabled in Selected Objects.

      • If you do not select Incremental Data Migration, we recommend that you do not write data to the source database during data migration. This ensures data consistency between the source and destination databases.

      Method to Migrate Triggers in Source Database

      Select a migration method for triggers that suits your specific needs. If the objects to be migrated do not include triggers, configuring this parameter is unnecessary. For more information, see Synchronize or migrate triggers from the source database.

      Note

      This parameter can be configured only if Migration Types, Schema Migration, and Incremental Data Migration are all selected.

      Enable Migration Assessment

      Evaluate whether the structures of the source and destination databases, such as index length, stored procedures, and dependent tables, meet the requirements. You can select Yes or No, based on your actual situation.

      Note
      • This parameter is configurable only when Migration Types is set to Schema Migration.

      • If you select Yes, the precheck duration may be extended. You can view the Assessment Result during the precheck. Note that the assessment result will not impact the outcome of the precheck.

      Processing Mode of Conflicting Tables

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

        Note

        If the source and destination databases contain tables with identical names and the tables in the destination database cannot be deleted or renamed, you can use the object name mapping feature to rename the tables that are migrated to the destination database. 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 inconsistency may occur and your business may be exposed to the following potential risks:

        • If the source and destination databases have the same schema, and a data record has the same primary key as an existing data record in the destination database, the following scenarios may occur:

          • During full data migration, DTS does not migrate the data record to the destination database. The existing data record in the destination database is retained.

          • During incremental data migration, DTS migrates the data record to the destination database. The existing data record in the destination database is overwritten.

        • If the source and destination databases have different schemas, only specific columns are migrated or the data migration task fails. Proceed with caution.

      Whether to migrate Event

      Select whether to migrate events from the source database based on your actual situation. If you select Yes, you must comply with the related requirements and perform subsequent operations. For more information, see Synchronize or migrate events.

      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 make sure that the capitalization of object names is consistent with that of 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 databases 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
      • Using the object name mapping feature may cause dependent objects to fail migration.

      • To set WHERE conditions for data filtering, right-click the table in Selected Objects and configure the filter conditions in the resulting dialog box. For details on configuring this parameter, see Set filter conditions.

      • To select specific SQL operations for migration at the database or table level, right-click the relevant object in Selected Objects and choose the SQL operations in the dialog box that appears.

    2. Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced settings.

      Configuration

      Description

      Dedicated Cluster for Task Scheduling

      By default, DTS schedules the data migration task to the shared cluster if you do not specify a dedicated cluster. If you want to improve the stability of data migration tasks, purchase a dedicated cluster. For more information, see What is a DTS dedicated cluster.

      Copy the temporary table of the Online DDL tool that is generated in the source table to the destination database.

      If you use DMS or the gh-ost tool to perform online DDL operations on the source database, you can specify whether to migrate the data of temporary tables generated by online DDL operations. Valid values:

      Important

      You cannot use tools such as pt-online-schema-change to perform online DDL operations on the source database. Otherwise, the DTS task fails.

      • Yes: DTS migrates the data of temporary tables generated by online DDL operations.

        Note

        If online DDL operations generate a large amount of data, latency may occur for the data migration task.

      • No, Adapt to DMS Online DDL: DTS does not migrate the data of temporary tables generated by online DDL operations. Only the original DDL operations that are performed by using DMS are migrated.

        Note

        If you select this option, the tables in the destination database may be locked.

      • No, Adapt to gh-ost: DTS does not migrate the data of temporary tables generated by online DDL operations. Only the original DDL operations that are performed by using the gh-ost tool are migrated. You can use the default or custom regular expressions to filter out the shadow tables of the gh-ost tool and tables that are not required.

        Note

        If you select this option, the tables in the destination database may be locked.

      Whether to Migrate Accounts

      Choose whether to migrate the account information from the source database according to your specific needs. If you select Yes, you must also choose which accounts to migrate and verify their permissions.

      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 retry time range. Valid values: 10 to 1,440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 720. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 30. If DTS is reconnected 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 specify different retry time ranges for multiple data migration tasks that share the same source or destination database, the value that is specified later 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 the earliest opportunity after the source database and destination instance are released.

      Retry Time for Other Issues

      The retry time range for other issues. For example, if DDL or DML operations fail to be performed after the data migration task is started, DTS immediately retries the operations within the retry time range. Valid values: 1 to 1440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 10. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 10. If the failed operations are successfully performed within the specified retry time range, DTS resumes the data migration task. Otherwise, the data migration task fails.

      Important

      The value of the Retry Time for Other Issues parameter must be smaller than the value of the Retry Time for Failed Connections parameter.

      Enable Throttling for Full Data Migration

      Specifies whether to enable throttling for full data migration. During full data migration, DTS uses the read and write resources of the source and destination databases. This may increase the loads of the database servers. You can enable throttling for full data migration based on your business requirements. To configure throttling, you must configure the Queries per second (QPS) to the source database, RPS of Full Data Migration, and Data migration speed for full migration (MB/s) parameters. This reduces the loads of the destination database server.

      Note

      You can configure this parameter only if you select Full Data Migration for the Migration Types parameter.

      Enable Throttling for Incremental Data Migration

      Specifies whether to enable throttling for incremental data migration. To configure throttling, you must configure the RPS of Incremental Data Migration and Data migration speed for incremental migration (MB/s) parameters. This reduces the loads of the destination database server.

      Note

      You can configure this parameter only if you select Incremental Data Migration for the Migration Types parameter.

      Environment Tag

      Select an environment tag to identify the instance as needed. This parameter is not required in this example.

      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. Valid values:

      • Yes: does not write SQL operations on heartbeat tables. In this case, a 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.

      Configure ETL

      Specifies whether to enable the extract, transform, and load (ETL) feature. For more information, see What is ETL? Valid values:

      Monitoring and Alerting

      Specifies whether to configure alerting for the data migration task. If the task fails or the migration latency exceeds the specified threshold, the alert contacts receive notifications. Valid values:

    3. Click Next Step: Data Verification to configure the data verification task.

      For more information about how to use the data verification feature, see Configure a data verification task.

  7. In the lower part of the page, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck.

    You can move the pointer over Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck and click Preview OpenAPI parameters to view the parameters to be specified when you call the relevant API operation to configure the DTS task.

    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 analyze the causes based on the check results, troubleshoot the issues. Then, 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 the 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.

  8. Wait until Success Rate becomes 100%. Then, click Next: Purchase Instance.

  9. On the Purchase Instance page, configure the Instance Class parameter for the data migration instance. The following table describes the parameters.

    Section

    Parameter

    Description

    New Instance Class

    Resource Group

    The resource group to which the data migration instance belongs. Default value: default resource group. For more information, see What is Resource Management?

    Instance Class

    DTS provides instance classes that vary in the migration speed. You can select an instance class based on your business scenario. For more information, see Instance classes of data migration instances.

  10. Read and agree to Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms by selecting the check box.

  11. Click Buy and Start. In the message that appears, click OK.

    You can view the progress of the task on the Data Migration page.