Configure a migration task in the Legacy Console - Data Transmission Service

When you need to move data from one database to another, Data Transmission Service (DTS) provides a streamlined migration workflow that you can configure entirely from the console. This topic covers the general procedure. For configuration instructions specific to your data source, see Overview of data migration scenarios.

If this is your first time using DTS data migration, read Manage a data migration task to understand the full task lifecycle before you begin.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

Account credentials for both the source database and destination database
The region where the destination database resides

Migration types

Select migration types based on your goal:

Goal	Migration types to select
Migrate the schema and existing data only	Schema Migration + Full Data Migration
Migrate with ongoing changes captured (minimal service disruption)	Schema Migration + Full Data Migration + Incremental Data Migration

How each migration type works:

Schema Migration: Replicates the database schema from the source to the destination.
Full Data Migration: Copies all existing data from the source to the destination.
Incremental Data Migration: Captures changes made to the source database and applies those changes to the destination. This keeps the destination in sync and minimizes downtime during cutover.

Important

If you do not select Incremental Data Migration, stop all writes to the source database during the migration to maintain data consistency.

Create a migration task

Log on to the DTS console.

If your browser redirects you to the Data Management (DMS) console, click the icon in the to switch to the previous version of the DTS console.
In the left-side navigation pane, click Data Migration.
At the top of the Migration Tasks page, select the region where the destination database resides.
In the upper-right corner, click Create Migration Task.
Specify a task name and the connection details for the source database and destination database.
Click Set Whitelist and Next. If the source or destination database is in an Alibaba Cloud instance, DTS automatically adds the IP address of the DTS server to the instance whitelist so the DTS server can connect.

Select the migration types and the objects to migrate.

Setting	Description
Migration types	Select the migration types based on your goal. See Migration types above.
Objects to migrate	In the Available section, select one or more objects (columns, tables, or databases), then click to move them to the Selected section. If you select tables or columns, DTS does not migrate views, triggers, or stored procedures.
Object name mapping	To rename objects in the destination database, use the object name mapping feature. See Object name mapping. Renaming an object may cause dependent objects to fail migration.
Connection retry time range	If DTS loses connection to the source or destination database, it retries for up to 12 hours by default. Adjust this range based on your requirements. If DTS reconnects within the window, the task resumes automatically. If not, the task fails. DTS instance fees apply during the retry period. We recommend that you release the DTS instance at your earliest opportunity after the source and destination instances are released.
Copy temporary tables from online DDL operations	If you use Data Management (DMS) to run online DDL operations on the source database, choose whether to migrate the temporary tables those operations generate. Select Yes to migrate temporary table data (may introduce latency for large datasets). Select No to migrate only the original DDL data (destination tables may be temporarily locked).

Click Precheck. DTS runs a series of checks before the migration starts. The migration does not begin until all checks pass.

If the precheck fails, click the icon next to each failed item to view details. Fix the issues as instructed, then run the precheck again.
After the precheck passes, click Next.
On the Confirm Settings page, select a Channel Specification, read the Data Transmission Service (Pay-As-You-Go) Service Terms, and select the check box to agree.
Click Buy and Start. DTS starts the migration. What happens next depends on the migration types you selected:
- Full data migration only: The task stops automatically when migration completes. Do not manually stop the task — interrupting it may result in incomplete data.
- Incremental data migration: The task does not stop automatically. To stop it cleanly:
  1. When the progress bar shows Incremental Data Migration and the status reads The migration task is not delayed, stop all writes to the source database.
  2. After the status of incremental data migration returns to The migration task is not delayed, manually stop the migration task.

What's next

Manage a data migration task — monitor progress and manage your task after it starts
Overview of data migration scenarios — source-specific configuration guides
Object name mapping — rename objects during migration