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Data Transmission Service:Synchronize data from a PolarDB for MySQL cluster to an AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance

Last Updated:Feb 10, 2026

This topic describes how to use Data Transmission Service (DTS) to synchronize data from a PolarDB for MySQL cluster to an AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance.

Prerequisites

  • A destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance is created. The available storage space of the destination instance must be larger than the storage space used by the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For more information, see Create an instance.

  • A database is created in the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance to store the synchronized data. For more information, see CREATE DATABASE.

Precautions

Type

Description

Source database limits

  • The tables to be synchronized must have a primary key or a UNIQUE constraint, and the fields must be unique. Otherwise, duplicate data may appear in the destination database.

  • If you synchronize data at the table level and need to edit the tables, such as mapping column names, a single data synchronization task supports a maximum of 1,000 tables. If you exceed this limit, an error is reported when you submit the task. In this case, split the tables into multiple synchronization tasks or configure a task to synchronize the entire database.

  • Binary logs:

    • You must enable binary logging and set the loose_polar_log_bin parameter to ON. Otherwise, an error is reported during the precheck and the DTS instance fails to start. For more information about how to enable binary logging and modify parameters, see Enable binary logging and Set cluster and node parameters.

      Note

      Enabling binary logging for a PolarDB for MySQL cluster consumes storage space and incurs fees.

    • The binary logs of the PolarDB for MySQL cluster must be retained for at least 3 days. We recommend that you retain them for 7 days. Otherwise, the DTS task may fail because DTS cannot obtain the binary logs. In extreme cases, this may cause data inconsistency or data loss. Issues caused by a binary log retention period shorter than the required period are not covered by the DTS Service-Level Agreement (SLA).

      Note

      For more information about how to set the retention period for binary logs of a PolarDB for MySQL cluster, see Modify the retention period.

  • During synchronization, do not perform DDL operations to modify primary keys or add comments to tables, such as ALTER TABLE table_name COMMENT='Table comment';. Otherwise, the DDL operations fail to be executed during data synchronization.

  • If the data to be synchronized in the source database contains date data of 0000-00-00 00:00:00, the task may fail.

    Note

    DTS converts this date data to null when synchronizing it to the destination database. You can temporarily change the source data to 0001-01-01 00:00:00 or set the corresponding field in the destination database to allow null values.

  • Do not run DDL operations that change database or table schemas during schema synchronization or full synchronization. Otherwise, the synchronization task fails.

    Note

    During full synchronization, DTS queries the source database. This creates metadata locks that may block DDL operations on the source database.

Other limits

  • Synchronization object requirements:

    • Only table-level synchronization is supported.

    • Synchronization of data of the BIT, VARBIT, GEOMETRY, ARRAY, UUID, TSQUERY, TSVECTOR, and TXID_SNAPSHOT types is not supported.

    • Synchronization of prefix indexes is not supported. If the source database has prefix indexes, the data synchronization may fail.

    • You cannot synchronize data from a read-only node of the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

    • You cannot synchronize OSS foreign tables from the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

    • Synchronization of PARTITION, VIEW, PROCEDURE, FUNCTION, TRIGGER, FK, and INDEX is not supported.

  • Primary/secondary failover of the database instance is not supported during initial full data synchronization. If a failover occurs, reconfigure the synchronization task promptly.

  • If your source database uses online DDL operations in temporary table mode—including but not limited to multi-table merge scenarios—or adds function-based indexes to unique key columns, data loss or task failure may occur in the destination database.

  • If a primary key or unique key conflict occurs while the task is running:

    • If the table schemas are consistent and a record in the destination database has the same primary key or unique key value as a record in the source database:

      • During full data synchronization, DTS retains the destination record and skips the source record.

      • During incremental synchronization, DTS overwrites the destination record with the source record.

    • If the table schemas are inconsistent, data initialization may fail. This can result in only partial data synchronization or a complete synchronization failure. Use with caution.

  • If the table to synchronize has a primary key, the primary key column in the destination table must match the source table. If the table to synchronize lacks a primary key, the primary key column in the destination table must match the distribution key.

  • The unique key in the destination table—including the primary key column—must include all columns in the distribution key.

  • Before you synchronize data, evaluate the performance of the source and destination databases. We recommend that you synchronize data during off-peak hours. Otherwise, initial full data synchronization consumes read and write resources on the source and destination databases, which may increase the database load.

  • Initial full data synchronization runs concurrent INSERT operations, which causes fragmentation in the destination database tables. As a result, the tablespace of the destination instance is larger than that of the source instance after initial full data synchronization is complete.

  • For table-level data synchronization, do not use tools such as pt-online-schema-change to perform online DDL operations on the synchronization objects in the source database. Otherwise, the synchronization fails.

  • For table-level data synchronization, if no data other than the data from DTS is written to the destination database, you can use Data Management (DMS) to perform online DDL operations. For more information, see Change schemas without locking tables.

  • During DTS synchronization, do not write data other than the data from DTS to the destination database. Otherwise, data inconsistency between the source and destination databases may occur. For example, if you use DMS to perform online DDL operations while other data is being written to the destination database, data may be lost in the destination database.

  • AO tables are not supported as destination tables.

  • If you use column mapping for non-full table synchronization or if the source and destination table schemas are inconsistent, data in the columns that are missing in the destination table will be lost.

  • If a task fails, DTS support staff will attempt to restore it within eight hours. During restoration, they may restart the task or adjust its parameters.

    Note

    Only DTS task parameters are modified—not database parameters. Parameters that may be adjusted include those listed in Modify instance parameters.

Other notes

DTS periodically runs the CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS `test` command on the source database to advance the binary log offset.

Billing

Synchronization type

Pricing

Schema synchronization and full data synchronization

Free of charge.

Incremental data synchronization

Charged. For more information, see Billing overview.

SQL operations that support incremental synchronization

Operation type

SQL statement

DML

INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE

Note

When data is written to the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance, DTS automatically converts UPDATE statements to REPLACE INTO statements. If an UPDATE statement is executed on primary keys, DTS converts it to DELETE and INSERT statements.

DDL

CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, TRUNCATE TABLE, DROP TABLE

Permissions required for database accounts

Database

Required permissions

Account creation and authorization method

Source PolarDB for MySQL cluster

Read and write permissions for the objects to sync

Create and manage database accounts and manage database account passwords.

Destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance

Read and write permissions for the destination database.

Create and manage users and manage user permissions.

Note

You can also use the initial account or an account that has RDS_SUPERUSER permissions.

Procedure

  1. Go to the Data Synchronization 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 Synchronization.

    Note
  2. Click Create Task to open the task configuration page.

  3. Configure the source and destination databases.

    Category

    Configuration

    Description

    N/A

    Task Name

    DTS automatically generates a task name. We recommend that you specify a descriptive name for easy identification. The name does not need to be unique.

    Source Database

    Select Existing Connection

    • Select the registered database instance with DTS from the drop-down list. The database information below is automatically configured.

      Note

      In the DMS console, this configuration item is Select a DMS database instance.

    • If you have not registered the database instance or do not need to use a registered instance, manually configure the database information below.

    Database Type

    Select PolarDB for MySQL.

    Access Method

    Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.

    Instance Region

    Select the region where the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster resides.

    Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts

    For this example, select No, as the database instance belongs to the current Alibaba Cloud account.

    PolarDB Cluster ID

    Select the ID of the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

    Database Account

    Enter the database account of the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For more information about the required permissions, see Permissions required for database accounts.

    Database Password

    Enter the password for the specified database account.

    Destination Database

    Select Existing Connection

    • Select the registered database instance with DTS from the drop-down list. The database information below is automatically configured.

      Note

      In the DMS console, this configuration item is Select a DMS database instance.

    • If you have not registered the database instance or do not need to use a registered instance, manually configure the database information below.

    Database Type

    Select AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL.

    Access Method

    Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.

    Instance Region

    Select the region where the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance resides.

    Instance ID

    Select the ID of the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance.

    Database Name

    Enter the name of the database that is used to receive data in the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance.

    Database Account

    Enter the database account of the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance. For more information about the required permissions, see Permissions required for database accounts.

    Database Password

    Enter the password for the specified database account.

  4. After you complete the configuration, click Test Connectivity and Proceed at the bottom of the page.

    Note

    Ensure that the IP address blocks of the DTS service are added to the security settings of the source and destination databases, either automatically or manually, to allow access from DTS servers. For more information, see Add the IP address whitelist of DTS servers.

  5. Configure the task objects.

    1. On the Configure Objects page, specify the objects to synchronize.

      Configuration

      Description

      Synchronization Types

      DTS always selects Incremental Data Synchronization. By default, you must also select Schema Synchronization and Full Data Synchronization. After the precheck, DTS initializes the destination cluster with the full data of the selected source objects, which serves as the baseline for subsequent incremental synchronization.

      DDL and DML Operations to Be Synchronized

      You can select the DDL or DML operations to be synchronized at the instance level. For more information about the supported operations, see SQL operations that support incremental synchronization.

      Note

      To select SQL operations for a database or table, right-click a synchronization object in the Selected Objects box and select the SQL operations from the dialog box that appears.

      Processing Mode of Conflicting Tables

      • Precheck and Report Errors: Checks for tables with the same names in the destination database. If any tables with the same names are found, an error is reported during the precheck and the data synchronization task does not start. Otherwise, the precheck is successful.

        Note

        If you cannot delete or rename the table with the same name in the destination database, you can map it to a different name in the destination. For more information, see Database Table Column Name Mapping.

      • Ignore Errors and Proceed: Skips the check for tables with the same name in the destination database.

        Warning

        Selecting Ignore Errors and Proceed may cause data inconsistency and put your business at risk. For example:

        • If the table schemas are consistent and a record in the destination database has the same primary key or unique key value as a record in the source database:

          • During full data synchronization, DTS retains the destination record and skips the source record.

          • During incremental synchronization, DTS overwrites the destination record with the source record.

        • If the table schemas are inconsistent, data initialization may fail. This can result in only partial data synchronization or a complete synchronization failure. Use with caution.

      Storage Engine Type

      Select the storage engine type for the destination tables. The default is Beam.

      Note

      This configuration item is available only if the kernel version of the target AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance is v7.0.6.6 or later and Synchronization Types is set to Schema Synchronization.

      Capitalization of Object Names in Destination Instance

      Configure the case-sensitivity policy for database, table, and column names in the destination instance. By default, the DTS default policy is selected. You can also choose to use the default policy of the source or destination database. For more information, see Case policy for destination object names.

      Source Objects

      In the Source Objects box, click the objects, and then click 向右 to move them to the Selected Objects box.

      Note

      You can select databases or tables as the synchronization objects.

      Selected Objects

      • To rename a single object in the destination instance, right-click the object in the Selected Objects box. For more information, see Map a single object name.

      • To rename multiple objects in bulk, click Batch Edit in the upper-right corner of the Selected Objects box. For more information, see Map multiple object names in bulk.

      Note
      • To filter data in a table that you want to synchronize, right-click the table in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, configure the filter conditions. For more information, see Set filter conditions.

      • To select the SQL operations for a specific database or table, right-click the object in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, select the SQL operations that you want to synchronize. For more information, see SQL operations that support incremental synchronization.

      • If you use the object name mapping feature to rename an object, the synchronization of other dependent objects may fail.

    2. Click Next: Advanced Settings.

      Configuration

      Description

      Dedicated Cluster for Task Scheduling

      By default, DTS uses a shared cluster for tasks, so you do not need to make a selection. For greater task stability, you can purchase a dedicated cluster to run the DTS synchronization task. 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 the source database uses Data Management (DMS) or gh-ost for online DDL changes, choose whether to synchronize the temporary tables generated during these operations.

      Important

      DTS tasks do not currently support online DDL changes performed by tools like pt-online-schema-change. Using such tools will cause the DTS task to fail.

      • Yes: Synchronizes the temporary tables generated by online DDL changes.

        Note

        If the data of temporary tables generated by online DDL changes is too large, it may cause synchronization latency.

      • No, Adapt to DMS Online DDL: Does not synchronize temporary tables generated by online DDL changes. Instead, it synchronizes only the original DDL statements executed in Data Management (DMS).

        Note

        This approach will cause table locks on the destination database.

      • No, Adapt to gh-ost: Does not the synchronize temporary tables generated by online DDL changes. Instead, it synchronizes only the original DDL statements executed by gh-ost. You can use default or custom regular expressions for gh-ost shadow and trash tables.

        Note

        This approach will cause table locks on the destination database.

      Retry Time for Failed Connections

      If the connection to the source or destination database fails after the synchronization task starts, DTS reports an error and immediately begins to retry the connection. The default retry duration is 720 minutes. You can customize the retry time to a value from 10 to 1,440 minutes. We recommend a duration of 30 minutes or more. If the connection is restored within this period, the task resumes automatically. Otherwise, the task fails.

      Note
      • If multiple DTS instances (e.g., Instance A and B) share a source or destination, DTS uses the shortest configured retry duration (e.g., 30 minutes for A, 60 for B, so 30 minutes is used) for all instances.

      • DTS charges for task runtime during connection retries. Set a custom duration based on your business needs, or release the DTS instance promptly after you release the source/destination instances.

      Retry Time for Other Issues

      If a non-connection issue (e.g., a DDL or DML execution error) occurs, DTS reports an error and immediately retries the operation. The default retry duration is 10 minutes. You can also customize the retry time to a value from 1 to 1,440 minutes. We recommend a duration of 10 minutes or more. If the related operations succeed within the set retry time, the synchronization task automatically resumes. Otherwise, the task fails.

      Important

      The value of Retry Time for Other Issues must be less than that of Retry Time for Failed Connections.

      Enable Throttling for Full Data Synchronization

      During full data synchronization, DTS consumes read and write resources from the source and destination databases, which can increase their load. To mitigate pressure on the destination database, you can limit the migration rate by setting Queries per second (QPS) to the source database, RPS of Full Data Migration, and Data migration speed for full migration (MB/s).

      Note

      Enable Throttling for Incremental Data Synchronization

      You can also limit the incremental synchronization rate to reduce pressure on the destination database by setting RPS of Incremental Data Synchronization and Data synchronization speed for incremental synchronization (MB/s).

      Environment Tag

      You can select an environment tag to identify the instance based on your business needs. For this example, you do not need to select a tag.

      Whether to delete SQL operations on heartbeat tables of forward and reverse tasks

      Choose whether DTS writes heartbeat SQL information to the source database while the instance is running.

      • Yes: Does not write heartbeat SQL information to the source database. The DTS instance may display latency.

      • No: Writes heartbeat SQL information to the source database. This may interfere with source database operations like physical backups and cloning.

      Configure ETL

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

      Monitoring and Alerting

      Choose whether to set up alerts. If the synchronization fails or the latency exceeds the specified threshold, DTS sends a notification to the alert contacts.

    3. Click Data Verification to configure a data verification task.

      To use the data verification feature, see Configure data verification.

    4. Optional: After you complete the preceding configurations, you can click Next: Configure Database and Table Fields to configure the Type, Primary Key Column, and Distribution Key for the table that you want to synchronize to the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance.

      Note
      • This step is available only if you select Schema Synchronization for Synchronization Types when you configure the task objects. You can set Definition Status to All to modify the fields.

      • You can specify multiple columns in the Primary Key Column field to form a composite primary key. In this case, you must specify one or more columns from the Primary Key Column as the Distribution Key. For more information, see Manage tables and Define table distribution.

  6. Save the task and perform a precheck.

    • To view the parameters for configuring this instance via an API operation, hover over the Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck button and click Preview OpenAPI parameters in the tooltip.

    • If you have finished viewing the API parameters, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck at the bottom of the page.

    Note
    • Before a synchronization task starts, DTS performs a precheck. You can start the task only if the precheck passes.

    • If the precheck fails, click View Details next to the failed item, fix the issue as prompted, and then rerun the precheck.

    • If the precheck generates warnings:

      • For non-ignorable warning, click View Details next to the item, fix the issue as prompted, and run the precheck again.

      • For ignorable warnings, you can bypass them by clicking Confirm Alert Details, then Ignore, and then OK. Finally, click Precheck Again to skip the warning and run the precheck again. Ignoring precheck warnings may lead to data inconsistencies and other business risks. Proceed with caution.

  7. When the Success Rate reaches 100%, click Next: Purchase Instance.

  8. Purchase a data synchronization instance.

    1. On the Purchase page, select the billing method and link specifications for the data synchronization instance. For more information, see the following table.

      Category

      Parameter

      Description

      New Instance Class

      Billing Method

      • Subscription: You pay upfront for a specific duration. This is cost-effective for long-term, continuous tasks.

      • Pay-as-you-go: You are billed hourly for actual usage. This is ideal for short-term or test tasks, as you can release the instance at any time to save costs.

      Resource Group Settings

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

      Instance Class

      DTS offers synchronization specifications at different performance levels that affect the synchronization rate. Select a specification based on your business requirements. For more information, see Data synchronization link specifications.

      Subscription Duration

      In subscription mode, select the duration and quantity of the instance. Monthly options range from 1 to 9 months. Yearly options include 1, 2, 3, or 5 years.

      Note

      This option appears only when the billing method is Subscription.

    2. Read and select the checkbox for Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms.

    3. Click Buy and Start, and then click OK in the OK dialog box.

      You can monitor the task progress on the data synchronization page.