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Data Transmission Service:Synchronize data from PolarDB-X 1.0 to PolarDB for MySQL

Last Updated:Jun 26, 2026

This topic describes how to use Data Transmission Service (DTS) to synchronize incremental data in real time from a PolarDB-X 1.0 instance to a PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

Prerequisites

  • A PolarDB-X 1.0 instance has been created. For instructions, see Create a PolarDB-X 1.0 instance and Create a database.

    Note

    The PolarDB-X 1.0 instance must use ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL as its storage type. This includes both privately customized and separately purchased RDS instances. PolarDB for MySQL is not supported.

  • You have created a destination PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For more information, see Custom purchase and Purchase a subscription cluster.

  • The destination cluster must have more available storage space than the storage used by the source instance.

Usage notes

Note
  • During schema synchronization, DTS synchronizes foreign keys from the source database to the destination database.

  • During full data synchronization and incremental data synchronization, DTS temporarily disables the constraint check and cascade operations on foreign keys at the session level. If cascading updates or deletions occur in the source database during synchronization, data inconsistencies may occur.

Type

Description

Source database limitations

  • Tables to synchronize must have a primary key or a unique constraint to ensure each row is unique and prevent duplicate data in the destination database. If a table has only a unique constraint, schema synchronization is not supported for that table. We recommend that you use a primary key. Synchronization of tables with secondary indexes is not supported.

  • If you synchronize data at the table level and perform editing operations such as column name mapping, a single synchronization task supports a maximum of 5,000 tables. If you exceed this limit, split the tables into multiple tasks or synchronize the entire database. Otherwise, a request error may occur when you submit the task.

  • The binary logs of the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances attached to the source PolarDB-X 1.0 instance must meet the following requirements:

    • The binary logging feature must be enabled, and the binlog_row_image parameter must be set to full. Otherwise, the precheck fails, and the data synchronization task cannot start.

    • For an incremental data synchronization task, you must retain the binary logs of the source database for at least 24 hours. For a task that includes both full and incremental data synchronization, the binary logs must be retained for at least 7 days. You can reduce the retention period to 24 hours after the full data synchronization is complete. If DTS cannot obtain the binary logs because the retention period is too short, the task may fail. In extreme cases, data inconsistency or loss can occur. Issues caused by a binary log retention period shorter than the DTS requirement are not covered by the DTS Service-Level Agreement (SLA).

  • Limitations on operations in the source database:

    • If you change the network type of the PolarDB-X 1.0 instance during data synchronization, you must update the connection information for the synchronization link.

    • During synchronization, do not perform operations on the source instance such as scaling (for example, scaling its attached ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, or changing the distribution of physical tables that correspond to logical tables in ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL even if the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance is not scaled), migrating hot tables, changing the shard key, or making DDL changes. Otherwise, the data synchronization task will fail or data inconsistencies will occur.

    • If you change the partition key of a source table, and the primary key of the corresponding destination table does not include the partition key, data loss may occur in the destination database.

      • Reason: A PolarDB-X 1.0 instance has multiple ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances attached to it. DTS maintains independent synchronization links for each ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. Changing a partition key causes data to be deleted from one ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance and inserted into another. Because these links execute independently, the order of the DELETE and INSERT operations can be disrupted. If the primary key of the destination database does not include the partition key, a DELETE operation that is executed later can incorrectly delete the newly inserted data.

      • Recommendation: To prevent data loss from out-of-order operations, ensure the primary key of the destination table includes the partition key columns of the source table.

    • 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.

  • The storage of PolarDB-X 1.0 must be ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL. This includes privately customized RDS instances and separately purchased RDS instances. PolarDB for MySQL is not supported.

  • The storage resources of PolarDB-X 1.0 must be horizontally split. Vertical splitting is not supported.

  • Read-only instances of PolarDB-X 1.0 are not supported.

  • The source PolarDB-X 1.0 instance must be version 5.2 or later.

Other limitations

  • The synchronization of INDEX and PARTITION objects is not supported.

  • Incremental data synchronization relies on continuous XA transactions in the source PolarDB-X 1.0 instance to ensure data consistency. If this continuity is disrupted, for example when modifying synchronization objects or during disaster recovery of the incremental data capture module, uncommitted XA transactions may be lost.

  • Data synchronization from a PolarDB-X 1.0 instance is a distributed process. DTS creates a subtask for each attached ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. You can view subtask status on the Task Topology page.

  • If your data includes four-byte characters—such as rare Chinese characters or emojis—the destination database and table must use the utf8mb4 charset.

    Note

    If you use DTS to synchronize table schemas, set the character_set_server parameter at the instance level in the destination database to utf8mb4.

  • Perform data synchronization during off-peak hours. Full data synchronization consumes read and write resources on both the source and destination databases, which increases their loads.

  • Full data synchronization performs concurrent INSERT operations, which can cause table fragmentation in the destination database. As a result, the destination tablespace is larger than the source after full data synchronization.

  • Do not use tools such as pt-online-schema-change to perform online DDL changes on synchronization objects in the source database. Otherwise, the synchronization task fails.

  • During data synchronization, do not write data to the destination database by using tools other than DTS. Otherwise, data inconsistencies may occur. For example, if you use DMS to perform an online DDL change while other data is being written to the destination database, data loss may occur.

  • If you write columns with names that differ only in case to the same table in the destination MySQL database, unexpected results may occur because MySQL column names are case-insensitive.

  • After data synchronization completes (the instance's Status is Completed), you should use the ANALYZE TABLE <table_name> command to confirm that all data is written to the target table. For example, after the HA failover mechanism is triggered in the target MySQL database, data might be written only to memory, which can cause data loss.

  • 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.

Billing

Synchronization type

Pricing

Schema synchronization and full data synchronization

Free of charge.

Incremental data synchronization

Charged. For more information, see Billing overview.

Synchronization topologies

  • One-way one-to-one synchronization

  • One-way one-to-many synchronization

  • One-way cascade synchronization

  • One-way many-to-one synchronization

For more information about the supported synchronization topologies and their usage notes, see Synchronization topologies.

Supported SQL operations

Operation type

SQL statements

DML

INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE

Database account permissions

Database

Required permissions

Account creation and authorization

Source PolarDB-X 1.0 instance

Read permissions on the objects to be synchronized.

Manage accounts

Destination PolarDB for MySQL cluster

Read and write permissions on the destination database to which the objects are synchronized.

Create and manage a database account.

Procedure

  1. Go to the data synchronization task list page in the destination region. You can do this in one of two ways.

    DTS console

    1. Log on to the DTS console.

    2. In the navigation pane on the left, click Data Synchronization.

    3. In the upper-left corner of the page, select the region where the synchronization instance is located.

    DMS console

    Note

    The actual steps may vary depending on the mode and layout of the DMS console. For more information, see Simple mode console and Customize DMS console layout and style.

    1. Log on to the DMS console.

    2. In the top menu bar, choose Data + AI > DTS (DTS) > Data Synchronization.

    3. To the right of Data Synchronization Tasks, select the region of the synchronization instance.

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

  3. Configure the source and destination databases.

    Warning

    After you select the source and destination instances, review the Limits at the top of the page. Otherwise, the task may fail or data inconsistency may occur.

    Category

    Parameter

    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

    Database Type

    Select PolarDB-X 1.0.

    Connection Type

    Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.

    Instance Region

    Select the region where the source PolarDB-X 1.0 instance resides.

    Instance ID

    Select the ID of the source PolarDB-X 1.0 instance.

    Database Account

    Enter the database account of the source PolarDB-X 1.0 instance. For information about the required permissions, see Database account permissions.

    Database Password

    Enter the password for the specified database account.

    Destination Database

    Database Type

    Select PolarDB for MySQL.

    Connection Type

    Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.

    Instance Region

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

    PolarDB Cluster ID

    Select the ID of the destination PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

    Database Account

    Enter the database account of the destination PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For information about the required permissions, see Database account permissions.

    Database Password

    Enter the password for the specified database account.

    Encryption

    Select an option based on your business requirements. For more information about SSL encryption, see Configure SSL encryption.

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

    Note
    • Ensure that you add the CIDR blocks of the DTS servers (either automatically or manually) to the security settings of both the source and destination databases to allow access. For more information, see Add the IP address whitelist of DTS servers.

    • If the source or destination is a self-managed database (i.e., the Access Method is not Alibaba Cloud Instance), you must also click Test Connectivity in the CIDR Blocks of DTS Servers dialog box.

  5. Configure the task objects.

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

      Parameter

      Description

      Synchronization Type

      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.

      Processing Mode for Existing Destination 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 Object 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.

      Case Policy for Destination Object Names

      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

      We recommend that you select objects at the table level. If you select an entire database as a synchronization object, changes to add or delete tables in the source database are not synchronized to the destination database.

      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 select SQL operations to be synchronized at the database or table level, right-click a synchronization object in the Selected Objects box and select the desired SQL operations in the dialog box that appears.

      • To set WHERE conditions to filter data, right-click a table in the Selected Objects box and set the filter conditions in the dialog box that appears. For more information, see Set filter conditions.

    2. Click Next: Advanced Settings.

      Parameter

      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?.

      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. No selection is required for this example.

      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.

  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. Purchase the instance.

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

    2. 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.

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

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

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