ApsaraDB RDS:Add a DuckDB-based analytical read-only node

Prerequisites

Your primary instance must meet these requirements:

Billing

DuckDB-based analytical read-only nodes use the same pricing model as regular read-only instances. Costs depend on product series, instance specifications, storage type, and storage capacity. For pricing details, refer to the purchase page.

Free trial

Free trial: See Overview of DuckDB-based analytical read-only instances for hands-on experience.

Considerations

• Creation time: RDS synchronizes all data from the primary instance to the new node and converts it to columnar storage format. This takes longer than creating a standard InnoDB node. The duration depends on the data volume in your primary instance.

• Replication: Data replication between the DuckDB node and primary instance is asynchronous.

• Foreign key constraints: RDS automatically removes foreign keys from table structures during creation. DuckDB-based analytical read-only nodes do not have foreign key constraints.

• High availability and disaster recovery:

  • DuckDB-based analytical read-only nodes do not participate in primary instance elections.

  • DuckDB-based analytical read-only nodes cannot serve as disaster recovery nodes for primary or standby InnoDB nodes.

• Table structure limitations:

  • Only tables with utf8 or utf8mb4 character sets are supported.

  • Partitioned tables are not supported.

  • Tables without a business primary key are not supported. A business primary key is a defined PRIMARY KEY or a UNIQUE constraint on one or more non-null columns.

  Note

  Note: For tables that do not meet these conditions, the DuckDB-based analytical read-only node continues to use the InnoDB engine. You can still access and query data in these tables on the node. Run the following SQL statement to find potentially incompatible tables in your instance:

  SELECT table_schema, table_name, engine
  FROM information_schema.tables
  WHERE table_schema NOT IN ('mysql', 'sys', 'information_schema', 'performance_schema')
    AND engine = 'InnoDB';

• Compatibility limitations: For SQL syntax and function compatibility details, see Compatibility of DuckDB-based analytical instances.

Add a DuckDB-based analytical read-only node

Add a DuckDB-based analytical read-only node to any eligible RDS for MySQL Cluster Edition instance at any time. This operation does not affect services running on your primary instance.

Procedure

1. Log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances. In the top navigation bar, select a region. Then, click the target instance ID.

2. Add a DuckDB-based analytical read-only node using one of the following methods:

   • Method 1: On the Instances page, find the target instance and choose Actions > More > Create DuckDB-based analytical Read-only Node.

   • Method 2: On the instance details page, click Create DuckDB-based analytical Read-only Node in the upper-right corner.

   • Method 3: On the instance details page, go to the Instance Topology Management > Database Nodes section. Click Add/Remove Nodes. In the dialog box, select Add DuckDB-based analytical Read-only Node and click Next.

3. Configure the DuckDB-based analytical read-only node. The following table describes key parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   Billing method	Subscription and pay-as-you-go are supported. Serverless is not supported.
   Edition	Basic or High-availability.
   Storage Type	Must match the primary instance storage type.
   Product type	Only Standard Edition is supported.
   Primary node zone	Select an zone in the same region as the primary instance.
   Deployment mode	Single-zone deployment: Primary and standby nodes are deployed in the same zone. Multi-zone deployment: Primary and standby nodes are deployed in different zones within the same region for cross-zone disaster recovery. This option is free. If you select this option, also configure the standby node zone.
   Instance specifications	Dedicated and general-purpose specifications are supported. For details, see DuckDB-based analytical read-only instance specifications.
   Database proxy	Enable the General-purpose database proxy (free) to enable HTAP-based automatic request routing. OLAP queries route to the DuckDB-based analytical read-only node, and OLTP queries route to the primary instance or standard read-only instances.
   Storage space	Minimum: half the primary instance storage space.

4. Click Next: Instance Configuration, then configure the network and resource group. The following table describes key parameters.

   Parameter	Description
   VPC	Defaults to the primary instance VPC and cannot be changed.
   VSwitch of Primary Node	Use the default vSwitch for the primary node or select a different one.
   Resource group	Defaults to the primary instance resource group and cannot be changed.

5. Click Next: Confirm Order.

6. Confirm Parameter Configurations, select a Quantity, click Confirm Order, and complete payment.

   For subscription billing, also specify Subscription Duration. We recommend selecting Auto-renewal to prevent service disruptions from expired subscriptions.

7. After a few minutes, return to the Instances page. Find the primary instance and click the expand icon. The newly created DuckDB-based analytical read-only node appears under the primary instance.

Connect to the DuckDB-based analytical read-only node

Connect to and use the DuckDB-based analytical read-only node in one of the following ways.

Modify node configuration

Modify DuckDB-based analytical read-only node specifications (CPU, memory, storage space) anytime to meet changing business needs. On the node details page, find the Configuration Information section on the Basic Information tab and click Modify Configuration. For detailed instructions, see Modify configuration.