ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server supports multiple migration paths from self-managed SQL Server databases. Use this guide to choose the right approach based on your downtime tolerance, data volume, and incremental migration requirements, then follow the linked guide to complete the migration.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure that you have:
An ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance as the migration destination. Create one by following Create an ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server instance. If the instance is released before migration completes, create another one.
An RDS instance whose major engine version is greater than or equal to the source SQL Server engine version. To upgrade an existing instance, see Upgrade the major engine version.
Billing
Migrating to ApsaraDB RDS for SQL Server may incur charges from multiple services:
| Service | Billing basis | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| RDS instance | Billing method, RDS edition, instance type, storage type, and storage capacity | Billable items |
| Data Transmission Service (DTS) | Duration and specification of the data migration instance | Billable items |
| Object Storage Service (OSS) | Storage fees for backup files uploaded to OSS (full or incremental backup file) | Storage fees |
Migration solutions by data source
For an overview of all available migration methods, see Overview of data migration methods and Migrate SQL Server databases to Alibaba Cloud.
| Data source | Incremental migration | Available approaches | Recommended approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-managed SQL Server | Yes | Physical backup via OSS (manual), physical backup via Data Disaster Recovery and DTS, DTS logical migration | Use Data Disaster Recovery and DTS to migrate data based on physical backup files |
| Azure SQL Database | Yes | DTS logical migration, ApsaraDB RDS console end-to-end migration, SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) migration | ApsaraDB RDS console end-to-end migration or DTS logical migration |
| Azure SQL Managed Instance | — | DTS logical migration, ApsaraDB RDS console end-to-end migration, SSMS migration, physical backup via OSS | — |
| SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines | — | DTS logical migration, ApsaraDB RDS console end-to-end migration, SSMS migration, physical backup via OSS | — |
| Amazon RDS for SQL Server | Yes | DTS logical migration, ApsaraDB RDS console end-to-end migration, SSMS migration, physical backup via OSS | ApsaraDB RDS console end-to-end migration or DTS logical migration |
| Huawei Cloud RDS for SQL Server | No | Physical backup via OSS (full data only), DTS logical migration (full data only), SSMS migration | Use OSS to manually migrate full backup data |
| TencentDB for SQL Server | Yes | DTS logical migration, physical backup via OSS, SSMS migration | Use DTS for logical migration |
| TencentDB for SQL Server | No | SSMS migration | Use SSMS to perform cloud migration |
| Google Cloud SQL for SQL Server | Yes | DTS logical migration, SSMS migration | Use DTS for logical migration |
For DTS logical migration from Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Managed Instance, SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines, Amazon RDS for SQL Server, and Google Cloud SQL for SQL Server, set the SQL Server Incremental Synchronization Mode parameter to Polling and querying CDC instances for incremental synchronization when configuring incremental migration.
When migrating from Huawei Cloud RDS for SQL Server running SQL Server 2008 R2, upgrade the database version before starting the migration. For instructions on how to create and download backup files in Huawei Cloud RDS for SQL Server, refer to the Huawei Cloud documentation.
Next steps
After choosing an approach, follow the linked guide to complete the migration. After migration, verify data integrity and update your application connection strings to point to the RDS instance.