What is AWS DMS and How Does It Work?

Nowadays, more and more companies are realizing that the AWS platform is more suitable for their database-related requirements. It is cost-effective, easy to use and very efficient. In the past, data transfer was very difficult, expensive, and there was a strong possibility you might lose fresh incoming data throughout the conversion process.

Whether your company needs a one-time transfer or ongoing data replication and synchronisation with an external data source, the AWS Data Migration Service is an advanced innovation from Amazon that significantly simplifies the whole data migration process.

What is AWS DMS?

AWS Data Migration Service is a cloud service provided by Amazon that enables businesses to move data in a variety of methods. There is essentially no downtime for the apps that rely on the source database throughout the migration process since it stays fully functioning. AWS Data Migration Service supports most popular commercial and open-source databases, such as:

• Oracle
• MySQL
• SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise (ASE) versions 12.5, 15, 15.5, 15.7, 16 and later.
• Microsoft SQL Server
• IBM DB2
• Amazon Aurora
• Additionally, there are many more

For complete list refer to AWS documentation – Sources for AWS DMS – AWS Database Migration Service (amazon.com)

The working mechanism of AWS DMS:

Three simple steps can be used to summarize AWS DMS working mechanism:-

Deploy a DMS replication instance

The replication instance has to be created as the initial task when employing AWS DMS. This instance will establish connections to both databases and execute the migration. The replication setup is simple and quick, and it doesn’t require much information.

A source and destination endpoint should be made.

The endpoints will then need to be configured. Simply said, an endpoint is a connection setup that AWS DMS employs to establish a connection to the database server in order to correctly import or export data.

Start a job after configuring it.

Configuring the task is the final step before the replication instance can start working. The job instructs the replication instance on what data to move and where to move it. You must instruct it on how to migrate the data and provide it with a source endpoint and target endpoint.

Conclusion

AWS Data Migration Service is robust and easy to use. Still, it is always advisable to seek guidance from a development partner when you are unsure of what options are best aligned with your organisation’s goals. However, it is not a fully automated service. You need to set up the process, and that requires an understanding of DMS components and processes. With expert guidance at Princeton IT, we can help you simplify the migration process and address database workload challenges in the cloud. Get in touch with our experts to know more.