Google Database Migration Service Review

google-database-migration-service-review

Google Database Migration Service Review

Image: bakhtiarzein/Adobe Stock

Businesses often find that migrating away from legacy databases is challenging for various reasons, including restrictive contracts, expensive upgrades and the risk of prolonged downtime. However, being stuck with a legacy database means organizations can’t introduce new functionality or modernize their systems to build cost-effective applications.

SEE: Hiring kit: Database engineer (TechRepublic Premium)

Database migrations can be highly complex, requiring the conversion of code to a new database engine and switchover applications. Fortunately, there is a solution in the form of data and database migration services. In many cases, data migration services enable seamless migration from MySQL or PostgreSQL to Cloud SQL or AlloyDB for PostgreSQL.

Google Database Migration Services makes it easy to migrate databases and datasets to Google Cloud and offers guidance on every step of the process. In this guide, learn more about Google DMS’s key features and alternatives for database migration.

Jump to:

  • What is Google DMS?
  • Key features of Google DMS
  • Google DMS alternatives

What is Google DMS?

Image: Google

Google Database Migration Service is a cloud-based data migration tool for migrating and replicating databases and other resources to the Google Cloud Platform from on-premises systems, physical services, cloud platforms and virtual machines. This tool is used to simplify data migration through an integrated migration experience.

SEE: Server migration checklist (TechRepublic Premium)

MySQL, SQL Server and PostgreSQL databases can be moved to Cloud SQL or AlloyDB using Google DMS. Google DMS tools can also be used for databases running on any cloud platform or on-premises system.

Benefits of using Google DMS

Google DMS allows users to minimizes downtime, as this tool offers continuous data replication from the source to the target destination. In addition, the Google DMS service is serverless, so there is no need to access migration-specific hardware resources or monitor instances. Another key benefit of Google DMS is that the database has native replication to maximize reliability and fidelity during data migration.

SEE: Job description: ETL/data warehouse developer (TechRepublic Premium)

There are no charges for lift and shift migrations through Google DMS. However, there can be networking charges for data migration. To access Google DMS, visit Database Migration in the Google Cloud console navigation. The migration can be initiated by creating source and destination connection profiles.

Key features of Google DMS

Secure by design

Google DMS offers private and secure connectivity methods to protect data during migration. In addition, all data is encrypted by default, which makes the data unreadable during transit.

Google DMS offers multiple layers of security so users can have peace of mind that their data is secure during the data migration process. When the data reaches the endpoint, it is decrypted and verified.

Serverless

The serverless features of Google DMS eliminate several hurdles of data migration, including the need to provision hardware, such as migration servers, that are often required for data migration processes.

SEE: The best serverless computing solutions (TechRepublic)

Google DMS also has auto-scaling features to ensure uninterrupted data replication and high-performance data transfer. The serverless design eliminates the need to hire or allocate extra resources for the data migration project. This tool also reduces the risk of going over budget or hitting unexpected delays during the data migration process.

Easy to use

First-time users can enjoy a guided experience through migration. Users can also set up multiple networking connectivity, customized source configuration, and built-in scripts for quick and simple execution. The data migration setup, configuration and flow are validated to ensure the data migration process is set up to succeed.

The dashboard of Google DMS can be used to monitor migration job lists and track any migration delays. The data transfer migrations can be observed through its API and UI. The connection to databases is specified separately, so users can quickly re-enter configuration values through different phases of data migration, such as testing and execution.

Support from Google Professional Services

Experts from Google Professional Services can facilitate successful database migrations for DMS users. This includes everything from guidance on migration planning to setting up turnkey solutions for data migration.

The combination of Google DMS and partner services ensures the entire data migration process is smooth.

Google DMS alternatives

AWS Database Migration Service

AWS Database Migration Service is a managed data migration service that supports migration between 20+ database engines for the AWS cloud, including Microsoft SQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle and Amazon Aurora.

This service supports homogenous migrations — such as Microsoft to Microsoft — and heterogeneous migrations — such as data migration between Amazon Aurora to Oracle. With AWS DMS, the source database remains fully functional to minimize downtime. However, some users have reported issues with cross-cloud support and documentation.

Oracle GoldenGate

The rich functionality and flexibility offered by Oracle GoldenGate make it one of the leading database migration/replication tools and a significant competitor to Google DMS. The top features of Oracle GoldenGate include zero downtime migration, application upgrades and extensive cross-platform support.

Organizations can use Oracle GoldenGate to improve business insights through real-time data warehousing and report offloading. All major heterogeneous data migrations are supported by GoldenGate, including MySQL. The active-active data replication of GoldenGate ensures source and destination systems can be used simultaneously.

Read next: Top cloud and application migration tools (TechRepublic)

Image: bakhtiarzein/Adobe Stock Businesses often find that migrating away from legacy databases is challenging for various reasons, including restrictive contracts, expensive upgrades and the risk of prolonged downtime. However, being stuck with a legacy database means organizations can’t introduce new functionality or modernize their systems to build cost-effective applications. SEE: Hiring kit: Database engineer (TechRepublic…