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Data Transmission Service:Migrate data from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to an ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance

Last Updated:May 13, 2025

This topic describes how to migrate data from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to an ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance by using Data Transmission Service (DTS).

Prerequisites

  • The source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance and destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance are created.

    Note
  • The available storage space of the destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance is larger than the total size of the data in the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

  • In the destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance, a topic is created to receive migrated data. For more information, see the "Step 1: Create a topic" section of the Step 3: Create resources topic.

Limits

Note

DTS does not migrate foreign keys in the source database to the destination database. Therefore, the cascade and delete operations of the source database are not migrated to the destination database.

Category

Description

Limits on the source database

  • The server on which the source database is deployed must have sufficient outbound bandwidth. Otherwise, the data migration speed decreases.

  • The tables to be migrated must have PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraints and all fields must be unique. Otherwise, the destination database may contain duplicate data records.

  • If you select tables as the objects to be migrated and you want to modify the tables in the destination database, such as renaming tables or columns, you can migrate up to 1,000 tables in a single data migration task. If you run a task to migrate more than 1,000 tables, a request error occurs. In this case, we recommend that you configure multiple tasks to migrate the tables or configure a task to migrate the entire database.

  • If you want to migrate incremental data, the following requirements for binary logs must be met:

    • The binary logging feature is enabled. The binlog_format parameter is set to row and the binlog_row_image parameter is set to full. Otherwise, error messages are returned during the precheck and the data migration task fails to be started.

      Important

      If the source database is a self-managed MySQL database deployed in a dual-primary cluster, you must set the log_slave_updates parameter to ON. This ensures that DTS can obtain all binary logs.

    • The binary logs of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance must be stored for at least three days. We recommend that you store the binary logs seven days. The binary logs of a self-managed MySQL database must be stored for at least seven days. Otherwise, DTS may fail to obtain the binary logs and the task may fail. In exceptional circumstances, data inconsistency or loss may occur. Make sure that you configure the retention period of binary logs based on the preceding requirements. Otherwise, the service reliability or performance stated in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) of DTS may not be guaranteed.

      Note

      For more information about how to set Retention Period of the binary logs of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, see Configure parameters based on which the system automatically deletes the binary log files of an RDS instance.

  • Limits on operations to be performed on the source database:

    • During schema migration and full data migration, do not execute DDL statements to change the schemas of databases or tables. Otherwise, the data migration task fails.

    • If you perform only full data migration, do not write data to the source database during data migration. Otherwise, data inconsistency between the source and destination databases occurs. To ensure data consistency, we recommend that you select schema migration, full data migration, and incremental data migration as the migration types.

  • The data generated by change operation of binary logs, such as data restored from a physical backup or data from a cascade operation, is not recorded and migrated to the destination database when the data migration instance is running.

    Note

    If the change data is not recorded and migrated to the destination database, you can migrate full data again on the premise that your business is not affected.

  • If the source database is MySQL database 8.0.23 or later, and the data to be migrated includes invisible columns, the data of the columns cannot be obtained and data loss occurs.

    Note
    • To make the columns visible, run the ALTER TABLE <table_name> ALTER COLUMN <column_name> SET VISIBLE; command. For more information, see Invisible Columns.

    • Tables that do not have primary keys automatically generate invisible primary keys. You need to make the invisible primary keys visible. For more information, see Generated Invisible Primary Keys.

Other limits

  • Before you configure a data migration task, you must create a Kafka cluster of version 0.10.1.0 to 2.0.

  • You can select only tables as the objects to be migrated.

  • Before you migrate data, evaluate the impact of data migration on the performance of the source and destination databases. We recommend that you migrate data during off-peak hours. During full data migration, DTS uses the read and write resources of the source and destination databases. This may increase the loads on the database servers.

  • During full data migration, concurrent INSERT operations cause fragmentation in the tables of the destination database. After full data migration is complete, the tablespace of the destination database is larger than that of the source database.

  • You must make sure that the precision settings for columns of the FLOAT or DOUBLE data type meet your business requirements. DTS uses the ROUND(COLUMN,PRECISION) function to retrieve values from columns of the FLOAT or DOUBLE data type. If you do not specify a precision, DTS sets the precision for columns of the FLOAT data type to 38 digits and the precision for columns of the DOUBLE data type to 308 digits.

  • DTS attempts to resume data migration tasks that failed within the last seven days. Before you switch workloads to the destination database, you must stop or release the failed task. You can also execute the REVOKE statement to revoke the write permissions from the accounts that are used by DTS to access the destination database. Otherwise, the data in the source database overwrites the data in the destination database after a failed task is resumed.

  • Data inconsistency between the source and destination databases occurs if data from other sources is written to the destination database during data synchronization.

  • If the destination Kafka cluster is upgraded or downgraded during data migration, you must restart the data migration task.

  • If the source database is an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance for which the EncDB feature is enabled, full data migration cannot be performed.

    Note

    ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances that have the Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) feature enabled support schema migration, full data migration, and incremental data migration.

  • If a DTS task fails to run, DTS technical support will try to restore the task within 8 hours. During the restoration, the task may be restarted, and the parameters of the task may be modified.

    Note

    Only the parameters of the task may be modified. The parameters of databases are not modified. The parameters that may be modified include but are not limited to the parameters in the "Modify instance parameters" section of the Modify the parameters of a DTS instance topic.

Special cases

  • If the source database is a self-managed MySQL database, take note of the following limits:

    • If you perform a primary/secondary switchover on the source database when the data migration task is running, the task fails.

    • DTS calculates migration latency based on the timestamp of the latest migrated data in the destination database and the current timestamp in the source database. If no DML operation is performed on the source database for a long time, the migration latency may be inaccurate. If the latency of the data migration task is excessively high, you can perform a DML operation on the source database to update the latency.

      Note

      If you select an entire database as the object to be migrated, you can create a heartbeat table. The heartbeat table is updated or receives data every second.

    • DTS executes the CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS `test` statement in the source database as scheduled to move forward the binary log file position.

  • If the source database is an Apsara RDS for MySQL instance, take note of the following limit:

    • In incremental data migration, an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that does not record transaction logs, such as a read-only ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL V5.6 instance, cannot be used as the source database.

    • DTS executes the CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS `test` statement in the source database as scheduled to move forward the binary log file position.

Billing rules

Migration type

Task configuration fee

Internet traffic fee

Schema migration and full data migration

Free of charge.

Charged only when data is migrated from Alibaba Cloud over the Internet. For more information, see Billing overview.

Incremental data migration

Charged. For more information, see Billing overview.

Migration types

  • Schema migration

    DTS migrates the schemas of the selected objects from the source database to the destination database.

  • Full data migration

    DTS migrates the historical data of required objects from the source database to the destination database.

  • Incremental data migration

    After full data migration is complete, DTS migrates incremental data from the source database to the destination database. Incremental data migration allows data to be migrated smoothly without interrupting the services of self-managed applications during data migration.

SQL operations that can be incrementally migrated

Operation type

SQL statement

DML

INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE

DDL

  • CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, DROP TABLE, RENAME TABLE, and TRUNCATE TABLE

  • CREATE VIEW, ALTER VIEW, and DROP VIEW

  • CREATE PROCEDURE, ALTER PROCEDURE, and DROP PROCEDURE

  • CREATE FUNCTION, DROP FUNCTION, CREATE TRIGGER, and DROP TRIGGER

  • CREATE INDEX and DROP INDEX

Permissions required for database accounts

Instance

Schema migration

Full data migration

Incremental data migration

The source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

The read permissions on the objects to be migrated.

Procedure

  1. Use one of the following methods to go to the Data Migration page and select the region in which the data migration instance resides.

    DTS console

    1. Log on to the DTS console.

    2. In the left-side navigation pane, click Data Migration.

    3. In the upper-left corner of the page, select the region in which the data migration instance resides.

    DMS console

    Note

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

    1. Log on to the DMS console.

    2. In the top navigation bar, move the pointer over Data + AI > DTS (DTS) > Data Migration.

    3. From the drop-down list to the right of Data Migration Tasks, select the region in which the data synchronization instance resides.

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

  3. Configure the source and destination databases. The following table describes the parameters.

    Warning

    After you configure the source and destination databases, we recommend that you read the Limits that are displayed in the upper part of the page. Otherwise, the task may fail or data inconsistency may occur.

    Section

    Parameter

    Description

    N/A

    Task Name

    The name of the DTS task. DTS automatically generates a task name. We recommend that you specify a descriptive name that makes it easy to identify the task. You do not need to specify a unique task name.

    Source Database

    Select Existing Connection

    • If you use a database instance that is registered with DTS, select the instance from the drop-down list. DTS automatically populates the following database parameters for the instance. For more information, see Manage database connections.

      Note

      In the DMS console, you can select the database instance from the Select a DMS database instance drop-down list.

    • If you fail to register the instance with DTS, or you do not need to use the instance that is registered with DTS, you must configure the following database information.

    Database Type

    The type of the source database. Select MySQL.

    Access Method

    The access method of the source database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.

    Instance Region

    The region in which the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance resides.

    Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts

    Specifies whether to migrate data across Alibaba Cloud accounts. In this example, No is selected.

    RDS Instance ID

    The ID of the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

    Database Account

    The database account of the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. The account must have the read permissions on the objects to be migrated.

    Database Password

    The password that is used to access the database.

    Encryption

    Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the database. You can select Non-encrypted or SSL-encrypted based on your business requirements. If you want to set this parameter to SSL-encrypted, you must enable SSL encryption for the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance before you configure the DTS task. For more information, see Use a cloud certificate to enable SSL encryption.

    Destination Database

    Select Existing Connection

    • If you use a database instance that is registered with DTS, select the instance from the drop-down list. DTS automatically populates the following database parameters for the instance. For more information, see Manage database connections.

      Note

      In the DMS console, you can select the database instance from the Select a DMS database instance drop-down list.

    • If you fail to register the instance with DTS, or you do not need to use the instance that is registered with DTS, you must configure the following database information.

    Database Type

    The type of the destination database. Select Kafka.

    Access Method

    The access method of the destination database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.

    Instance Region

    The region in which the destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance resides.

    Kafka Instance ID

    The ID of the destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance.

    Encryption

    Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the destination instance. Select Non-encrypted or SCRAM-SHA-256 based on your business and security requirements.

    Topic

    The topic that is used to receive the migrated data. Select a topic from the drop-down list.

    Topic That Stores DDL Information

    The topic that is used to store the DDL information. Select a topic from the drop-down list. If you do not configure this parameter, the DDL information is stored in the topic that is specified by the Topic parameter.

    Use Kafka Schema Registry

    Specifies whether to use Kafka Schema Registry. Kafka Schema Registry provides a serving layer for your metadata. It provides a RESTful API to store and retrieve your Avro schemas. Valid values:

    • No

    • Yes: If you select Yes for this parameter, you must enter the URL or IP address that is registered in Kafka Schema Registry for your Avro schemas.

  4. In the lower part of the page, click Test Connectivity and Proceed.

    Note
    • Make sure that the CIDR blocks of DTS servers can be automatically or manually added to the security settings of the source and destination databases to allow access from DTS servers. For more information, see Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers.

    • If the source or destination database is a self-managed database and its Access Method is not set to Alibaba Cloud Instance, click Test Connectivity in the CIDR Blocks of DTS Servers dialog box.

  5. Configure the objects to be migrated.

    1. On the Configure Objects page, configure the objects that you want to migrate.

      Parameter

      Description

      Migration Types

      • To perform only full data migration, select Schema Migration and Full Data Migration.

      • To ensure service continuity during data migration, select Schema Migration, Full Data Migration, and Incremental Data Migration.

      Note
      • Schema migration is not supported when the destination database is an ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance.

      • If you do not select Incremental Data Migration, we recommend that you do not write data to the source database during data migration. This ensures data consistency between the source and destination databases.

      Processing Mode of Conflicting Tables

      • Precheck and Report Errors: checks whether the destination database contains tables that use the same names as tables in the source database. If the source and destination databases do not contain tables that have identical table names, the precheck is passed. Otherwise, an error is returned during the precheck and the data migration task cannot be started.

        Note

        If the source and destination databases contain tables with identical names and the tables in the destination database cannot be deleted or renamed, you can use the object name mapping feature to rename the tables that are migrated to the destination database. For more information, see Database, table, and column name mapping.

      • Ignore Errors and Proceed: skips the precheck for identical table names in the source and destination databases.

        Warning

        If you select Ignore Errors and Proceed, data inconsistency may occur and your business may be exposed to the following potential risks:

        • If the source and destination databases have the same schema, and a data record has the same primary key as an existing data record in the destination database, the following scenarios may occur:

          • During full data migration, DTS does not migrate the data record to the destination database. The existing data record in the destination database is retained.

          • During incremental data migration, DTS migrates the data record to the destination database. The existing data record in the destination database is overwritten.

        • If the source and destination databases have different schemas, only specific columns are migrated or the data migration task fails. Proceed with caution.

      Data Format in Kafka

      The format in which data is stored in the destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance.

      • If you select DTS Avro, data is parsed based on the schema definition of DTS Avro. For more information, see GitHub.

      • If you select Canal Json, data is parsed into the Canal JSON format. For more information about the parameters that are used to parse data into the Canal JSON format and the sample code, see the Canal Json section in the topic "Data formats in a message queue".

      Kafka Data Compression Format

      The compression format for Kafka compressed data. Select a compression format based on your business requirements. Valid values:

      • LZ4: (default): low compression ratio and high compression speed.

      • GZIP: high compression ratio and low compression speed.

        Note

        GZIP compression consumes a large quantity of CPU resources.

      • Snappy: medium compression ratio and medium compression speed.

      Policy for Shipping Data to Kafka Partitions

      The policy for migrating data to Kafka partitions. Select a policy based on your business requirements. For more information, see Specify the policy for migrating data to Kafka partitions.

      Message acknowledgement mechanism

      The message acknowledgement mechanism when DTS migrates data to an Apache Kafka instance. For more information, see Message acknowledgement mechanism.

      Capitalization of Object Names in Destination Instance

      The capitalization of database names, table names, and column names in the destination instance. By default, DTS default policy is selected. You can select other options to make sure that the capitalization of object names is consistent with that of the source or destination database. For more information, see Specify the capitalization of object names in the destination instance.

      Source Objects

      Select one or more objects from the Source Objects section. Click the 向右小箭头 icon to add the objects to the Selected Objects section.

      Note

      You can select only tables as the objects to be migrated.

      Selected Objects

      In this example, you do not need to configure this parameter. You can use the object name mapping feature to specify the information about the destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance, such as the name of the topic to which the data in the source table is migrated, number of partitions in the topic, and partition keys. For more information, see the Use the object name mapping feature section of this topic.

      Note
      • If you use the object name mapping feature to rename an object, other objects that depend on the object may fail to be migrated.

      • To migrate DML or DDL operations performed on an object during incremental migration, right-click the object in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, select the DML and DDL operations that you want to migrate. For more information, see the SQL operations that can be incrementally migrated section of this topic.

    2. Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced settings.

      Parameter

      Description

      Dedicated Cluster for Task Scheduling

      By default, DTS schedules the data migration task to the shared cluster if you do not specify a dedicated cluster. If you want to improve the stability of data migration tasks, purchase a dedicated cluster. For more information, see What is a DTS dedicated cluster.

      Retry Time for Failed Connections

      The retry time range for failed connections. If the source or destination database fails to be connected after the data migration task is started, DTS immediately retries a connection within the retry time range. Valid values: 10 to 1,440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 720. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 30. If DTS is reconnected to the source and destination databases within the specified retry time range, DTS resumes the data migration task. Otherwise, the data migration task fails.

      Note
      • If you specify different retry time ranges for multiple data migration tasks that share the same source or destination database, the value that is specified later takes precedence.

      • When DTS retries a connection, you are charged for the DTS instance. We recommend that you specify the retry time range based on your business requirements. You can also release the DTS instance at the earliest opportunity after the source database and destination instance are released.

      Retry Time for Other Issues

      The retry time range for other issues. For example, if DDL or DML operations fail to be performed after the data migration task is started, DTS immediately retries the operations within the retry time range. Valid values: 1 to 1440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 10. We recommend that you set the parameter to a value greater than 10. If the failed operations are successfully performed within the specified retry time range, DTS resumes the data migration task. Otherwise, the data migration task fails.

      Important

      The value of the Retry Time for Other Issues parameter must be smaller than the value of the Retry Time for Failed Connections parameter.

      Enable Throttling for Full Data Migration

      Specifies whether to enable throttling for full data migration. During full data migration, DTS uses the read and write resources of the source and destination databases. This may increase the loads of the database servers. You can enable throttling for full data migration based on your business requirements. To configure throttling, you must configure the Queries per second (QPS) to the source database, RPS of Full Data Migration, and Data migration speed for full migration (MB/s) parameters. This reduces the loads of the destination database server.

      Note

      You can configure this parameter only if you select Full Data Migration for the Migration Types parameter.

      Enable Throttling for Incremental Data Migration

      Specifies whether to enable throttling for incremental data migration. To configure throttling, you must configure the RPS of Incremental Data Migration and Data migration speed for incremental migration (MB/s) parameters. This reduces the loads of the destination database server.

      Note

      You can configure this parameter only if you select Incremental Data Migration for the Migration Types parameter.

      Whether to delete SQL operations on heartbeat tables of forward and reverse tasks

      Specifies whether to write SQL operations on heartbeat tables to the source database while the DTS instance is running. Valid values:

      • Yes: does not write SQL operations on heartbeat tables. In this case, a latency of the DTS instance may be displayed.

      • No: writes SQL operations on heartbeat tables. In this case, features such as physical backup and cloning of the source database may be affected.

      Environment Tag

      The environment tag that is used to identify the DTS instance. You can select an environment tag based on your business requirements. In this example, no environment tag is added.

      Configure ETL

      Specifies whether to enable the extract, transform, and load (ETL) feature. For more information, see What is ETL? Valid values:

      Monitoring and Alerting

      Specifies whether to configure alerting for the data migration task. If the task fails or the migration latency exceeds the specified threshold, the alert contacts receive notifications. Valid values:

  6. Save the task settings and run a precheck.

    • To view the parameters to be specified when you call the relevant API operation to configure the DTS task, move the pointer over Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck and click Preview OpenAPI parameters.

    • If you do not need to view or have viewed the parameters, click Next: Save Task Settings and Precheck in the lower part of the page.

    Note
    • Before you can start the data migration task, DTS performs a precheck. You can start the data migration task only after the task passes the precheck.

    • If the task fails to pass the precheck, click View Details next to each failed item. After you analyze the causes based on the check results, troubleshoot the issues. Then, run a precheck again.

    • If an alert is triggered for an item during the precheck:

      • If an alert item cannot be ignored, click View Details next to the failed item and troubleshoot the issues. Then, run a precheck again.

      • If the alert item can be ignored, click Confirm Alert Details. In the View Details dialog box, click Ignore. In the message that appears, click OK. Then, click Precheck Again to run a precheck again. If you ignore the alert item, data inconsistency may occur, and your business may be exposed to potential risks.

  7. Purchase an instance.

    1. Wait until Success Rate becomes 100%. Then, click Next: Purchase Instance.

    2. On the Purchase Instance page, configure the Instance Class parameter for the data migration instance. The following table describes the parameters.

      Section

      Parameter

      Description

      New Instance Class

      Resource Group

      The resource group to which the data migration instance belongs. Default value: default resource group. For more information, see What is Resource Management?

      Instance Class

      DTS provides instance classes that vary in the migration speed. You can select an instance class based on your business scenario. For more information, see Instance classes of data migration instances.

    3. Read and agree to Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms by selecting the check box.

    4. Click Buy and Start. In the message that appears, click OK.

      You can view the progress of the task on the Data Migration page.

      Note
      • If a data migration task cannot be used to migrate incremental data, the task automatically stops. The Completed is displayed in the Status section.

      • If a data migration task can be used to migrate incremental data, the task does not automatically stop. The incremental data migration task never stops or completes. The Running is displayed in the Status section.

Use the object name mapping feature

  1. In the Selected Objects section, move the pointer over the topic name.

  2. Right-click Edit.

  3. In the dialog box that appears, configure the parameters that are described in the following table.

    Parameter

    Description

    Table Name

    The name of the topic to which the data in the source table is migrated. By default, this parameter is set to the value of Topic in the Destination Database section in the Configurations for Source and Destination Databases step.

    Important
    • When the destination database is an ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance, the topic must exist in the destination ApsaraMQ for Kafka instance. Otherwise, data migration fails. When you migrate data to a self-managed Kafka cluster, and a schema migration task is included in the migration instance, DTS attempts to create the topic that you specify in the destination database.

    • If you change the value of the Table Name parameter for the source table to the name of a topic in the destination database, the data in the table is written to the specified topic.

    Filter Conditions

    For more information, see Specify filter conditions.

    Number of Partitions

    The number of partitions in the topic to which the data is migrated.

    Partition Key

    If you set the Policy for Shipping Data to Kafka Partitions parameter to Ship Data to Separate Partitions Based on Hash Values of Primary Keys, configure this parameter to specify one or more columns as partition keys to calculate hash values. DTS delivers different rows to each partition of the destination topic based on the calculated hash values.

    Note

    To select Partition Key for columns, you must first clear Synchronize All Tables.

  4. Click OK.