What is Azure Database Migration Service?
Modern businesses have to adopt new technologies to adapt and thrive in the changing business environment. Embracing new technologies often entails moving data from legacy systems to the cloud. Such a transfer is often a complicated and daunting challenge. Industry leaders like Microsoft are pushing the boundaries to develop innovative solutions that simplify cloud migration services that optimize IT infrastructure for facilitating the adoption process by improving speed and efficiency.
There are many barriers before an organization that prevents its adoption to cloud technology. Microsoft has developed several migration tools that help businesses breach these barriers.
Let’s discuss the details of the Azure Database Migration Service (ADBMS or ADMS) and find out how it can be leveraged for transferring data to the cloud. Before we delve into the topic, let see what the other tools and services for Azure data migration are:
What Are the Different Microsoft Migration Tools and Services?
Microsoft has developed a range of solutions spanning across tools and services to migrate data to the cloud. These options can be confusing for businesses that are not familiar with their functioning.
1. Azure Migrate
Azure Migrate is a centralized migration platform offering several tools to assess and migrate on-premises servers, databases, web applications, virtual desktops, and data to Azure.
2. Data Migration Assistant (DMA)
The Data Migration Assistant (DMA) is a tool for identifying compatibility issues between the existing databases and the newer SQL Server or Azure SQL Database to which the business migrates. It generates a list of recommendations for improving the performance and reliability of the target environment for moving schema, data, and other objects from the source to the target server.
3. SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA)
The SSMA is a tool that automates data migration from Microsoft Access, DB2, MySQL, Oracle, and SAP ASE to SQL Server. It is particularly useful in moving data from non-Microsoft products to cloud database environments like Azure SQL Database and Azure SQL Data Warehouse.
4. Database Experimentation Assistant (DEA)
The DEA is an experimentation tool for customers to evaluate a workload on a specific version of SQL Server. It provides analysis metrics for users migrating from older SQL Server versions to the newer ones.
5. Azure Database Migration Service (DMS)
The DMS is an offering that provides an end-to-end solution for migrating to Microsoft cloud solutions from different source databases. Unlike the other solutions which are tools, DMS is a comprehensive service based on Microsoft’s best practices that require minimal intervention from users for migrating projects.
6. Data Access Migration Toolkit
This tool is one of the latest migration offerings from Microsoft. It is intended to be used for migrating application source code from one database platform to another and analyzing database access to applications. It must, however, be noted that the tool is still in preview and is work in progress.
The above-mentioned are the six different Microsoft migration tools and services. However, our subject of interest in the Azure Database Migration Service (ADMS).
What Are the Steps Involved in Migration?
The migration process can be compartmentalized into 3 different series of steps.
Pre-Migration
These steps include a series of measures that have to be taken before initiating the migration process.
It begins with the process of discovering and inventorying of the different database assets and application stacks. This is followed by the assessment of workloads and implementing the recommendations based on best practices. The last step in the pre-migration process is to convert the source schema to make it compatible with the target environment.
Migration
The schema that has been made compatible with the target environment can be exported along with other objects to the target environment. The target schema and data will have to be synced with the source to enable the migration. The final step in the process is to perform a cutover from the source to the target once the sync is complete.
Post-Migration
Once the migration is complete, users will have to continuously monitor applications, take remedial actions, perform tests and optimize performance based on the results.
How is Azure Database Migration Service Different?
Unlike other offerings which are tools designed to enable or assist migrations, Azure Database Migration Service is a comprehensive solution that can be done even by laypeople. ADMS is a very user-friendly cloud migration solution to move data to the Azure cloud. All the best practices of Azure data migration are incorporated as suggested by Microsoft. Also, it is a fully managed database migration service agnostic of its source environment.
The service can be used to transfer data at scale from different warehouses into the Azure cloud with minimal downtime and user involvement. It has become the preferred method for migrating different SQL Server databases to Azure. The ADMS method has emerged as one of the important methods of Azure data migration solutions.
How Does Azure DMS Simplify Migration?
Several factors have to be considered for cloud migration projects. Some of these factors include:
- Cost projection analysis
- Handling downtimes
- Optimizing simultaneous migration processes
There could be other factors based on the sphere of operations for different businesses. Organizations with limited IT resources may find it particularly challenging.
With Azure DMS, these factors can be managed with greater efficiency as the service is optimized to handle several data-heavy servers simultaneously for quick and efficient data migration to Azure.
There are other factors like downtime, data leak protection, pre-planning, and user-intervention are also reduced considerably as compared to migrations using other tools.
Why Businesses Should Use Azure Data Migration Service (ADMS)?
Since Azure Database Migration Service automates and integrates many migration processes, it is a much more comprehensive solution than any other migration tools offered by Microsoft. Particularly in the preparation phase, the ADMS minimizes the necessity for technical knowledge involved in the migration process.
It provides clear guidelines for the first-time users performing the process reducing the friction in implementation of the steps. The Azure DMS, for example, provides all the capabilities of the DMA generating detailed assessment reports on pertinent parameters to simplify migration. These can be used to implement recommended changes before the DMS automatically performs all the steps for migration.
How to Optimize the Azure Data Migration Service (ADMS)?
Regardless of the simplicity of the Azure Database Migration Service or the level of IT expertise your organization can muster internally, migrating large volumes of data from legacy systems to the cloud fundamentally changes the way you do business.
While the general requirements in terms of skills, personnel, and technology remain the same, several different migration scenarios exist which have different prerequisites. As a certified Microsoft Gold Partner and a Tier 1 CSP for Azure and Office 365, Apps4Rent provides 24/7 technical support via phone, chat, and email for Azure migration services.
Talk to our consultants for migration assistance today.
