Migration Solution Overview

You can migrate data from on-premises SQL Server databases or SQL Server databases built on other clouds to RDS for SQL Server, or from an RDS for SQL Server instance to another RDS for SQL Server instance.

Data migration tools include Data Replication Service (DRS) and Data Admin Service (DAS). You are advised to use DRS because it is easy to use and can complete a migration task in minutes. DRS facilitates data transfer between databases, helping you reduce DBA labor costs and hardware costs.

DRS provides backup migration and real-time synchronization.

• Backup migration: You can export data from the source database for backup and upload the backup files to OBS. Then, you can restore the backup files to the destination database to complete the migration. Using this method, data migration can be completed without exposing your source databases to the Internet.
• Real-time synchronization: Real-time synchronization refers to the real-time flow of key service data from sources to destinations through a synchronization instance while consistency of data can be ensured. It is different from migration. Migration means moving your overall database from one platform to another. Synchronization refers to the continuous flow of data between different services.

For more information, see What Is DRS?