Migrating a proprietary database to open source is a major decision that can significantly affect your organization. It’s a complex process involving various factors and meticulous planning. Whether the migration is prompted by the need for enhanced performance and efficiency, improved scalability, the desire to implement multi-cloud and hybrid strategies, changes in technology, reduced storage and licensing costs, or breaking free of vendor lock-in, the decision to migrate a database to open source should be well-informed and supported by a clear strategy.
Today, we’ll be taking a deep dive into the intricacies of database migration, along with specific solutions to help make the process easier.
Our goal with this post is to equip you with a comprehensive understanding of the steps, best practices, and pros and cons to ensure a smooth — and successful — transition to an open source database environment.
Advantages of migrating to open source
For many reasons mentioned earlier, organizations are increasingly shifting towards open source databases for their data management needs. The findings from our 2023 Open Source Database Report highlight that a substantial 42% of all database instances are now licensed through community-supported open source models, and GitHub reports that over 30% of Fortune 100 companies have established open source program offices (OSPO) to coordinate and manage their open source initiatives.
If you are considering a database migration, opting for open source solutions offers several advantages that can greatly benefit your organization:
Savings
One of the most obvious benefits of open source databases is cost-effectiveness. Open source databases are typically more budget-friendly than their proprietary counterparts, which often come with escalating licensing fees and expensive support contracts. The savings can be particularly significant for organizations looking to optimize their IT spending.
Free of vendor lock-in
Vendor lock-in refers to the loss of freedom to scale, innovate, or switch to alternatives due to dependencies on a specific database vendor. Open source databases free you from this lock-in, offering the flexibility to adapt and evolve without being tied to a single vendor and the resulting increased costs due to licensing fees.
Flexibility and scalability
Open source databases provide much greater flexibility regarding customization and configuration. You can tailor the database to meet your precise requirements by modifying the source code, adding extensions, or customizing configurations. This flexibility extends to scaling your database, ensuring your database environment remains agile and adaptable as your business grows.
Community support
One of the most significant advantages of open source databases is the expansive global community of users, developers, DBAs, and enthusiasts who collaborate to provide a seemingly never-ending array of how-tos, resources, guidance, and solutions to help you make your database more performant and secure. With the open source community to tap into, you’re never alone when facing challenges with your database setup.
Compatibility
Open source databases are designed with interoperability at their core, adhering to industry standards and offering support for a wide range of data import and export formats. This compatibility simplifies the migration of data from other environments, whether they are proprietary or another open source option.
While the advantages of migrating to open source are many, it’s understandable that there may still be reservations. In the following sections, we’ll address these common concerns and provide insights on how to overcome them.
Download our free eBook, “Why Choose Open Source?” to learn more about the advantages of open source databases.
Challenges — real and perceived — of migrating to open source
As enticing as the advantages of open source databases are, it’s crucial to acknowledge the real and perceived challenges that can deter organizations from migrating. Let’s look at a few of these that may, at first, appear intimidating when considering a migration to open source.
A lack of support
One significant challenge often perceived before or during the migration process is the fear of losing technical support. With proprietary databases, customers often get used to having constant technical support from their vendors, especially if the organization they work for lacks in-house expertise. This could cause apprehension in making the jump to open source.
Limited toolset and features
Another challenge that organizations may face when considering open source is the perception that community software versions have a limited set of features. Because proprietary databases often have a wide array of tools and functions built-in, open source versions, at first glance, can seem less robust and unable to meet an organization’s requirements.
Security and risk
The question “Is Open Source software safe?” is one of the most common ones asked in the database world, and potential users may feel like every aspect of database security is up to them. In contrast, proprietary databases provide a sense of security because someone else is responsible. Concerns about the potential to work 24/7 or rely on community support for keeping up with open source security updates, patches, and database configurations could cause apprehension in users interested in migrating away from where they already feel protected.
Compatibility
Moving from proprietary databases to open source alternatives can indeed raise compatibility concerns for organizations with tightly integrated applications. These vendors often provide integrated stacks that include the database, application server, and other components that seamlessly integrate. The simplicity of a proprietary setup can be understandably attractive to developers and DBAs, and the idea of migrating to open source solutions while working to ensure compatibility may be of great concern.
While there is validity to considering these challenges, it’s important to understand the importance of having the right expertise to make any migration to open source that much easier. Whether through the assistance of an in-house tech team or a reliable third-party partner that won’t lock you in, having the right support can help overcome these hurdles — and many others. Working with experienced professionals and leveraging the community’s support can be invaluable in navigating this migration while preserving the integrity of your database. Additionally, there is the value of utilizing enterprise-grade versions of open source software, which cannot be understated. These versions offer enhanced features, tools, support, and security without the high costs of proprietary software.
Once the decision to migrate is made, there are essential steps that can be taken to ensure a successful move.
Essential steps of migrating to open source
Careful and thoughtful planning is the foundation of a successful open source software migration; it’s a decision that cannot be taken lightly or done haphazardly. In this section, we’ll outline the essential steps involved in migrating to open source databases.
Planning
Assessment: Clarify the purpose and objectives
The process of migrating your database to an open source solution begins with a comprehensive assessment. Start by identifying the reasons driving the migration. Are you looking to enhance performance, improve scalability, cut expenses, or gain access to specific features you don’t currently have? Clearly defining your motivations will help keep the migration on the straight and narrow and more aligned with your objectives.
Software selection: Finding the right fit
Choosing the right open source database that meets your needs is crucial. Think about your data and workload requirements and determine whether a relational (SQL) or non-relational (NoSQL) database suits them best. MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, and others each have unique strengths and weaknesses and should be evaluated based on factors such as scalability, compatibility, performance, security, data types, community support, licensing rules, compliance, and, of course, the all-important learning curve if your choice is new to you.
Strategy: Choosing your path
Having a strategy for your migration will make the move to open source go that much smoother. Your approach should align with your goals, abilities, and organizational requirements, and there are some common migration strategies for you to consider as you move forward.
- Parallel run: Operating both the existing and new database system simultaneously during the transition, allowing for a seamless fallback in case of any issues.
- Phased migration: Gradually moving specific data, components, or functionalities from your old database to the new open source database, which helps to minimize disruptions. Keep in mind, however, that it will likely extend the time it takes to migrate.
- Full cutover: Migrating entirely to the new open source database at a specific point in time, all at once. This approach can minimize complexities but requires complete confidence in your preparations, tests, and abilities.
Resource allocation: Personnel, hardware, time, and money
The migration to open source requires careful allocation (and knowledge) of the resources available to you. Some of the biggest concerns are about personnel: Do I have the right people, with the right skills and expertise, to successfully make this transition? Does anyone on my team require further training before we start? Should I be bringing in external experts to help out?
Evaluating your hardware requirements is another vital aspect of resource allocation. Look closely at your current infrastructure (hardware, storage, networks, etc.) and determine if it is compatible with the open source database you are migrating to. If not, you may need to invest in different or upgraded hardware to ensure optimal performance post-migration.
Next, you should define a realistic timeline to complete your migration. Consider the possibility of disruptions that could affect operations — and plan for unexpected issues.
And finally… budgets. When planning for your database migration, be sure to allocate enough budget to not only cover your personnel needs (in-house or external), hardware upgrades/changes, and any third-party services you may require but also consider adding in contingency funds to protect against any unexpected costs.
Data preparation
Backup
Preparing your data is a critical phase in any database migration project, especially when moving from proprietary software to an open source version. Ensuring a smooth transition depends on two key aspects: completing a full backup of your existing database and data cleanup efforts that transform your existing data to fit the standards of the chosen open source database.
Taking a complete backup of your current database is a must. Not a “maybe” or an “I’ll do it later.” It’s a requirement — not a recommendation. If you have a comprehensive backup in place, in a secure location, any unexpected issues or data loss during the migration will be easier to mitigate and minimize disruptions for your organization.
Cleanup
Now that you have your data backed up (you do, right?), it’s time to focus on data cleanup.
Data cleanup, which involves a series of tasks such as data-type conversions and schema changes to enhance compatibility, plays a crucial role in making your migration to open source a success. Proprietary databases often have unique data structures, formats, and data types that might not align with open source versions, and data cleanup transforms your existing data to fit the new standards while protecting its integrity.
- Data-type conversions: You must convert proprietary data types to ones supported by the new open source database to avoid data-type conflicts.
- Schema adjustments: Make schema adjustments to align with the requirements of your chosen open source database. This can include renaming tables, columns, and fields.
- Data transformation: The data stored in a proprietary database might require transformation (modifying data values, reformatting dates) to meet the format and structure of the open source database.
- Data declutter: This is also a great time to really clean out the data itself. Over time, databases accumulate redundant or outdated data, and starting your migration with a clean dataset makes it not only simpler but also comes with the bonus of improved query performance in your new environment.
Database setup
To start your migration, you’ll need to install the new open source database software on your server or a cloud platform. Once you’ve made your choice (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.), start the installation process by downloading the distribution for your chosen platform and following the installation instructions provided by the vendor or as discussed in the open source community.
Once the software is installed, the next step is configuring it to meet your requirements. This is where you will fine-tune authentication mechanisms, storage paths, security policies, and memory allocation settings to optimize them for your specific use case(s). By customizing the database configurations now, you can maximize the benefits of your new open source database while preparing for successful data migration.
Migration of schema and data
It’s getting to be go-time around here! Just a few more essential steps to follow in your migration journey…
Analyzing the schema
Before you move forward with the migration of your data, you need to analyze the existing proprietary schema. This analysis serves as a guide for creating a corresponding schema within the open source database environment you have chosen. It’s crucial to map tables, indexes, and constraints to their counterparts in the new environment to maintain relational structures and data integrity as you continue the migration.
Data migration
Now that you have your schema in place, it’s time to migrate the actual data itself. Depending on the open source database you are moving to, there are tools such as mysqldump and pg_dump that efficiently extract data and transform it to make this process easier and ensure seamless integration in the new environment.
Migration of apps
Now that you’ve migrated the data, it’s time to make some adjustments. Connection strings and configuration files bridge your application and the database, dictating how they communicate. When migrating to a new open source database, it’s essential to update them to reduce the risk of disruption and data inconsistency. In addition, changing that database system often requires code modifications to ensure seamless compatibility.
Update connection strings and configuration files
Identify existing connections: Begin by identifying all the connection strings or configuration files within your applications that are currently pointed to the old database system.
Adapting for the new database: This includes adapting your connection strings and configuration files — specifying the database server’s address, port, authentication credentials, etc. — to reflect the specifics of the new database.
Thorough testing: Check and make sure your application can establish connections to the new database, as well as retrieve, organize, and arrange data as expected.
Establish a backup strategy: Before implementing these changes in a production environment, establish a backup and rollback strategy so you can revert to the previous configuration to avoid data loss.
Modifying the code
Data type mapping: Code that relies on specific data types should align with the new database’s data types.
Stored procedures and functions: If your application uses stored procedures or user-defined functions, these must adapted to the new database. The logic and syntax of stored procedures may differ between database systems.
SQL compatibility: Different database systems may vary in SQL syntax and supported functions. Review your existing SQL queries and ensure they are compatible with the new open source database.
Security configurations: How user roles and permissions work may vary between database types, so changes may be needed to ensure that the application’s security model matches the settings of the new open source database.
Indexes and constraints: Because different databases may have specific rules for indexing or enforcing constraints, make sure any indexes, constraints, or triggers in your code align with the new requirements.
Quality assurance
Here, we look at some key considerations for maintaining data integrity, application functionality, and performance optimization during your database migration:
Testing
Quality assurance begins with comprehensive unit testing to verify the functionality of individual components in your system. Once completed, integration testing ensures the successful interaction of these components, and user acceptance testing validates that the system behaves as expected for users. By identifying and addressing the potential for issues early, you can help prevent them from becoming even more significant later.
Performance tuning
The first critical move in performance tuning is query optimization. This helps to enhance the efficiency of your database queries, resulting in reduced response times for users. Crafting suitable indexes also helps to expedite data retrieval and maintain optimal performance as your database grows.
Documentation
As you make changes to your database during the migration process, it’s crucial to update your documentation. This documentation should encompass modifications to the database schema, alterations in query structures, and any adjustments to configurations to assist your team in not only understanding the new environment but also troubleshooting any issues that arise.
Deployment
Once you have finished the migration process and have completely tested your new open source database — and all is well — the next step is to deploy it. Here are some considerations for you to keep in mind.
Rollout
Opting for a gradual rollout of the new open source database can present several advantages. Instead of making a sudden and complete launch, consider transitioning applications and services incrementally, which allows you to find and address any unforeseen issues. It also can minimize disruptions to your daily operations and users.
Monitoring
Continuous and comprehensive monitoring is essential for the long-term success of your new open source database. You will want to start and continue monitoring database and query performance as well as assess your configuration settings to optimize resource utilization and system performance.
Taking a phased rollout approach and continuously monitoring your database is essential to a successful deployment and the long-term reliability of your new environment.
Finalize migration
These final steps in the migration process help to ensure a seamless transition to your new open source database.
Before fully committing to your new open source database, it’s essential to perform final data synchronization. During the migration process, there may have been changes or updates to your data. This synchronization step ensures that any alterations or additions are correctly integrated into the new database, serving as a critical quality control measure to maintain data integrity and consistency. A final data sync confirms that the new open source database has the most up-to-date information.
Everything up and running flawlessly, using the synchronized data? It’s retirement time for your old database. This step involves shutting it down and terminating all services, connections, and processes associated with the system, ensuring that no data gets accidentally written to the old database.
Documentation and evaluation
As you finish up your open source database migration, there are two vital steps to consider: documentation and evaluation. These post-migration actions are vital for ensuring the long-term success of your migration efforts and establishing a foundation for future enhancements.
Detailed documentation
Creating comprehensive documentation is a fundamental aspect of the post-migration process, going beyond the technical steps of the migration and covering the entire project. It should include detailed records of the challenges encountered, the solutions devised, and the best practices discovered during the process, serving as a resource for your IT team for troubleshooting and ongoing maintenance.
Assessment and continuous improvement
Consider whether the migration achieved your goals, such as enhanced performance, improved security, or cost savings, and identify any unexpected challenges that you faced during the process so you can refine your migration strategy for future needs.
Get expert database migration support from Percona
Migrating your database to an open source solution may appear, at least at first, a daunting experience. However, it’s crucial to remember that with the right software tools, expertise, and support, this process can be not only manageable but also rewarding. The benefits you will see from your open source migration— enhanced performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency — are worth the effort!
Choosing a trusted partner can greatly simplify the migration by providing guidance, automation, and solutions to commonly faced migration challenges. Having skilled experts on hand, with an understanding of both your existing proprietary system and your chosen open source database, is invaluable.
Learn how expert support, services, and enterprise-grade open source MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MongoDB software from Percona ensures uninterrupted performance, availability, and minimal disruption to production traffic — all while avoiding vendor lock-in. Contact us for a no-obligation migration assessment.
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FAQs
What is database migration?
Database migration is the process of moving data and its associated components from one database system to another. This can involve moving data from one type of database to another type, switching to a different tech stack, or adopting open source solutions rather than proprietary ones.
What is a database migration service?
A database migration service is a specialized solution used to simplify complex database migrations, designed to enable and automate the process of transitioning databases to different systems, environments, or cloud platforms.
What are the 3 main database migration strategies?
Database migration strategies can vary depending on the requirements of a migration project, but three common migration strategies are:
Parallel Run involves running both the existing and the new database systems simultaneously during the migration process, allowing for a seamless fallback to the old system in case of unexpected issues.
Phased Migration involves a piece-by-piece move from the old database system to the new one. Specific components, functionalities, or subsets of data are migrated incrementally.
Full Cutover is when the migration occurs at once after all necessary preparations, testing, and configurations are in place.
