Database Migration is Hard : FACT
There are some aspects of working that are enjoyable, and some not so!
Being asked to migrate a SQL database is one of the not so enjoyable tasks and it gets put off by many as it is hard to do. Here is a possible scenario.
Firstly there is deciding where to start.
- Do I do this on my own or engage a third-party to do it.
- Do I simply start by creating the small tables required by all applicatiosn that may need to use the new database - probably not a good idea to do this, it may be that only one of the applications need to use the new database.
- Who should I discuss migration with, I know, my friend Google. They will know where to start..."moving a database to new installation" - hmm not a good return on that query...try "migration of database" - well that is better - So... many people are asking about MS SQL Server to Oracle - and not one real good answer.
- Well lets go back to who wants this done and why. The good standby questions 5W&H ( taken from a poem by Kipling written in 1902 ),
- Who and Why. The why is simple:The Finance Director says the current database is expensive, the IT Manager's opinion is the hardware is coming to the end of its life and the Users are complaining its slow!
Secondly, there was no recomendations as to what to move the database to.
- What? My first thought is modern. Cloud perhaps - AWS or Azure? Perhaps Hybrid - but what is a Hybrid database - seems like there were never any steam powered databases so they must all be electric! What does Google say about Hybrid databases? "what is a hybrid database" The best quote I gotr was from Altibase
A hybrid database is a database management system that is a balanced database management system that offers high performance data processing in main memory with the vast storage capabilities of physical disk
- Now this seems to use the compute power just like all databases have done for years. What else can we get...A new search " Fastest database technology"... After reading all of these I see many cons that cannot be accepted '"Slow", "Expensive", "Does not have SQL". The summary though had me thinking. "Free options -- Community releases of Enterprise databases"
There are multiple popular databases to choose from, which means that you’re basically guaranteed to find one that will fit your needs. Thanks to the fact that there are a number of excellent free options, individuals and small organizations will still be able to find a database management tool that meets their criteria. On the other hand, if your organization requires a more feature-intensive solution, there are also many paid database solutions available
Finally some inspiration, a modern Fast, SQL, Parallel Column Store Database
What & Where. Now this seems to be what I need. Something to try first. "Community Edition database". Well Google went to work and this time found a database that sounded fast with or without the hype. Vector from Actian! and a newly released Community edition on AWS with a one click install! Perfect
The AWS Market Place is where many Enterprises go for accessible technology
- When & How. Time to head for AWS Market Place...Now I know a of a possible target I will look at the next challenge - getting the data from my current database into this new target. I hope that is not going to be as hard as finding the right target to migrate to.
- This light-weight promotional blog for something I believe in. If you got to hear then check out the performance of this parallel computing database technology. Follow this link "TPCH Benchmark SF3000"
