Synchronize data from a PolarDB for MySQL cluster to an Elasticsearch cluster

Updated at: 2025-03-13 11:39
important

This topic contains important information on necessary precautions. We recommend that you read this topic carefully before proceeding.

This topic describes how to synchronize data from a PolarDB for MySQL cluster to an Elasticsearch cluster by using Data Transmission Service (DTS).

Prerequisites

The destination Elasticsearch cluster is created. The available storage space of this cluster is larger than the total size of data in the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For more information, see Create an Alibaba Cloud Elasticsearch cluster.

Note
  • For information about the supported versions of the source and destination databases, see Overview of data synchronization scenarios.

  • The storage spaces of Elasticsearch clusters vary with the cluster specifications.

Limits

Limit type

Description

Limit type

Description

Limits on the source database

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

    Note

    If the tables to be synchronized do not have primary keys and UNIQUE constraints, you must enable the Exactly-Once write feature when you configure the two-way synchronization instance. For more information, see Synchronize tables without primary keys or UNIQUE constraints.

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

  • If you need to synchronize incremental data, the binary logging feature must be enabled and the loose_polar_log_bin parameter must be set to on. Otherwise, error messages are returned during the precheck and the data synchronization task cannot be started. For more information, see Enable binary logging and Modify parameters.

    Note
    • If you enable the binary logging feature for a PolarDB for MySQL cluster, you are charged for the storage space that is occupied by binary logs.

    • For an incremental data synchronization task, the binary logs of the source database are retained for at least 24 hours. For a full and incremental data synchronization task, the binary logs of the source database are retained 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. After full data synchronization is complete, you can set the retention period to more than 24 hours. 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.

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

Other limits

  • DTS does not synchronize the read-only nodes of the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

  • To add columns to a table that you want to synchronize from the source database, perform the following steps: Modify the mappings of the table in the destination Elasticsearch cluster, execute DDL statements in the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster, and then pause and start the data synchronization task.

  • The data types supported by PolarDB for MySQL clusters and those supported by Elasticsearch clusters do not have one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, during initial schema synchronization, DTS converts the data types of the source database to those of the destination database. For more information, see Data type mappings for schema synchronization.

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

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

  • We recommend that you do not use tools such as pt-online-schema-change to perform DDL operations on source tables during data synchronization. Otherwise, the data synchronization task fails.

  • If no data from other sources is written to the destination database during data synchronization, you can use Data Management (DMS) to perform online DDL operations on source tables. For more information, see Perform lock-free DDL operations.

  • During data synchronization, we recommend that you use only DTS to write data to the destination database. This prevents data inconsistency between the source and destination databases.

Special cases

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

Synchronization typeTask configuration fee
Synchronization typeTask configuration fee
Schema synchronization and full data synchronizationFree of charge.
Incremental data synchronizationCharged. For more information, see Billing overview.

SQL operations that can be synchronized

Operation type

SQL statement

Operation type

SQL statement

DML

INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE

Permissions required for database accounts

Database type

Required permissions

References

Database type

Required permissions

References

Source PolarDB for MySQL cluster

Read permissions on the objects to be synchronized

Create an account and Modify the permissions of an account

Destination Elasticsearch cluster

The username and logon password that were specified when the Elasticsearch cluster was created. The default username is elastic.

Elasticsearch

Relational database

Elasticsearch

Relational database

index

database

type

table

document

row

field

column

mapping

schema

Procedure

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

    DTS console
    DMS console
    1. Log on to the DTS console.

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

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

    Note

    The actual operations 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 and choose DTS (DTS) > Data Synchronization.

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

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

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

  4. Optional. Click New Configuration Page in the upper-right corner of the page.

    Note
    • Skip this step if the Back to Previous Version button is displayed in the upper-right corner of the page.

    • Specific parameters in the new and previous versions of the configuration page may be different. We recommend that you use the new version of the configuration page.

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

    Section

    Parameter

    Description

    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 a DMS database instance.

    The database that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing database based on your business requirements.

    • If you select an existing database, DTS automatically populates the parameters for the database.

    • If you do not select an existing database, you must configure the following database information.

    Note

    Database Type

    The type of the source database. Select PolarDB for MySQL.

    Access Method

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

    Instance Region

    The region where the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster resides.

    Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts

    In this example, a database of the current Alibaba Cloud account is used. Select No.

    PolarDB Cluster ID

    The ID of the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster.

    Database Account

    The database account of the source PolarDB for MySQL cluster. For more information about the permissions that are required for the database account, see the Permissions required for database accounts section of this topic.

    Database Password

    The password that is used to access the database.

    Encryption

    Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the source database. Configure this parameter based on your business requirements. For more information about the SSL encryption feature, see Configure SSL encryption.

    Destination Database

    Select a DMS database instance.

    The database that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing database based on your business requirements.

    • If you select an existing database, DTS automatically populates the parameters for the database.

    • If you do not select an existing database, you must configure the following database information.

    Note

    Database Type

    The type of the destination database. Select Elasticsearch.

    Access Method

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

    Instance Region

    The region where the destination Elasticsearch cluster resides.

    Instance ID

    The ID of the destination Elasticsearch cluster.

    Database Account

    The username that is used to connect to the Elasticsearch cluster. Enter the default username elastic.

    Database Password

    The password that is used to access the database.

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

    If the source or destination database is an Alibaba Cloud database instance, such as an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance or an ApsaraDB for MongoDB instance, DTS automatically adds the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the whitelist of the instance. If the source or destination database is a self-managed database hosted on an Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance, DTS automatically adds the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security group rules of the ECS instance, and you must make sure that the ECS instance can access the database. If the database is deployed on multiple ECS instances, you must manually add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the security group rules of each ECS instance. If the source or destination database is a self-managed database that is deployed in a data center or provided by a third-party cloud service provider, you must manually add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers to the whitelist of the database to allow DTS to access the database. For more information, see the "CIDR blocks of DTS servers" section of the Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers topic.

    Warning

    If the CIDR blocks of DTS servers are automatically or manually added to the whitelist of the database or instance, or to the ECS security group rules, security risks may arise. Therefore, before you use DTS to synchronize data, you must understand and acknowledge the potential risks and take preventive measures, including but not limited to the following measures: enhancing the security of your username and password, limiting the ports that are exposed, authenticating API calls, regularly checking the whitelist or ECS security group rules and forbidding unauthorized CIDR blocks, or connecting the database to DTS by using Express Connect, VPN Gateway, or Smart Access Gateway.

  7. Configure the objects to be synchronized.

    1. In the Configure Objects step, configure the objects that you want to synchronize.

      Parameter

      Description

      Parameter

      Description

      Synchronization Types

      The synchronization types. By default, Incremental Data Synchronization is selected. You must also select Schema Synchronization and Full Data Synchronization. After the precheck is complete, DTS synchronizes the historical data of the selected objects from the source database to the destination cluster. The historical data is the basis for subsequent incremental synchronization.

      Index Name

      • If you select Table Name, the index created in the destination Elasticsearch cluster uses the same name as the table in the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

      • If you select Database Name_Table Name, the index created in the destination Elasticsearch cluster is concatenated in the format of Database name_Table name.

      Note
      The index name mapping rule takes effect for all tables.

      Processing Mode of Conflicting Tables

      • Precheck and Report Errors: checks whether the destination database contains tables that have 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 synchronization 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 synchronized to the destination database. For more information, see Map object names.

      • 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 potential risks.

        • If the source and destination databases have the same schema and a data record in the destination database has the same primary key value or unique key value as a data record in the source database:

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

          • During incremental data synchronization, DTS synchronizes 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, data may fail to be initialized. In this case, only some columns are synchronized, or the data synchronization task fails. Proceed with caution.

      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 ensure that the capitalization of object names is consistent with that in 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 and click the 向右 icon to add the objects to the Selected Objects section.

      Note

      Select databases or tables as the objects to be synchronized.

      Selected Objects

      To configure filter conditions for a table that you want to synchronize and modify the index names, type names, and field names to be used in the destination Elasticsearch cluster, right-click the table in the Selected Objects section. For more information, see Map object names and Set filter conditions.

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

      Parameter

      Description

      Parameter

      Description

      Dedicated Cluster for Task Scheduling

      By default, DTS schedules the task to the shared cluster if you do not specify a dedicated cluster. If you want to improve the stability of data synchronization 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 synchronization task is started, DTS immediately retries a connection within the time range. Valid values: 10 to 1440. Unit: minutes. Default value: 720. We recommend that you set this parameter to a value greater than 30. If DTS reconnects to the source and destination databases within the specified time range, DTS resumes the data synchronization task. Otherwise, the data synchronization task fails.

      Note
      • If you specify different retry time ranges for multiple data synchronization tasks that have the same source or destination database, the shortest retry time range 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 your earliest opportunity after the source and destination instances are released.

      Retry Time for Other Issues

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

      During full data synchronization, DTS uses the read and write resources of the source and destination databases. This may increase the load on the database servers. You can 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 for full data synchronization tasks to reduce the load on the destination database server.

      Note

      This parameter is displayed only if Full Data Synchronization is selected for the Synchronization Types parameter.

      Enable Throttling for Incremental Data Synchronization

      Specifies whether to enable throttling for incremental data synchronization. You can enable throttling for incremental data synchronization based on your business requirements. To configure throttling, you must configure the RPS of Incremental Data Synchronization and Data synchronization speed for incremental synchronization (MB/s) parameters. This reduces the load on the destination database server.

      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 selected.

      Shard Configuration

      The number of primary shards and the number of replica shards for each primary shard. Specify the numbers based on the shard configuration of indexes in the destination Elasticsearch cluster.

      String Index

      The method used to index the strings that are synchronized to the destination Elasticsearch cluster. Valid values:

      • analyzed: A string is analyzed before it is indexed. You must select a specific analyzer. For more information about the analyzer types and usage, see Built-in analyzer reference.

      • not analyzed: The strings are indexed with the original values.

      • no: The strings are not indexed.

      Time Zone

      The time zone for the date and time of the DATETIME or TIMESTAMP type to be synchronized to the Elasticsearch cluster.

      Note

      If the date and time data types in the destination cluster do not need a time zone, you must specify the document type for data of the date and time data types in the destination cluster.

      DOCID

      You do not need to configure this parameter. The default value of this parameter is the primary key of the table in the Elasticsearch cluster. If the table does not have a primary key, the value of this parameter is the ID column that is automatically generated by Elasticsearch.

      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.

      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 synchronization task. If the task fails or the synchronization latency exceeds the specified threshold, alert contacts will receive notifications. Valid values:

    3. In the lower part of the page, click Next: Configure Database and Table Fields. On the page that appears, specify the _routing policy and _id value for the tables that you want to synchronize. These settings apply after the tables are synchronized to the destination Elasticsearch cluster.

      Note

      Before you modify the parameters, set Definition Status to All.

      Parameter

      Description

      Parameter

      Description

      Set _routing

      Specifies whether to store a document on a specified shard of the destination Elasticsearch cluster. For more information, see _routing. Valid values:

      • Yes: You can specify custom columns for routing.

      • No: The _id value is used for routing.

      Note

      If the version of the destination Elasticsearch cluster is 7.x, you must select No.

      _routing Column

      The column that is used for routing.

      Note

      This parameter is required only if the Set _routing parameter is set to Yes.

      Value of _id

      The column that is used to store document IDs.

  8. 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 synchronization task, DTS performs a precheck. You can start the data synchronization task only after the task passes the precheck.

    • If the data synchronization task fails the precheck, click View Details next to each failed item. After you analyze the causes based on the check results, troubleshoot the issues. Then, rerun the precheck.

    • 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 issue. Then, run a precheck again.

      • If an 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.

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

  10. Purchase a data synchronization instance.

    1. On the buy page, configure the Billing Method and Instance Class parameters for the data synchronization instance. The following table describes the parameters.

      Section

      Parameter

      Description

      Section

      Parameter

      Description

      New Instance Class

      Billing Method

      • Subscription: You pay for a subscription when you create a data synchronization instance. The subscription billing method is more cost-effective than the pay-as-you-go billing method for long-term use.

      • Pay-as-you-go: A pay-as-you-go instance is billed on an hourly basis. The pay-as-you-go billing method is suitable for short-term use. If you no longer require a pay-as-you-go data synchronization instance, you can release the instance to reduce costs.

      Resource Group Settings

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

      Instance Class

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

      Subscription Duration

      If you select the subscription billing method, specify the subscription duration and the number of data synchronization instances that you want to create. The subscription duration can be one to nine months, one year, two years, three years, or five years.

      Note

      This parameter is available only if you select the Subscription billing method.

    2. Read and select Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms.

    3. Click Buy and Start. In the dialog box that appears, click OK.

      You can view the progress of the task in the task list.

  • On this page (1, O)
  • Prerequisites
  • Limits
  • Billing
  • SQL operations that can be synchronized
  • Permissions required for database accounts
  • Procedure
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