Synchronize data from a PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster to an AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance - Data Transmission Service

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

Prerequisites

The destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance is created. For more information, see Create an instance.
The wal_level parameter is set to logical for the source PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster. For more information, see Specify cluster parameters.
The available storage space of the destination database is larger than the total size of the data in the source database.

Usage notes

Note

During schema synchronization, DTS synchronizes foreign keys from the source database to the destination database.
During full data synchronization and incremental data synchronization, DTS temporarily disables the constraint check and cascade operations on foreign keys at the session level. If you perform the cascade update and delete operations on the source database during data synchronization, data inconsistency may occur.

Category	Description
Limits on the source database	The tables that you want to synchronize from the source PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster must contain primary keys or UNIQUE NOT NULL indexes. If the source database has long-running transactions and the data synchronization task involves incremental data synchronization, the write-ahead logging (WAL) logs that are generated before the long-running transactions are submitted may not be cleared and therefore pile up, resulting in insufficient storage space in the source database. If you want to perform a primary/secondary switchover on the source PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster, the logical replication slot failover feature must be enabled. This prevents logical subscriptions from being interrupted and ensures that your data synchronization task can run as expected. For more information, see Logical replication slot failover. 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	During initial full data synchronization, DTS uses read and write resources of the source and destination databases. This may increase the loads on the database servers. 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, concurrent INSERT operations cause table fragmentation in the destination database. Therefore, after initial full data synchronization is complete, the size of the used tablespace of the destination database is larger than that of the source database. Data inconsistency between the source and destination databases may occur if data from other sources is written to the destination database during data synchronization. During data synchronization, DTS creates a replication slot in the source database to replicate data. The replication slot is prefixed with `dts_sync_`. DTS can obtain the incremental logs of the source database within the last 15 minutes by using this replication slot. Note If the data synchronization task is released or fails, DTS automatically deletes the replication slot. If a primary/secondary switchover is performed on the source database, you must log on to the secondary database to manually delete the replication slot. DTS does not check the validity of metadata such as sequences. You must manually check the validity of metadata. After your workloads are switched to the destination database, newly written sequences do not increment from the maximum value of the sequences in the source database. Therefore, you must query the maximum value of the sequences in the source database before you switch your workloads to the destination database. Then, you must specify the queried maximum value as the starting value of the sequences in the destination database. You can execute the following statements to query the maximum value of the sequences in the source database: `do language plpgsql $$ declare nsp name; rel name; val int8; begin for nsp,rel in select nspname,relname from pg_class t2 , pg_namespace t3 where t2.relnamespace=t3.oid and t2.relkind='S' loop execute format($_$select last_value from %I.%I$_$, nsp, rel) into val; raise notice '%', format($_$select setval('%I.%I'::regclass, %s);$_$, nsp, rel, val+1); end loop; end; $$;` Append-optimized (AO) tables cannot be used as destination tables. If column mapping is used for non-full table synchronization or if the schemas of the source and destination tables are inconsistent, the data in the columns of the source database that are not contained in the destination database is lost.

Billing

Synchronization type	Task configuration fee
Schema synchronization and full data synchronization	Free of charge.
Incremental data synchronization	Charged. For more information, see Billing overview.

Supported synchronization topologies

One-way one-to-one synchronization
One-way one-to-many synchronization
One-way many-to-one synchronization

For more information about the synchronization topologies supported by DTS, see Synchronization topologies.

SQL operations that can be synchronized

Operation type	SQL statement
DML	INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE Note When data is written to the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance, the UPDATE statement is automatically converted to the REPLACE INTO statement. If the UPDATE statement is executed on primary keys, the UPDATE statement is converted to the DELETE and INSERT statements.
DDL	DDL operations can be synchronized only by the data synchronization tasks that are created after October 1, 2020. Important To use a data synchronization task created before May 12, 2023 to synchronize DDL operations, you must create triggers and functions in the source database to capture DDL information before you configure the data synchronization task. For more information, see Use triggers and functions to implement incremental DDL migration for PostgreSQL databases. You cannot synchronize data of the BIT type during incremental data synchronization. If the account of the source database is a privileged account, data synchronization tasks support the following DDL operations: CREATE TABLE and DROP TABLE ALTER TABLE, including RENAME TABLE, ADD COLUMN, ADD COLUMN DEFAULT, ALTER COLUMN TYPE, DROP COLUMN, ADD CONSTRAINT, ADD CONSTRAINT CHECK, and ALTER COLUMN DROP DEFAULT TRUNCATE TABLE (The major engine version of the source PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster must be PostgreSQL 11 or later.) CREATE INDEX ON TABLE Important You cannot synchronize additional information of DDL statements, such as CASCADE or RESTRICT. You cannot synchronize DDL statements from a session for which the `SET session_replication_role = replica` statement is executed. DDL statements that are executed by calling methods such as FUNCTION cannot be synchronized. If multiple SQL statements committed by the source database at the same time contain both DML and DDL statements, DTS does not synchronize the DDL statements. If multiple SQL statements committed by the source database at the same time contain DDL statements for objects that are not synchronized, the DDL statements are not synchronized.

Permissions required for database accounts

Database type	Required permissions	References
PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster	Read and write permissions on the objects to be synchronized Note If you want to synchronize DDL operations, you must use a privileged account.	Create a database account
AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance	Read and write permissions on the destination database	Create a database account Note You can also enter the username of an account that has the RDS_SUPERUSER permission. For more information, see Manage users and permissions.

Procedure

Go to the Data Synchronization Tasks page.
1. Log on to the Data Management (DMS) console.
2. In the top navigation bar, click DTS.
3. In the left-side navigation pane, choose DTS (DTS) > Data Synchronization.
Note
- 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.
- You can also go to the Data Synchronization Tasks page of the new DTS console.
On the right side of Data Synchronization Tasks, select the region in which the data synchronization instance resides.
Note
If you use the new DTS console, you must select the region in which the data synchronization instance resides in the top navigation bar.

Click Create Task. On the Create Data Synchronization Task page, configure the source and destination databases. The following table describes the parameters.

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 an existing DMS database instance	The database instance that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing instance based on your business requirements. If you select an existing instance, DTS automatically populates the parameters for the database. If you do not select an existing instance, you must manually configure parameters for the database.
	Database Type	The type of the source database. Select PolarDB for PostgreSQL.
	Access Method	The access method of the source database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.
	Instance Region	The region in which the source PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster resides.
	Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts	Specifies whether data is synchronized across Alibaba Cloud accounts. In this example, No is selected.
	Instance ID	The ID of the source PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster.
	Database Name	The name of the source database in the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster.
	Database Account	The database account of the PolarDB for PostgreSQL cluster. For more information about the permissions that are required for the account, see the Permissions required for database accounts section of this topic.
	Database Password	The password that is used to access the database instance.
Destination Database	Select an existing DMS database instance	The database instance that you want to use. You can choose whether to use an existing instance based on your business requirements. If you select an existing instance, DTS automatically populates the parameters for the database. If you do not select an existing instance, you must manually configure parameters for the database.
	Database Type	The type of the destination database. Select AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL.
	Access Method	The access method of the destination database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.
	Instance Region	The region in which the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance resides.
	Instance ID	The ID of the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance.
	Database Name	The name of the database to which objects are synchronized in the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance.
	Database Account	The database account of the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance. For more information about the permissions that are required for the account, see the Permissions required for database accounts section of this topic.
	Database Password	The password that is used to access the database instance.

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 or 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 ensure that the ECS instance can access the database. 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 Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers.
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.

Configure the objects to be synchronized and advanced settings. The following table describes the parameters.

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.
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 migration, DTS does not migrate 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.
DDL and DML Operations to Be Synchronized	The DDL and DML operations that you want to synchronize. For more information, see the SQL operations that can be synchronized section of this topic. Note To select the SQL operations performed on a specific database or table, perform the following steps: In the Selected Objects section, right-click an object. In the dialog box that appears, select the SQL operations that you want to synchronize.
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 icon to add the objects to the Selected Objects section. Note You can select tables as the objects to be synchronized.
Selected Objects	To rename an object that you want to synchronize to the destination instance, right-click the object in the Selected Objects section. For more information, see the Map the name of a single object section of the Map object names topic. To rename multiple objects at a time, click Batch Edit in the upper-right corner of the Selected Objects section. For more information, see the Map multiple object names at a time section of the Map object names topic. Note To select SQL operations performed on a specific database or table, right-click the object in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, select the SQL operations that you want to synchronize. For more information, see the SQL operations that can be synchronized section of this topic. To specify WHERE conditions to filter data, right-click an object in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, specify the conditions. For more information, see Specify filter conditions.

Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced settings. The following table describes the parameters.

Data Verification Settings
For information about how to configure a data verification task, see Configure a data verification task.

Advanced Settings

Parameter	Description
Dedicated Cluster for Task Scheduling	By default, DTS schedules tasks to shared clusters. You do not need to configure this parameter. If you want to improve the stability of data migration 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, you do not need to configure this parameter.
Configure ETL	Specifies whether to enable the extract, transform, and load (ETL) feature. For more information, see What is ETL? Valid values: Yes: configures the ETL feature. You can enter data processing statements in the code editor. For more information, see Configure ETL in a data migration or data synchronization task. No: does not configure the ETL feature.
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: No: does not enable alerting. Yes: configures alerting. In this case, you must also configure the alert threshold and alert contacts. For more information, see Configure monitoring and alerting when you create a DTS task.

In the lower part of the page, click Next: Configure Database and Table Fields. On the page that appears, set the primary key columns and distribution columns of the tables that you want to synchronize to the destination AnalyticDB for PostgreSQL instance.
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.
Wait until the Success Rate becomes 100%. Then, click Next: Purchase Instance.

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
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.

Read and select the Data Transmission Service (Pay-as-you-go) Service Terms.
Click Buy and Start. In the dialog box that appears, click OK.
You can view the progress of the task in the task list.