Synchronize data from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to an ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance - Data Transmission Service

ApsaraDB for SelectDB can respond to queries on large amounts of data within sub-seconds, handle tens of thousands of concurrent point queries, and perform complex analysis with high throughput. Data Transmission Service (DTS) allows you to synchronize data from a self-managed MySQL database or an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to an ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance. This helps you analyze large amounts of data. This topic describes how to synchronize data from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to an ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance by using DTS.

Prerequisites

The destination ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance is created. The available storage space of this instance is larger than the total size of data in the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. For more information, see Create an instance.

Limits

Limit type	Description
Limits on the source database	Requirements for the objects to be synchronized: The tables to be synchronized must have PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraints: Make sure that all fields must be unique. Otherwise, the destination database may contain duplicate data. The objects to be synchronized must contain tables that do not have PRIMARY KEY or UNIQUE constraints: We recommend that you select Schema Synchronization for the Synchronization Types parameter and duplicate for the Engine parameter in the Configurations for Databases, Tables, and Columns step when you configure an instance. Note During schema synchronization, DTS automatically adds fields to destination tables. For more information, see the Additional columns section of this topic. If you select tables as the objects to be synchronized and you want to edit the tables, such as renaming tables or columns, 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 in batches or configure a task to synchronize the entire database. The following requirements for binary logs must be met: By default, the binary logging feature is enabled for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. Make sure that the binlog_row_image parameter is set to full. Otherwise, error messages are returned during the precheck and the data synchronization task cannot be started. For more information, see Modify instance parameters. Important If the source database is a self-managed MySQL database, you must enable the binary logging feature and set the binlog_format parameter to row and the binlog_row_image parameter to full. If the source database is a self-managed MySQL database deployed in a dual-primary cluster, you must set the log_slave_updates parameter to ON. This ensures that DTS can obtain all binary logs. For more information, see Create an account for a self-managed MySQL database and configure binary logging. The binary logs of the source database must be stored for at least seven days. Otherwise, the data synchronization task may fail because DTS cannot obtain the binary logs. In exceptional circumstances, data inconsistency or loss may occur. Make sure that you configure the retention period of binary logs based on the preceding requirements. Otherwise, the service reliability or performance in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) of DTS may not be guaranteed. For more information about how to manage the binary log files of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, see Manage binary log files. 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. The data generated by change operation of binary logs, such as data restored from a physical backup or data from a cascade operation, is not recorded and synchronized to the destination database when the data synchronization instance is running. Note If the change data is not recorded and synchronized to the destination database, you can modify the object to be synchronized and remove the databases and tables to which the data belongs on the premise that your business is not affected, and then add the databases and tables to which the data belongs to the object to be synchronized. For more information, see Modify the objects to be synchronized. If the source database is MySQL database 8.0.23 or later, and the data to be synchronized includes invisible columns, the data of the columns cannot be obtained and data loss occurs. Note To make the columns visible, run the `ALTER TABLE <table_name> ALTER COLUMN <column_name> SET VISIBLE;` command. For more information, see Invisible Columns. Tables that do not have primary keys automatically generate invisible primary keys. You need to make the invisible primary keys visible. For more information, see Generated Invisible Primary Keys.
Other limits	You can synchronize data to only tables that use the Unique Key model or Duplicate key model in ApsaraDB for SelectDB instances. If you synchronize data to the destination table that uses the Duplicate key model, and if one of the following operations occurs, duplicate data may exist in the destination database. In this case, you can deduplicate the data based on additional columns such as _is_deleted, _version, and _record_id. Retry operation occured in a data synchronization instance. Retry operation was executed in a data synchronization instance. Two or more DML operations were executed for the same row of data after a data synchronization instance started. Note When the destination table is the table that uses the Duplicate key model, DTS converts UPDATE or DELETE statements to INSERT statements. You can specify only the `bucket_count` parameter in the Selected Objects section. Note The `bucket_count` parameter value must be a positive integer. Default value: auto. During data synchronization, do not create clusters in the destination ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance. Otherwise, the data synchronization task fails. You can restart the data synchronization instance to resume the data synchronization task that failed. ApsaraDB for SelectDB instances support only database names and table names that start with letters. If the name of a database or table that you want to synchronize does not start with a letter, you must use the object name mapping feature to rename the database or table. If the name of the object that you want to synchronize, such as a database, a table, or a column, contains Chinese characters, you must use the object name mapping feature to rename the object. For example, you can change the name from Chinese to English. Otherwise, the task may fail. During data synchronization, do not add backend nodes to the ApsaraDB for SelectDB database. Otherwise, the task fails. You can restart the data synchronization instance to resume the data synchronization task that failed. In ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL, M of the `VARCHAR(M)` data type represents the character length. In ApsaraDB for SelectDB, N of the `VARCHAR(N)` data type represents the byte length. If you do not use the schema synchronization feature provided by DTS, we recommend that you set the length of a VARCHAR field in ApsaraDB for SelectDB to four times the length of a VARCHAR field in ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL. 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 of 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 tablespace of the destination database is larger than that of the source database. During data synchronization, do not use tools such as pt-online-schema-change to perform online DDL operations on the objects to be synchronized from the source database. Otherwise, the data synchronization task fails. Data inconsistency between the source and destination databases may occur if data from other sources is written to the destination database during data synchronization. If the source database is an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance for which the EncDB feature is enabled, full data synchronization cannot be performed. If a DTS task fails to run, DTS technical support will try to restore the task within 8 hours. During the restoration, the task may be restarted, and the parameters of the task may be modified. Note Only the parameters of the task may be modified. The parameters of databases are not modified. The parameters that may be modified include but are not limited to the parameters in the "Modify instance parameters" section of the Modify the parameters of a DTS instance topic.
Special cases	If the source database is a self-managed MySQL database, take note of the following items: If you perform a primary/secondary switchover on the source database when the data synchronization task is running, the task fails. DTS calculates synchronization latency based on the timestamp of the latest synchronized data in the destination database and the current timestamp in the source database. If no DML operation is performed on the source database for a long time, the synchronization latency may be inaccurate. If the latency of the data synchronization task is too high, you can perform a DML operation on the source database to update the latency. Note If you select an entire database as the object to synchronize, you can create a heartbeat table. The heartbeat table is updated or receives data every second. DTS executes the CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS 'test' statement in the source database as scheduled to move forward the binary log file position. If the source database is an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, take note of the following item: An ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance that does not record transaction logs, such as a read-only ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL 5.6 instance, cannot be used as the source database. 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 type	Task configuration fee
Schema synchronization and full data synchronization	Free of charge.
Incremental data synchronization	Charged. For more information, see Billing overview.

SQL operations that support incremental synchronization

Operation type	SQL statement
DML	INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE
DDL	ADD COLUMN DROP COLUMN and DROP TABLE TRUNCATE TABLE

Permissions required for database accounts

Database	Required permission	References
Source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance	The read and write permissions on the objects to be synchronized	Create an account and Modify the permissions of an account
Destination ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance	The USAGE_PRIV permission and the following read and write permissions: SELECT_PRIV, LOAD_PRIV, ALTER_PRIV, CREATE_PRIV, and DROP_PRIV.	Manage the permissions to access clusters and Manage the basic permissions of users

Note

If the source database account that you use is not created and granted permissions in the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL console, make sure that the account has the REPLICATION CLIENT, REPLICATION SLAVE, SHOW VIEW, and SELECT permissions.

Procedure

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
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.
DMS console
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 Development 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.
Click Create Task to go to the task configuration page.
Optional. Click New Configuration Page in the upper-right corner of the page.
Note
1. Skip this step if the Back to Previous Version button is displayed in the upper-right corner of the page.
2. 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.

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

Section	Parameter	Description
None	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 Existing Connection	The 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 use an existing instance, you must configure the database information below. Note You can register a database with DTS on the Database Connections page or the new configuration page. For more information, see Manage database connections. In the DMS console, you can select an existing database from the Select a DMS database instance. drop-down list. You can also click Add DMS Database Instance or go back to the homepage of the DMS console to register a database with DMS. For more information, see Register an Alibaba Cloud database instance and Register a database hosted on a third-party cloud service or a self-managed database.
	Database Type	The type of the source database. Select MySQL.
	Access Method	The access method of the source database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.
	Instance Region	Select the region where the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance resides.
	Replicate Data Across Alibaba Cloud Accounts	Specifies whether data is synchronized across Alibaba Cloud accounts. In this example, No is selected.
	RDS Instance ID	The ID of the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
	Database Account	The database account of the source ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. For 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.
	Encryption	Specifies whether to encrypt the connection to the database. You can select Non-encrypted or SSL-encrypted based on your business requirements. If you want to set this parameter to SSL-encrypted, you must enable SSL encryption for the ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance before you configure the DTS task. For more information, see Use a cloud certificate to enable SSL encryption.
Destination Database	Select Existing Connection	The 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 use an existing instance, you must configure the database information below. Note You can register a database with DTS on the Database Connections page or a new configuration page. For more information, see Manage database connections. In the DMS console, you can select an existing database from the Select a DMS database instance. drop-down list. You can also click Add DMS Database Instance or go back to the homepage of the DMS console to register a database with DMS. For more information, see Register an Alibaba Cloud database instance and Register a database hosted on a third-party cloud service or a self-managed database.
	Database Type	The type of the destination database. Select SelectDB.
	Access Method	The access method of the destination database. Select Alibaba Cloud Instance.
	Instance Region	The region in which the destination ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance 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 destination ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance.
	Database Account	The database account of the destination ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance. For 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.

Click Test Connectivity and Proceed in the lower part of the page.
Note
- Make sure that the CIDR blocks of DTS servers can be automatically or manually added to the security settings of the source and destination databases to allow access from DTS servers. For more information, see Add the CIDR blocks of DTS servers.
- If the source or destination database is a self-managed database and its Access Method is not set to Alibaba Cloud Instance, click Test Connectivity in the CIDR Blocks of DTS Servers dialog box.

Configure the objects to be synchronized.

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

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. Important After you synchronize data from an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance to an ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance, the data types are converted. If you do not select Schema Synchronization for the Synchronization Types parameter, you must create tables that use the Unique Key model in the destination ApsaraDB for SelectDB instance before data synchronization. The schemas of the destination tables must be compatible with the synchronized data. For more information, see the Data type mapping section of this topic and Data models.
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 icon to add the objects to the Selected Objects section. Note You can select databases, tables, or columns 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. If you select Schema Synchronization for the Synchronization Types parameter, you can select only tables as the objects to be synchronized and the `bucket_count` parameter must be set. Right-click a table to be migrated in the Selected Objects section, select Yes for the Enable Parameter Settings parameter in the Parameter Settings section that appears, specify Value based on your business requirements, and click OK. Note To select the SQL operations performed on a specific database or table, right-click an object in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, select the SQL operations that you want to synchronize. To specify WHERE conditions to filter data, right-click a table in the Selected Objects section. In the dialog box that appears, specify the conditions. For more information, see Specify filter conditions. If you use the object name mapping feature to rename an object, other objects that are dependent on the object may fail to be synchronized.

Click Next: Advanced Settings to configure advanced settings.

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.
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: 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 notification settings. For more information, see the "Configure monitoring and alerting when you create a DTS task" section of the Configure monitoring and alerting topic.

Optional. In the lower part of the page, click Next: Configure Database and Table Fields. In the dialog box that appears, specify Primary Key Column, Distribution Key, and Engine parameters for the tables that you want to synchronize.
Note
- This step is available only if you select Schema Synchronization for the Synchronization Types parameter. You can set Definition Status to All and modify the database and table fields.
- You can select multiple columns for the Primary Key Column parameter from the drop-down list. One or more columns specified for the Primary Key Column parameter can be selected for the Distribution Key parameter.
- If the table does not have primary keys or UNIQUE constraints, select duplicate for the Engine parameter. Otherwise, the data synchronization task may fail or data loss may occur.

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.

Purchase an instance.

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 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.

Data type mapping

Category	Data types in ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL	Data type in ApsaraDB for SelectDB
Numeric	TINYINT	TINYINT
	TINYINT UNSIGNED	SMALLINT
	SMALLINT	SMALLINT
	SMALLINT UNSIGNED	INT
	MEDIUMINT	INT
	MEDIUMINT UNSIGNED	BIGINT
	INT	INT
	INT UNSIGNED	BIGINT
	BIGINT	BIGINT
	BIGINT UNSIGNED	LARGEINT
	BIT(M)	INT
	Decimal	Decimal Note ZEROFILL is not supported.
	Numeric	Decimal
	Float	Float
	Double	DOUBLE
	BOOL BOOLEAN	BOOLEAN
DATE AND TIME	DATE	DATEV2
	DATETIME[(fsp)]	DATETIMEV2
	Timestamp[(fsp)]	DATETIMEV2
	Time[(fsp)]	VARCHAR
	YEAR[(4)]	INT
STRING	CHAR VARCHAR	VARCHAR Important To avoid data loss, data of the CHAR and VARCHAR(n) types is converted to VARCHAR(4*n) after the data is synchronized to the destination SelectDB instance. If you do not specify the length of data, the default value VARCHAR(65533) is used. If the data exceeds 65533 characters in length, the data is converted to strings after it is synchronized to SelectDB instance.
	BINARY VARBINARY	STRING
	TINYTEXT TEXT MEDIUMTEXT LONGTEXT	STRING
	TINYBLOB BLOB MEDIUMBOLB LONGBLOB	STRING
	ENUM	STRING
	SET	STRING
	JSON	STRING

Additional columns