How to Prepare for a MariaDB to Amazon RDS Cloud Migration

Amazon RDS supports MariaDB and several other relational databases through a managed database service built on AWS infrastructure.

 
When you move your on-premises MariaDB databases to this cloud platform, your organization can better support modern application requirements without destroying your technology budget. Before you start your cloud migrations, though, you’ll want to set aside time for planning. Here are some helpful ways to prepare.

Is Your Organization Cloud-ready?

Going from on-premises to the cloud is more involved than simply lifting and shifting your MariaDB databases over to AWS RDS. First, you need to ensure that your organization is ready to get the most out of a cloud environment.

In some cases, you need to upgrade your network to better support connectivity to the public cloud. You don’t want users of internal applications complaining that they can’t access work resources because the internet is too slow.

Some applications may need changes to work correctly on RDS, or they may need entire rewrites. The shift in budgets from CAPEX to OPEX also needs examination to ensure funding is available before any cloud migration.

RDS Cloud Migration Planning Tips

Start your MariaDB to Amazon RDS cloud migration planning by auditing your current deployment. You want to get a full understanding of the hardware and software supporting your on-premises MariaDB databases, how the applications interact with one another, when maintenance windows are available for potential downtime, and where your performance and availability problem areas are.

Use this information to choose and configure database instances, look for optimization opportunities, and fix problems before shifting to the cloud environment. During one of our recent customer migrations, we performed an initial assessment for moving their MariaDB environment to Amazon RDS, to create a baseline and make detailed recommendations before executing the move.

Getting the Most Out of an Amazon RDS Proof of Concept 

An RDS proof of concept for your MariaDB cloud databases gives you a small-scale project appropriate for testing and experimentation. You can migrate a small portion of your MariaDB databases to see how you need to configure them to best use RDS, whether your software requires a rewrite, and how to address any unexpected errors and bugs before the big migration happens.

Reducing the Stress on MariaDB to Amazon RDS Migration Day 

Even the most straightforward database migration has a lot of moving parts. You’re dealing with a complex process, especially if this is your first time migrating to the cloud. Many things can go wrong with cloud migrations, which is why it’s essential to prepare for common risks.

These contingency plans will reduce the potential for disastrous consequences and increase your chances of a successful migration. Another way to reduce your stress is to work with experienced AWS and MariaDB service providers, as they handle a variety of cloud migrations and know how to avoid common pitfalls.

MariaDB databases are well-suited for a cloud migration to Amazon RDS, and careful planning and execution will help your organization quickly realize the value of this move.