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Great for simple tasks. Not well-suited for more complex migrations
June 18, 2022

Great for simple tasks. Not well-suited for more complex migrations

Chien Huey | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with AWS Database Migration Service

We have two use cases for AWS Database Migration Service.
  • AWS Database Migration Service is used to replicate certain critical data relationships between the production and lower environment databases. The business problem is keeping data consistency between the environments. An example is an equipment association with job sites. Equipment moves between job sites and those associations have to be updated.
  • We use AWS Database Migration Service to populate our lower environment databases with production-like data. AWS Database Migration Service replicates and transforms production data into our dev and QA databases. In so doing, AWS Database Migration Service provides production-like data for our engineering and QA teams. It does not work too well for this purpose. The task and mapping settings are limited so we end up having to manually de-duplicate data which prevents this from being a continual and near real-time process. AWS Database Migration Service helps with the initial replication but because we have to do many manual tasks it's not ideal. Our schema design contributes to this and had we considered replication our experience may have been better.
  • Replicating specific data elements on a continuous basis
  • Replicating entire databases - making a carbon copy
  • Managing many simultaneously running replication tasks
  • More extensive task and mapping settings
  • De-duplication support
  • Ongoing replication of data between environments to maintain consistency
  • Bulk loading data between databases
  • Single dashboard to manage multiple replication tasks
  • Set it and forget it for maintaining data consistency - moderate cost, zero to minimal maintenance
  • High touch production data loads into QA - negative ROI engineering time investment far exceeded our predictions

Do you think AWS Database Migration Service delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with AWS Database Migration Service's feature set?

No

Did AWS Database Migration Service live up to sales and marketing promises?

No

Did implementation of AWS Database Migration Service go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy AWS Database Migration Service again?

Yes

As stated previously, AWS Database Migration Service excels when replicating very specific data elements between environments. AWS Database Migration Service handles replication tasks to load equipment assets or customer job sites from production to QA databases very well.

Full load replication - e.g., we need an exact copy of the production database in another region - works well. But when we need to load the QA database with the latest production data - it does work as well. AWS Database Migration Service comes up short because we do not want to wipe the QA database completely and make an exact copy. We want to keep what's already in the QA database and add production data so that we can QA with that level of volume. And at least with our database design, we end up having to do a lot of manual data manipulation and de-duplication.