How to Migrate your Database from MySQL to PostgreSQL

MySQL and PostgreSQL are some of the most popular database management systems in the world. They share a lot of nice features and highlights too. Both of them have good admin tools and a good API support, as well as being open source. However, there are some reasons that PostgreSQL might be worth switching over to as it provides some features that are less developed in MySQL.

These features include support for asynchronous commit, as well as both synchronous and asynchronous replication. This makes working with multiple users even easier. Aside from this, a much wider range of models for indexing are available. PostgreSQL also better complies to SQL standards. These are some of the many reasons that you may want to consider database migration from MySQL to PostgreSQL.

If you are curious, here are the steps that you would generally follow to convert a database from MySQL to PostgreSQL:

1. First you need to export table definitions from MySQL in the form of DDL statements, along with the corresponding indexes and constraints. Then you need to convert to a suitable format before importing them into the PostgreSQL database.
2. Similarly, you need to extract the data from the MySQL file and place it in something like a CSV file. Here, again, you need to transform it so that it is suitable and then import it into the PostgreSQL target database.
3. This is where it could get really tricky. Views, procedures and triggers can be complex and converting them can be hard to do accurately. First, however, you need to export them as source code and SQL statements. Then, you can convert them into the desired format, being careful and paying attention to details. Finally, you can load them into the target database.

Of course, after you are done, you need to take care and double check and validate the results to avoid any chance of data loss or corruption. Despite all of this effort and double checking this is still going to be a risky procedure, so proceed with caution. You may want to look into using a specialized automation software for database migration.

One tool that can handle this specific conversion is the MySQL to PostgreSQL database migration tool, that has been developed by Intelligent Converters, a seasoned company that has been working in database synchronization and conversion since 2001. Their tool combines efficient code with a ton of features providing you a great experience overall. All versions of MySQL and PostgreSQL are supported, even those that are cloud based. Additionally, you have features like the ability to edit the database before migrating or filtering it through SQL queries. You can also schedule and automate conversions using the command line interface. There is even the option to have two databases synchronized together, if that is what you need for your use case.

Whether you decide to use the automatic database migration software or simply do it manually, you’ll have to validate the results either way as otherwise you could end up doing a lot of damage.