PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL Data Migration: 2 Easy Methods

Easily move your data from PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL to enhance your analytics capabilities. With Hevo’s intuitive pipeline setup, data flows in real-time—check out our 1-minute demo below to see the seamless integration in action!

MySQL has remained the most popularly used open-source relational database for many years and continues to maintain its dominant position in the industry. Its robustness, reliability, and flexibility for a wide range of applications, from small-scale projects to vast enterprise systems, justifies its widespread adoption. Migrating data from PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL can serve as a strategic solution for high availability and analytics workflows. 

This provides an efficient or safer backup for your data. It will also help optimize database compatibility to ensure a wider interconnected database environment within the organization.

This article lists the different methods to migrate data between both these platforms. While each one has its benefits and challenges, you can make an informed decision as to which is better suited for your data needs.

What Is Google Cloud Sql Postgresql?

Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL is a fully managed relational database service offered by Google Cloud that allows users to run, manage, and scale PostgreSQL databases in the cloud. It automates many administrative tasks, including backups, patch management, and monitoring, allowing users to focus on their applications rather than database maintenance.

Key Features of Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL:

• Security: Supports encryption at rest and in transit, along with VPC integration and IAM-based access control.
• Fully Managed: Automates routine tasks like backups, updates, and patching.
• Scalability: Easily scales storage and compute resources to meet workload demands.
• High Availability: Offers automated failover and replication with multi-zone availability for reliability.

Methods to Connect PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL

There are two simple methods that you can use to migrate data from Google Cloud PostgreSQL to MySQL. Let’s look into the details of both approaches.

Method 1: Simplest and Fastest Way to Connect GCP PostgreSQL to MySQL

Step 1: Configure PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL as the Data Source

Step 2: Configure MySQL as the Data Destination

Hevo Data simplifies setting up a PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL ETL pipeline with two simple steps.

Method 2: Use Custom Scripts for PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL Migration

This method involves exporting data from Google Cloud PostgreSQL as SQL dump files and then importing the data to MySQL. Here are the steps involved in this process:

Step 1: Export Data from PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL

To export Google Cloud PostgreSQL data as SQL dump files, you can use one of the following methods:

Use Google Cloud Console

When you use the Google Cloud Console to export, the exported data will be stored in a GCS bucket. Before you proceed with this step, you require one of the following sets of roles:

• The Cloud SQL Editor role and the storage.objectAdmin IAM role.

• A custom role including these permissions:
  • cloudsql.instances.export
  • cloudsql.instances.get
  • storage.buckets.create
  • storage.objects.create

Here are the steps involved in this method:

• Log in to your Google Cloud account.

• Navigate to the Google Cloud Console > Cloud SQL Instances page.

• Click on an instance name to open the Overview page of the instance.

• Click on Export.

• For File format, click on SQL to create a SQL dump file.

• Within Data to export, use the drop-down menu and select the database you want to export from.

• For Destination, select Browse and search for a Cloud Storage bucket or folder for the export.

• Click on Export to begin the export.

Use the pg_dump command

The pg_dump command is a useful option to export your PostgreSQL database. Use the pg_dump utility to export a single PostgreSQL database and the pg_dumpall utility to export all PostgreSQL databases of a cluster.

Before you execute the command, ensure that:

• You have the username and password of the PostgreSQL database.
• The PostgreSQL instance is configured to allow access from the machine where you’re executing pg_dump.
• You have the necessary permissions to dump the database.

Run the pg_dump command from Google Cloud Shell or gcloud CLI. Here’s the format for the command:

pg_dump -h PostgreSQL_hostname -U PostgreSQL_user -d PostgreSQL_database -f /path/to/Output_filename.sql

This command uses your Google Cloud PostgreSQL instance’s IP address or hostname, user name, and database name. The output will be an SQL dump file with the provided output filename.

Step 2: Transform the Data (If Needed)

There are syntactical differences between a PostgreSQL database and a MySQL database. So, there may be PostgreSQL-specific SQL commands in the dump that may not be compatible with MySQL. You might need to modify the SQL dump file to remove such commands.

Consider using tools or scripts that are available online to assist with this transformation process.

Step 3: Load the Data into MySQL

Ensure you have a MySQL database to import the PostgreSQL data into. If you don’t already have one, run the following command in the mysql command-line client or any MySQL client tool:

CREATE DATABASE MySQL_database;
USE MySQL_database;

Now, import the SQL dump file into your MySQL database with the following command:

mysql -h MySQL_hostname -u MySQL_user -p MySQL_database < Output_filename.sql

This command uses your MySQL server’s IP address, user name, database name, and name of your SQL dump file. Upon execution of the command, your Google Cloud PostgreSQL data will be loaded into your MySQL database.

There are some benefits associated with using the custom script method for PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL migration:

• When using the Google Cloud Console method to export data, the data is stored in an intermediary storage solution—GCS buckets—which serves as a buffer. This provides a backup storage. If the data loading process to MySQL encounters any issues, you won’t witness a data loss.

• This method is well-suited for one-time or infrequent data transfers, especially of smaller datasets. The associated latencies of the data migration process won’t significantly impact the operations.

• Using custom scripts and built-in utilities is a cost-effective solution, especially for occasional or one-time tasks, as it includes manual intervention. 

Limitations of using custom script method for PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL migration

• Without proper error handling and logging, custom scripts can result in data integrity issues or data loss during the migration process.
• PostgreSQL and MySQL use different data types, which may require manual mapping. For instance, SERIAL in PostgreSQL does not directly map to AUTO_INCREMENT in MySQL, and JSON types may have compatibility issues.
• Converting complex PostgreSQL schemas with triggers, stored procedures, and functions can be difficult since MySQL’s syntax and capabilities differ from PostgreSQL.

• When you export data using the Google Cloud Console, the process can consume a significant amount of memory if your data contains large objects. This will impact the performance of the PostgreSQL instance.

• Using GCS storage (in the Google Cloud Console export method) can lead to additional costs.

• Migrating data between the two platforms with custom scripts is an effort-intensive process for large-scale and frequent data migrations.

What Can You Achieve with PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL MySQL Integration?

When you integrate Google Cloud PostgreSQL to MySQL, you can find answers to several questions, such as:

• Who are your primary customers in terms of gender, age, location, and other demographic parameters?
• What are the most commonly received feedback or complaints?
• What is the average lifetime value of customers? How does it differ across different customer segments?
• How sensitive are customers to changes in pricing?
• Which marketing methods are most effective?

Conclusion

While migrating PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL to MySQL using custom scripts is possible, it comes with significant challenges, including data type mismatches, complex schema conversions, and potential data integrity issues. The manual effort involved can be time-consuming and error-prone, particularly when handling large or complex databases. Additionally, custom scripts lack the built-in optimizations and error-handling mechanisms offered by dedicated migration tools, which can lead to performance bottlenecks and failed migrations.

To ensure a successful migration, it’s important to carefully plan, test, and validate the process at every step. Hevo makes this whole process very simple and fast for you. Hevo’s automated, no-code, cost-effective platform provides a seamless migration experience with many other additional features. Sign up for Hevo’s 14-day free trial and learn more.  

Find out how to connect PostgreSQL on Google Cloud SQL with Redshift to enhance your data operations. Our guide provides easy steps for seamless integration.

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