Compare SQL data migration tools
Microsoft provides a suite of tools and services designed to assist users with migrating various types of source databases to a variety of target environments.
This article provides a brief overview of the tools available to migrate to SQL Server, and Azure SQL.
Azure Migrate
Azure Migrate provides a centralized hub to discover and assess on-premises servers, infrastructure, applications, and data to Azure at scale. Azure Migrate provide a unified migration across your servers, databases and applications.
Use Azure Migrate to discover all your SQL Servers across your data center, assess application dependencies, understand the readiness of these SQL Servers migrating to Azure SQL, get Microsoft recommendations, the optimal Azure SQL deployment option and right SKU that can fit the performance needs for your workloads. You can also get the monthly estimates running these databases on Azure SQL as cater to your licensing benefits.
Use Azure Migrate in the following scenarios:
- Assess and discover your SQL Server data estate.
- Get Azure SQL deployment recommendations, target sizing, and monthly estimates.
- Lift and shift your entire data estate to SQL Server on Azure VMs.
To learn more, see the Azure Migrate documentation.
Data Migration Assistant (DMA)
The Data Migration Assistant (DMA) helps you upgrade to a modern data platform by detecting compatibility issues that can impact database functionality in your new version of SQL Server or Azure SQL Database. DMA recommends performance and reliability improvements for your target environment and allows you to move your schema, data, and uncontained objects from your source server to your target server.
Use DMA in the following scenarios:
- Upgrade of SQL Server 2005 and later versions to SQL Server 2012, SQL Server 2014, SQL Server 2016, SQL Server 2017, and SQL Server 2019 on Windows and Linux, and SQL Server on Azure VM.
- Detect compatibility issues that can impact database functionality on a newer target version of SQL Server or Azure SQL and provide mitigating steps.
- Move the schema, data, and uncontained objects from a source server to SQL Server or Azure SQL.
To learn more, see the Data Migration Assistant documentation.
SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA)
SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) is a tool designed to automate database migration to SQL Server and Azure SQL from alternative database engines.
Use SSMA in the following scenario:
- Migrate Microsoft Access, DB2, MySQL, Oracle, and SAP ASE databases to SQL Server.
- Migrate Microsoft Access, DB2, MySQL, Oracle, and SAP ASE databases to Azure SQL.
To learn more, see the SQL Server Migration Assistant documentation
Azure Database Migration Service (DMS)
Azure Database Migration Service enables seamless migrations from multiple database sources to Azure Data platforms with minimal downtime. The Database Migration Service provides a resilient and reliable migration pipeline that requires minimal user involvement during the overall migration process.
Use the Database Migration Service in the following scenarios:
- Migrate both databases to Azure SQL, especially at scale, and for large (in terms of number and size of databases) migrations.
- Migrate databases to Azure Database.
To learn more, see the Azure Database Migration Service documentation.
Database Experimentation Assistant (DEA)
Database Experimentation Assistant (DEA) is an experimentation solution for SQL Server upgrades. DEA can help you evaluate a targeted version of SQL Server for a specific workload. Customers upgrading from earlier versions of SQL Server (starting with 2005) to more recent versions of SQL Server can use the analysis metrics that the tool provides.
Use the Database Experimentation Assistant in the following scenario:
- Capture the workload of a source SQL Server environment and evaluate the workload on a source SQL Server to prepare for migration.
- Identify compatibility errors, and possible degraded queries for your SQL Server migration scenario.
To learn more, see the Database Experimentation Assistant documentation.
Quick comparison
Use the following chart to compare capabilities of the SQL migration tools:
| Capability | Azure Migrate | Data Migration Assistant (DMA) | SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) | Azure Database Migration Service (DMS) | Database Experimentation Assistant (DEA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discover and assess SQL data estate | At scale | Yes | No | No | No |
| Migrate SQL Server objects to SQL Database or SQL Managed Instance | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Lift and shift SQL Server to SQL Server on Azure VM | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Migrate (and/or upgrade) SQL Server to SQL Server on Azure VM | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Migrate non-SQL objects (Oracle, Access, DB2, and so on) |
No | No | Yes | No | No |
| Migrate open source databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and so on) |
No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Compare workloads between source and target SQL Server | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Next steps
Get started with migrating to SQL Server from another database engine, migrate to Azure SQL, or assess your SQL data estate with Azure Migrate.
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