Data storage and management technology, better known as a database, is the lifeblood of applications across all sectors. The sheer volume and variety of data generated have skyrocketed with the technology revolution. This necessitates swift evolution in database technology to accommodate and process this burgeoning data. A plethora of database technology options are at your disposal to cater to these needs. The transformation of outdated database technology can be accomplished effortlessly if the right strategy is deployed. This article will delve into the pathways of database modernization, the range of cloud services and tools, various delivery methods, and the critical considerations for ensuring success. 

The rationale for database modernization

Almost every application relies on some form of database for data collection, storage, retrieval, and management. Conventionally, this is often a relational database management system (RDBMS) on a standalone server. However, numerous customers grapple with several issues in these traditional legacy systems, including: 

  • Steep licensing and hardware costs 
  • Limitations due to license compliance 
  • Emergence of new data types and sources (like streaming or unstructured data) 
  • Requirements for scalability, performance, and global expansion 
  • The need for application modernization to leverage cloud-native flexibility and innovation pace 

Depending on the modernization pathway delineated in this article, the potential benefits of modernization from a business and technology perspective encompass: 

  • Liberation from commercial licensing with open-source compatible databases with global scale functionalities 
  • Elimination of the onerous task of self-managing database servers through a transition to managed database services 
  • Unlocking data value, facilitating accessibility across application domains and organizations such as analytics, data lakes, business intelligence (BI), machine learning (ML), and more 
  • Facilitation of decoupled architectures (microservices, event-driven), resulting in faster development and deployment, and quicker market entry 
  • Utilization of highly scalable, purpose-built databases suited for non-relational and streaming data 

Blueprints for database modernization: 

When embarking on database modernization, the first question is: where to begin? 

The initial step involves identifying the most suitable modernization approach for you. In this section, we outline the various modernization pathways available.

Your pathway choice hinges on use case complexity, your organization’s technical maturity, desired pace, and commercial considerations. Striking a fine balance between priority outcomes and the associated effort is also critical.

There are four prevalent patterns for database modernization: 

Lift and shift – Transferring a database server to the AWS Cloud with minimal changes: 

  • You can operate a database on Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), intending to migrate to Relational Database Service (RDS) subsequently. 
  • The database functions identically as it did on-premises with no implications (except the endpoint change) for the associated application. 
  • This method accelerates data center exits but realizes lesser benefits as it leaves you with the original database vendor’s licensing 
  • It still necessitates significant effort in database installation, maintenance, patching, backup, etc. 
  • It also perpetuates the technical constraints of legacy databases discussed previously.

Migration to managed (homogenous migration) – Transition to the same DB engine, but a managed DB instance:

  • You are spared from making changes to the DB schema, data types, and table structure. For instance, on-premises PostgreSQL to Aurora, or self-hosted SQL Server or Oracle on EC2 to RDS for SQL Server. 
  • You can utilize automated backups, patching, failover, and recovery. 
  • You can enjoy enhanced productivity through decreased effort in managing the database, superior pricing, and flexibility with negligible to no modifications to the upstream applications. 

Liberation from legacy databases (heterogenous migration) – Shift from a commercial engine (Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle) to Aurora:

  • Liberating yourself from legacy databases allows you to transition from intricate vendor licensing to a pay-as-you-go structure. 
  • This facilitates the establishment of a modern data platform, serving as a foundation for a contemporary data strategy. 
  • You can leverage enterprise-grade performance with high scalability and cost efficiency with Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition or Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition. 
  • You get the chance to modernize monolith applications into scalable and event-driven microservices and serverless architectures with Amazon Aurora Serverless. 
  • You can achieve global reach Global Database, spanning multiple cloud regions for low-latency read access and swift recovery from region-wide outages. 

Purpose-built (heterogenous migration) – Alter the database engine and data type from relational to non-relational, tailored for the use case:

  • You can transition from a relational database to a specialty database, like key-value NoSQL DynamoDB, document-oriented DocumentDB (with MongoDB compatibility), serverless graph database, and more. 
  • Although this is the most complex method, it is also the most transformative and enables new architectures and unprecedented levels of scale and performance. 

Consideration for self-managed databases

Despite the quick and least complex lift and shift option with a self-managed database, self-managing your databases comes with several drawbacks: 

  • Requirements for software installation, configuration, patching, and backups. The cloud services offer tools to simplify this, but a substantial portion is still the customers’ responsibility. 
  • Scaling and high availability are limited since primarily vertical scaling of the virtual machine is feasible, and configuring high availability read replica and DB promotion on failover is entirely the customer’s responsibility. 
  • You still have to cope with licensing terms and audits. 

The self-management of databases is time-consuming, intricate, and costly. It’s estimated that IT teams expend 70% of their time on non-differentiating tasks like hardware and software installation, upgrades, patching, backup, recovery, and security planning, leaving little time for high business value activities. 

Transitioning from legacy databases to open-source platforms 

A major disadvantage of commercial databases is their inherent costliness and the issues of vendor lock-in they present. They also come with stringent licensing terms and limit usage flexibility. Cloud scalability with commercial databases can be notably costly, often restricting users from experiencing the full benefits of the cloud. Therefore, to embrace the scalability and agility of cloud, it is advisable to break free from commercial database engines. 

Expanding beyond relational databases 

A relational database may not always be the perfect fit for every case. As mentioned earlier, new types of data sources and formats can make traditional relational data structures less optimal, complicating potential solutions. For instance, the storage of JSON-formatted semi-structured documents in an RDBMS can pose technical challenges related to data storage, access, and querying performance. 

Cloud offers an extensive set of fully managed, purpose-built databases tailored to cater to your business needs. They help overcome these challenges and provide additional benefits such as: 

  • Enhanced performance and scalability 
  • Faster innovation 
  • Significant time and cost savings 
  • Automated heavy lifting tasks via managed services 

Navigating the maze of database modernization can be intricate but supremely rewarding. With the right approach, you can redefine data storage and management to catapult your business towards unprecedented levels of performance and innovation.

While traditional database technologies may hinder agility, embracing the future of data with cloud services and purpose-built databases can offer scalable, efficient, and cost-effective solutions. So, say goodbye to the constraints of the past and step into the era of limitless data potential. Let the power of modernization guide you on this transformative journey towards digital excellence.