Question 1

What YugabyteDB migrations do you handle?

Accepted Answer

PostgreSQL → YugabyteDB via yb-voyager (the canonical migration path), Oracle → YugabyteDB (PL/SQL conversion + YSQL adoption), Cassandra → YCQL (consolidation for teams running both Postgres + Cassandra), self-managed → Yugabyte Aeon onboarding, tablespace + replica placement rollout for multi-region, version upgrades. For the architecture-decision phase, see YugabyteDB consulting.

Question 2

yb-voyager — what does it cover?

Accepted Answer

yb-voyager is YugabyteDB's migration toolkit. Covers: assessment (source-DB compatibility report), schema export + conversion (Postgres / Oracle / MySQL / SQL Server source), bulk data import, live CDC replication, and cutover automation. Strengths: YSQL benefits from real Postgres query-layer reuse, so Postgres → YugabyteDB is unusually clean. Misses: complex PL/SQL packages (manual rewrite), Postgres-extension dependencies that aren't in YugabyteDB's supported list, advanced sequence semantics.

Question 3

Postgres → YugabyteDB — what's the playbook?

Accepted Answer

Sequence: (1) yb-voyager assess for compatibility report, (2) schema export + manual review of incompatible features (CASCADE FK on distributed tables, sequence ordering, certain extensions), (3) initial data load via yb-voyager export-data + import-data, (4) live CDC replication for catching up writes, (5) cutover with replication-lag-monitored gates. The Postgres → YugabyteDB path is cleaner than Postgres → CockroachDB because YSQL reuses actual Postgres query layer.

Question 4

Cassandra → YCQL — when does consolidation make sense?

Accepted Answer

When you run both Postgres + Cassandra and want one platform. YCQL implements much of Cassandra's CQL semantics on YugabyteDB's distributed storage. Pros: unified operational model, single-cluster auth and backup, smaller ops surface. Cons: not all Cassandra features port (LWT semantics differ, some advanced data types). We audit existing Cassandra usage to identify portable patterns + replacement strategies for the gaps.

Question 5

Multi-region tablespace rollout — what's the process?

Accepted Answer

YugabyteDB's multi-region story is config-driven via tablespaces. Rollout: (1) provision additional regions, (2) define tablespaces with placement policies (region count, replica distribution, leader preference), (3) assign tables to tablespaces — typically one tablespace per data-residency requirement, (4) validate query latency per locality, (5) update application routing for region-local access. Per-table rollout rather than cluster-wide, similar to CockroachDB's multi-region tables.

Question 6

Self-managed → Yugabyte Aeon — economics?

Accepted Answer

Yugabyte Aeon (formerly YugabyteDB Managed): Serverless or Dedicated, multi-cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP). Aeon wins for fast time-to-value, multi-cloud flexibility, small ops teams. Self-managed wins at sustained scale where reserved-instance economics beat Aeon pricing, or for regulatory placement requirements. The migration itself is straightforward — same engine, configuration + region differences. We model both before recommending direction.

Question 7

Cutover playbook for zero-downtime?

Accepted Answer

Standard sequence: (1) yb-voyager assess + schema migration, (2) bulk-load via export-data + import-data, (3) CDC replicator catches up, (4) wait for replication lag to settle, (5) flip reads — observe error rate + latency, (6) quiesce writes on source briefly, (7) promote YugabyteDB, (8) cut application endpoints, (9) 24-48 hour soak with source kept replicated as rollback, (10) decommission source.

YugabyteDB Migration Services

YugabyteDB migrations we handle

YugabyteDB migration — common questions

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