Independent migration & schema-change guides

Change Your Database
Without Breaking Your App

AdaptDatabase is a free, vendor-neutral guide to database migrations and schema evolution: how to move from one engine to another, how to change tables that are already in production, and how to choose between SQL and NoSQL before you commit.

Read the migration guide Try the planning tools

Start here

Practical guides for developers and small teams who run their own databases.

MySQL to PostgreSQL, step by step

Schema conversion, data type differences, data transfer, validation and cutover, in the order you will actually do them.

Zero-downtime migrations

Dual writes, change data capture and expand-and-contract schema changes explained without vendor marketing.

SQL or NoSQL?

How data shape, consistency needs and query patterns should drive the choice – and when using both makes sense.

Migration best practices

Assessment, data mapping, validation and rollback planning for larger migrations.

Sizing calculator

Rough CPU, memory and storage estimates for a target database, based on your own numbers.

Schema designer

Sketch tables and columns in the browser and generate CREATE TABLE statements.

A safe migration in four stages

The outline our guides follow. Details depend on your data and engines.

Inventory

List tables, sizes, constraints, stored procedures and every application that reads or writes the data.

Convert & rehearse

Translate the schema, copy a snapshot to a test environment and run the application against it.

Sync & validate

Keep source and target in sync, compare row counts and checksums, and test rollback.

Cut over

Switch traffic in a planned window, monitor closely and keep the old database until you are confident.

Get new guides by email

Occasional emails when new migration guides or tools are published. Unsubscribe at any time.

Change Your DatabaseWithout Breaking Your App