Recommendations for Migrating from Microsoft SQL Server to AWS Neptune

Question

Hello, 
I'm currently planning a migration of our database from a Microsoft SQL Server, hosted with a third-party provider, to AWS Neptune. Given the significant differences between a traditional relational database system and a graph database like Neptune, I'm seeking advice on the best practices and tools available within AWS ecosystem to facilitate this transition.

Could anyone share insights or guidance on the following aspects?

**1. Migration Tools**: Are there specific AWS services or third-party tools recommended for migrating data from SQL Server to Neptune, especially tools that help with data extraction, transformation, and loading into a graph model?

**2. Data Modeling:** Tips on converting a relational schema to a graph model suitable for Neptune. Any common pitfalls to avoid?

**3. Data Integrity and Downtime:** Best practices for ensuring data integrity during the migration and strategies to minimize downtime.

**4. Resources:** Any documentation, tutorials, or case studies on similar migrations that could guide us through the process.

Answer

You can try the blog post [Populating your graph in Amazon Neptune from a relational database using AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/database/populating-your-graph-in-amazon-neptune-from-a-relational-database-using-aws-database-migration-service-dms-part-1-setting-the-stage/) which goes into some of your questions in detail

Answer

In addition to the documentation around Neptune's DMS integration (as mentioned by @Mike_L), there are also a set of reference architectures on GitHub that cover data modeling and other architectural patterns:  https://aws-samples.github.io/aws-dbs-refarch-graph/

There's also a course on AWS SkillBuilder that covers graph data modeling:  https://explore.skillbuilder.aws/learn/course/16133/data-modeling-for-amazon-neptune

Recommendations for Migrating from Microsoft SQL Server to AWS Neptune

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