Top 8 Database Migration Tools for 2024

February 13, 2024
By Michael Gastright

As a company grows, changes, and merges, its needs become different and things like sharing big data pose many challenges. To combine data from different sources into a single, accessible repository, companies take on data migrations. Ensuring that migration goes off seamlessly is no easy feat, especially when you don’t know which database migration tools to use and which would work best for your case.

Whether you’re a migration expert looking for new recommendations or a novice learning to migrate, our top database migration tools list will make the process easier, faster, and better. Keep reading to learn more!

What Are Database Migration Tools?

Simply put, database migration tools help plan, manage, and execute the transfer of resources, including:

Files
Applications
Operating systems
Databases
Websites
Servers
Data centers
Networks

Migration experts, database architects, cloud service providers, IT teams, and business owners use tools to achieve their migration goals.

Types of Database Migration Tools

Before settling on a data migration strategy, you should first understand which types of tools are available to you. Understanding the different types can help you choose the best tool(s) for your migration scenario or organization.

On-Premise

On-premise migration tools are designed to be deployed within an organization’s own data centers or physical infrastructure. They facilitate the process of transferring data between on-premise systems or servers.

On-premise migration tools are recommended for scenarios where a business needs to move its data between in-house applications, servers, or databases. They’re ideal for dealing with sensitive data or when working within highly regulated industries.

One of the biggest benefits of using on-premise tools is that they’re typically installed and operated on an organization’s hardware. That means they’re able to provide a high level of control over data security.

Cloud

Cloud data migration tools are specialized solutions designed to transfer data to and from cloud-based platforms and services. They’re typically offered as part of a cloud-based solution, which means that they’re tailored to specific cloud providers. These can include AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.

Cloud migration tools are incredibly valuable to organizations that are using cloud infrastructures and services in addition to or in place of physical infrastructures. Typically, these tools offer the following features:

Data synchronization
Transformation
Validation

Cloud migration tools are ideal for scenarios where you need to migrate on-premises applications to the cloud. That’s because they can replicate data for disaster recovery, and even consolidate data from multiple sources in the cloud.

Self-Scripted

Custom-built solutions designed to meet an organization’s unique data migration strategy are called self-scripted migration tools. As they’re custom-made, these tools are incredibly customizable and often developed in-house.

Self-scripted tools come in many different forms, but they’re usually created with programming tools like Java, Python, or PowerShell. What’s more, many organizations often opt to use these tools when they have a unique data migration framework.

Self-scripted tools are ideal for scenarios where you need fine-grained control over data transformation, extraction, and loading processes. Depending on the tool itself, the best use cases for a self-scripted tool are:

Migrating legacy systems
Handling specialized data formats
Integrating disparate data sources

Top 8 Database Migration Tools

Now, let’s take a closer look at the 8 best database migration tools for 2024 and how they can help during different data migration phases.

#1 AWS Database Migration Service

First up is the tried and tested AWS Database Migration Service or AWS DMS, which is a fully managed service that makes it simple to migrate your databases to AWS. This tool offers support for a wide range of source and target databases, including:

SQL Server
Oracle
MySQL
PostgreSQL
MongoDB
Amazon Redshift

With AWS DMS, you can automatically convert database schemas to a format that’s compatible with the target database. What’s more, the tool features detailed monitoring and reporting capabilities. With these features, users can track the progress of their migration through different data migration phases and catch any errors on time.

#2 Fivetran

Fivetran is a cloud-based ELT platform that automates the process of moving data from SaaS applications to data warehouses. The tool has pre-built connectors, which can be used for popular services, including MongoDB, Amazon Redshift, Google Analytics, and more.

The pre-built connectors help streamline the process of extracting data from source systems. Also, they facilitate the data migration into target data warehouses.

#3 Integrate.io

Another cloud-based migration tool, somewhat similar to Fivetran, is Integrate.io. The tool provides organizations with a suite of features to load, connect, and transform data from a variety of sources.

Integrate.io supports ETL, ELT, and Reverse ETL processes, as well as data replication, change data capture, and real-time insights. The tool has a visual workflow builder to make it easier to create and manage data pipelines.

#4 Azure Database Migration Service

Microsoft’s solution for seamless data migrations comes in the form of the Azure Database Migration Service (DMS). The fully managed service gives users the ability to migrate their data, schema, and other objects from various sources to Azure. It ensures that there’s minimal downtime between migrations and that all the transitions are secure.

Azure DMS has many advanced security features and compliance standards to ensure data protection.

#5 Informatica

Informatica Cloud Data Wizard is a flexible, next-gen data loader that caters to different types of users. The tool comes with pre-built integration templates, which allow users to choose Salesforce objects.

To enhance user productivity, Information provides in-app integration and real-time business workloads. The cloud-native integration service offers features including data integration, data migration, and data governance.

#6 Oracle Data Migration

Part of Oracle’s vast suite of services, the Oracle Data Migration tool is tailored to migrating databases, workloads, and applications to Oracle Cloud. It’s designed to help businesses transition to a cloud-based infrastructure while offering agility and scalability in the process.

Oracle Data Migration has robust security features to ensure data is safe during and after migration. Also, Oracle itself offers a wide range of tools and services that allow organizations to choose what works best for them.

#7 Matillion

Matillion is a tool that provides cloud-native solutions for data migration phases, including movement and transformation. The tool integrates seamlessly with many popular cloud data platforms, while supporting system synchronization, reverse ETL, and bidirectional data flows.

Matillion features a drag-and-drop interface, which allows users to automate data pipelines, as well as manage schema changes. Not only that, but it provides access to a wide range of connectors and has real-time replication of database changes.

#8 Hevo Data

Hevo Data, a cloud-based, no-code, zero-maintenance data pipeline platform is built for ELT, ETL, and Reverse ETL needs. It allows users to migrate from multiple sources to data warehouses in real-time. What’s more, the tool enables data teams to consolidate from various sources. Not only that, but teams can also execute transformations for analytics purposes and offer operational intelligence.

Hevo Data prioritizes security and privacy and it is compliant with HIPAA, SOC2, CCPA, and GDPR standards. That way, the platform ensures user data remains confidential while meeting regulatory requirements.

Final Thoughts

Those were our top database migration tools for 2024, all of which have their unique strengths and weaknesses. However, if you feel like your organization requires a unique approach and custom tools – get in touch with Coherence Inc. today!

With years of relevant experience, we offer active directory, email, and tenant migration. Not only that but our custom products and tools allow us to tailor our migration approach to fit seamlessly with your organization.