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dbt VS AWS Database Migration Service

Compare dbt VS AWS Database Migration Service and see what are their differences

dbt logo dbt

dbt is a data transformation tool that enables data analysts and engineers to transform, test and document data in the cloud data warehouse.

AWS Database Migration Service logo AWS Database Migration Service

AWS Database Migration Service allows you to migrate to AWS quickly and securely. Learn more about the benefits and the key use cases.
  • dbt Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16
  • AWS Database Migration Service Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-30

dbt features and specs

  • Modularity
    dbt promotes a modular approach to building analytics workflows, allowing data teams to break down transformations into smaller, more manageable SQL scripts. This improves code readability, maintainability, and collaboration among team members.
  • Version Control Integration
    By integrating with Git, dbt enables teams to version control their data transformation scripts, fostering collaboration, auditability, and change tracking over time.
  • CI/CD Pipeline Compatibility
    dbt supports integration with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) systems, allowing automated testing and deployment of transformations as part of the data pipeline.
  • Data Quality Testing
    dbt offers built-in testing functionalities, which enable developers to write tests to validate data transformations and ensure data quality/integrity within their data models.
  • Documentation and Lineage
    dbt automatically generates documentation for the data models and creates a lineage graph, providing transparency and understanding of data flows and dependencies.

Possible disadvantages of dbt

  • SQL Limitations
    Since dbt primarily relies on SQL for transformations, complex transformations may become cumbersome or difficult to implement compared to programming languages like Python or R.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may face a learning curve in setting up and effectively using dbt, especially if they are unfamiliar with concepts like data modeling, Git, or command-line tools.
  • Performance Constraints
    The performance of dbt transformations is dependent on the underlying data warehouse. Large-scale transformations could lead to performance inefficiencies if the warehouse is not optimized.
  • Cost
    Running dbt transformations continuously can incur costs associated with warehouse usage, especially if the data models involve processing large volumes of data regularly.
  • Dependency on Data Stack
    dbt's effectiveness is reliant on having a robust data warehouse and surrounding data stack, meaning smaller or less mature setups may struggle to leverage its full potential.

AWS Database Migration Service features and specs

  • Minimal Downtime
    AWS Database Migration Service ensures minimal downtime during the database migration process, making it ideal for applications that require continuous availability.
  • Supports Multiple Database Engines
    It supports migration of data between a wide variety of database engines including Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and more.
  • Cost-Effective
    With a pay-as-you-go pricing model, users only pay for the compute resources used during the migration process, making it a cost-effective solution.
  • Managed Service
    As a fully managed service, it reduces the administrative overhead associated with database migrations, including hardware provisioning, software patching, and monitoring.
  • Continuous Data Replication
    It supports continuous data replication with high availability, allowing for nearly real-time data synchronization between the source and target databases.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Database Migration Service

  • Complex Initial Setup
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex, especially for users who are not familiar with AWS services and database migration processes.
  • Limited Customization
    Being a managed service, it offers limited customization options compared to self-managed solutions, which might be a drawback for users with specific requirements.
  • Latency Issues
    For large datasets, there might be latency issues during migration, depending on the network conditions and the geographical locations of the source and target databases.
  • Dependency on AWS Ecosystem
    The service is tightly integrated with AWS, which means it may not be as effective or easy to use with non-AWS environments, creating potential vendor lock-in.
  • Performance Overheads
    There may be performance overheads associated with running the migration tasks, which could impact the performance of the source or target databases during the migration process.

dbt videos

Introduction to dbt (data build tool) from Fishtown Analytics

AWS Database Migration Service videos

AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to dbt and AWS Database Migration Service)
Data Integration
27 27%
73% 73
Web Service Automation
36 36%
64% 64
ETL
19 19%
81% 81
Automation
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare dbt and AWS Database Migration Service

dbt Reviews

13 data integration tools: a comparative analysis of the top solutions
Reading about the previous integration tool, you probably noticed the support of dbt Core (Data Build Tools) for data transformations. In fact, dbt Core is a product of its own – an open-source command-line tool for data pipelines. In addition to the Core product, dbt also offers a Cloud platform that strives to bridge the gap between software developers and data management...
Source: blog.n8n.io

AWS Database Migration Service Reviews

Best ETL Tools: A Curated List
Mostly Batch: Matillion ETL had some real-time CDC based on Amazon DMS that has been deprecated. The Data Loader does have some CDC, but overall, the Data Loader is limited in functionality, and if it’s based on DMS, it will have the limitations of DMS as well.
Source: estuary.dev

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, AWS Database Migration Service seems to be a lot more popular than dbt. While we know about 31 links to AWS Database Migration Service, we've tracked only 2 mentions of dbt. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

dbt mentions (2)

AWS Database Migration Service mentions (31)

  • Choosing the right, real-time, Postgres CDC platform
    The major infrastructure providers offer CDC products that work within their ecosystem. Tools like AWS DMS, GCP Datastream, and Azure Data Factory can be configured to stream changes from Postgres to other infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • 3 Proven Patterns for Reporting with Serverless
    The second big drawback is speed. There will be more latency in this scenario. How much latency depends upon the environment. If there is RDBMS in the source, AWS Data Migration Service will at worst take around 60 seconds to replicate. That cost needs to be accounted for. Secondarily, many triggering events are leveraged which happen fairly quickly but they do add up. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • RDS Database Migration Series - A horror story of using AWS DMS with a happy ending
    Amazon Database Migration Service might initially seem like a perfect tool for a smooth and straightforward migration to RDS. However, our overall experience using it turned out to be closer to an open beta product rather than a production-ready tool for dealing with a critical asset of any company, which is its data. Nevertheless, with the extra adjustments, we made it work for almost all our needs. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Aurora serverless v1 to v2 upgrade pointers?
    Does AWS DMS make sense here? Doesn't the aforementioned "snapshot+restore to provisioned and upgrade" method suffice? I wanted to get some opinions before deep diving into the docs for yet another AWS service. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Using Amazon RDS Postgres as a read replica from an external Database
    One easy solution is AWS DMS. I use it for on-going CDC replication with custom transforms, but you can use it for simple replication too. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing dbt and AWS Database Migration Service, you can also consider the following products

Datacoves - Managed dbt-core, VS Code in the browser, and Managed Airflow.

AWS Glue - Fully managed extract, transform, and load (ETL) service

dataloader.io - Quickly and securely import, export and delete unlimited amounts of data for your enterprise.

Xplenty - Xplenty is the #1 SecurETL - allowing you to build low-code data pipelines on the most secure and flexible data transformation platform. No longer worry about manual data transformations. Start your free 14-day trial now.

CData Sync - Straightforward data synchronizing between on-premise and cloud data sources with a wide range of traditional and emerging databases.

Skyvia - Free cloud data platform for data integration, backup & management