Oracle Flashback Database and MySQL snapshots - Oracle to Aurora MySQL Migration Playbook
Oracle usageMySQL usageSummary

Oracle Flashback Database and MySQL snapshots

With AWS DMS, you can leverage Oracle Flashback Database and MySQL snapshots to restore databases to a previous point in time. Oracle Flashback Database provides a way to rewind a database to a specific time or system change number, while MySQL snapshots capture the state of a database at a particular point in time.

Feature compatibility AWS SCT / AWS DMS automation level AWS SCT action code index Key differences

Three star feature compatibility

N/A

N/A

Storage-level backup is managed by Amazon RDS.

Oracle usage

Oracle Flashback Database is a special mechanism built into Oracle databases that helps protect against human errors by providing capabilities to revert the entire database back to a previous point in time using SQL commands. Flashback database implements a self-logging mechanism that captures all changes applied to a database and to data. Essentially, it stores previous versions of database modifications in the configured database Fast Recovery Area.

When you use an Oracle flashback database, you can choose to restore an entire database to either a user-created restore point, a timestamp value, or to a specific System Change Number (SCN).

Examples

Create a database restore point to which you can flashback a database.

CREATE RESTORE POINT before_update GUARANTEE FLASHBACK DATABASE;

Flashback a database to a previously created restore point.

shutdown immediate;
startup mount;
flashback database to restore point before_update;

Flashback a database to a specific time.

shutdown immediate;
startup mount;
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO TIME "TO_DATE('01/01/2017','MM/DD/YY')";

For more information, see FLASHBACK DATABASE in the Oracle documentation.

MySQL usage

Snapshots are the primary backup mechanism for Amazon Aurora databases. They are extremely fast and nonintrusive. You can take snapshots using the Amazon RDS Management Console or the AWS CLI. Unlike RMAN, there is no need for incremental backups. You can choose to restore your database to the exact time when a snapshot was taken or to any other point in time.

Amazon Aurora provides the following types of backups:

  • Automated backups — Always enabled on Amazon Aurora. They do not impact database performance.

  • Manual backups — You can create a snapshot at any time. There is no performance impact when taking snapshots of an Aurora database. Restoring data from snapshots requires creation of a new instance. Up to 100 manual snapshots are supported for each database.

When you use Aurora MySQL 5.6 compatible, you can turn on the Aurora Backtrack feature. This feature is equivalent to Flashback Database option in Oracle.

This option applies to newly created MySQL-compatible Aurora database clusters and to MySQL-compatible clusters that have been restored from a backup. Make sure that you opt-in when you create or restore a cluster; you can’t turn this option on for a running cluster.

To backtrack your database using AWS CLI, use the following example. This example demonstrates how to backtrack to instance for one day or 86,400 seconds:

aws rds modify-db-cluster
--db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster
--backtrack-window 86400

To monitor the backtrack operation, use the following example:

aws rds describe-db-cluster-backtracks
--db-cluster-identifier sample-cluster

Examples

The following steps to enable Aurora automatic backups and configure the backup retention window as part of the database creation process. This process is equivalent to setting the Oracle RMAN backup retention policy using the configure retention policy to recovery window of X days command.

  1. Sign in to your AWS console and choose RDS.

  2. Choose Databases, then choose your database or create a new one.

  3. Expand Additional configuration and specify Backup retention period in days.

    Backup retention period

The following table identifies the default automatic backup time for each region.

Region Default backup window

US West (Oregon)

06:00–14:00 UTC

US West (N. California)

06:00–14:00 UTC

US East (Ohio)

03:00–11:00 UTC

US East (N. Virginia)

03:00–11:00 UTC

Asia Pacific (Mumbai)

16:30–00:30 UTC

Asia Pacific (Seoul)

13:00–21:00 UTC

Asia Pacific (Singapore)

14:00–22:00 UTC

Asia Pacific (Sydney)

12:00–20:00 UTC

Asia Pacific (Tokyo)

13:00–21:00 UTC

Canada (Central)

06:29–14:29 UTC

EU (Frankfurt)

20:00–04:00 UTC

EU (Ireland)

22:00–06:00 UTC

EU (London)

06:00–14:00 UTC

South America (São Paulo)

23:00–07:00 UTC

AWS GovCloud (US)

03:00–11:00 UTC

Use the following steps to perform a manual snapshot backup of an Aurora database. This process is equivalent to creating a full Oracle RMAN backup (BACKUP DATABASE PLUS ARCHIVELOG).

  1. Sign in to your AWS console and choose RDS.

  2. Choose Databases, then choose your database.

  3. Choose Actions and then choose Take snapshot.

    Take snapshot

Use the following steps to restore an Aurora database from a snapshot. This process is similar to the Oracle RMAN commands RESTORE DATABASE and RECOVER DATABASE. However, instead of running in place, restoring an Aurora database creates a new cluster.

  1. Sign in to your AWS console and choose RDS.

  2. Choose Snapshots, then choose the snapshot to restore.

  3. Choose Actions and then choose Restore snapshot. This action creates a new instance.

  4. On the Restore snapshot page, for DB instance identifier, enter the name for your restored DB instance.

  5. Choose Restore DB instance.

Use the following steps to restore an Aurora MySQL database backup to a specific point in time. This process is similar to running the Oracle RMAN command SET UNTIL TIME "TO_DATE('XXX')" before running RESTORE DATABASE and RECOVER DATABASE.

  1. Sign in to your AWS console and choose RDS.

  2. Choose Databases, then choose your database.

  3. Choose Actions and then choose Restore to point in time.

  4. This process launches a new instance. Select the date and time to which you want to restore your database. The selected date and time must be within the configured backup retention for this instance.

AWS CLI backup and restore operations

In addition to using the AWS web console to backup and restore an Aurora instance snapshot, you can also use the AWS CLI to perform the same actions. The CLI is especially useful for migrating existing automated Oracle RMAN scripts to an AWS environment. The following list highlights some CLI operations:

  • Use describe-db-cluster-snapshots to view all current Aurora MySQL snapshots.

  • Use create-db-cluster-snapshot to create a snapshot or restore point.

  • Use restore-db-cluster-from-snapshot to restore a new cluster from an existing database snapshot.

  • Use create-db-instance to add new instances to the restored cluster.

aws rds describe-db-cluster-snapshots

aws rds create-db-cluster-snapshot
    --db-cluster-snapshot-identifier Snapshot_name
    --db-cluster-identifier Cluster_Name

aws rds restore-db-cluster-from-snapshot
    --db-cluster-identifier NewCluster
    --snapshot-identifier SnapshotToRestore
    --engine aurora-mysql

aws rds create-db-instance
    --region us-east-1
    --db-subnet-group default
    --engine aurora-mysql
    --db-cluster-identifier NewCluster
    --db-instance-identifier newinstance-nodeA
    --db-instance-class db.r4.large

  • Use restore-db-instance-to-point-in-time to perform a point-in-time recovery.

aws rds restore-db-cluster-to-point-in-time
    --db-cluster-identifier clusternamerestore
    --source-db-cluster-identifier clustername
    --restore-to-time 2017-09-19T23:45:00.000Z

aws rds create-db-instance
    --region us-east-1
    --db-subnet-group default
    --engine aurora-mysql
    --db-cluster-identifier clustername-restore
    --db-instance-identifier newinstance-nodeA
    --db-instance-class db.r4.large

Summary

Description Oracle Amazon Aurora

Create a restore point

 
CREATE RESTORE POINT
  before_update GUARANTEE
  FLASHBACK DATABASE;
 
aws rds create-db-cluster-snapshot
  --db-cluster-snapshotidentifier Snapshot_name
  --db-cluster-identifier Cluster_Name

Configure flashback retention period

 
ALTER SYSTEM SET
  db_flashback_retention_target=2880;

Configure the Backup retention window setting using the AWS management console or AWS CLI.

Flashback database to a previous restore point

 
shutdown immediate;
startup mount;
flashback database to
  restore point before_update;

Create a new cluster from a snapshot.

aws rds restore-db-cluster-from-snapshot
    --db-cluster-identifier NewCluster
    --snapshot-identifier SnapshotToRestore
    --engine aurora-mysql

Add a new instance to the cluster.

aws rds create-db-instance
    --region useast-1
    --db-subnet-group default
    --engine aurora-mysql
    --db-cluster-identifier clustername-restore
    --db-instanceidentifier newinstance-nodeA
    --dbinstance-class db.r4.large

Flashback database to a previous point in time

 
shutdown immediate;
startup mount;
FLASHBACK DATABASE TO TIME
  "TO_DATE ('01/01/2017','MM/DD/YY')";

Use the following example to restore your database to 86,400 seconds ago.

aws rds modify-db-cluster
--db-clusteridentifier sample-cluster
--backtrack-window 86400

For more information, see mysqldump — A Database Backup Program in the MySQL documentation, rds in the CLI Command Reference and Restoring a DB instance to a specified time and Restoring from a DB snapshot in the Amazon RDS user guide.