Migrate from MySQL to Postgres

Today I wanted to see if a large client app would see any performance improvement using Postgres vs. MySQL.

Luckily there is a great tool called pgloader that can quickly scan and import a MySQL DB right into Postgres.

Homebrew FTW!

$ brew install pgloader

Create an import script to define the connection strings to each of your databases and configuration the import options you want.

-- import_mysql.load
LOAD DATABASE
FROM mysql://root@localhost/db_name
INTO postgresql://localhost/db_name

 WITH include drop, create tables, no truncate,
      create indexes, reset sequences, foreign keys;

Run the import:

$ pgloader import_mysql.load

If you get this error:

An unhandled error condition has been signalled:
   MySQL Error [1055]: "Expression #6 of SELECT list is not in GROUP BY clause and contains nonaggregated column 'information_schema.rc.UPDATE_RULE' which is not functionally dependent on columns in GROUP
 BY clause; this is incompatible with sql_mode=only_full_group_by"

Then create a MySQL configuration file (if you don't have one already) and open it:

$ sudo cp $(brew --prefix mysql)/support-files/my-default.cnf /etc/my.cnf
$ sudo vim /etc/my.cnf

Make sure ONLY_FULL_GROUP_BY is not in the mode list:

# /etc/my.cnf
sql_mode=STRICT_TRANS_TABLES,NO_ZERO_IN_DATE,NO_ZERO_DATE,ERROR_FOR_DIVISION_BY_ZERO,NO_AUTO_CREATE_USER,NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION

Now restart MySQL and try to import with pgloader again.