Pair tool or DBConvert Studio

Every DBConvert licence moves structure and data between two database platforms, in either direction the pair supports - SQL Server and PostgreSQL, MySQL and Oracle, Access and MySQL, and so on. Either side can be on-premises, remote, or a managed cloud service that accepts a standard connection.

What separates the licences is how many pairs you need, not what they do to one.

• The shared workflow
• A pair tool - one pair, converted and kept in step
• DBConvert Studio - several platforms in one application
• DBConvert Streams - log-based replication
• Which to choose

The shared workflow

A pair tool and DBConvert Studio move structure and data the same way.

1. Connect to the source database.
2. Connect to the destination database - on-premises, remote, or a managed cloud service.
3. Select the tables and columns, indexes, and foreign keys you want.
4. Review the generated target structure and the data type mappings.
5. Apply table mapping and filters if you need them.
6. Run the job and watch the progress.
7. Save the job for reuse, scheduled runs, or the command line.

What moves: tables, columns, indexes, views, and foreign keys, with type mapping between the two engines. Stored procedures, functions, and triggers do not - they have to be rewritten by hand.

A pair tool - one pair, converted and kept in step

A pair tool is licensed for one combination, say SQL Server and PostgreSQL, and works in both directions of it. It covers the whole life of that pair rather than only the first move:

• Convert once. Build the target structure and transfer the data.
• Then keep the two in step. Run the same job on a schedule, one way or in both, moving only the rows that changed since the last run - see how synchronization works and trigger-based sync.

Every synchronized table needs a primary key, or a unique non-composite index, so the two sides can be matched row to row.

The limit is the pair. A second combination is a second licence.

DBConvert Studio - several platforms in one application

DBConvert Studio does the same work across many platforms under one licence, which is what makes it worth its higher price:

• No separate purchase per combination.
• Jobs reused across different source and target combinations.
• Data distribution - one source transferred to several destinations.

The limit is cost. For a single pair it is more than you need.

DBConvert Streams - log-based replication

Synchronization in the tools above is scheduled: it runs, moves the changes, and stops until the next run. If you need continuous, low-latency replication that reads the database transaction log instead of comparing rows on a timer, that is log-based change data capture and a different product - DBConvert Streams.

Which to choose

• One pair of databases, whether you convert once or keep syncing afterwards: a pair tool.
• Several platforms, or combinations you cannot predict yet: DBConvert Studio.
• Continuous, low-latency replication: DBConvert Streams.

Licensing tiers, user counts and prices are on License types & upgrade policy. If your case does not fit any of the three, tell us what you are moving and we will point you at the right licence.