AWS DMS vs DBShifts
AWS DMS is Amazon's managed migration service. It moves data between databases — homogeneous and heterogeneous — and supports ongoing replication via change data capture. Schema conversion for anything beyond simple tables is handled by a companion product, the AWS Schema Conversion Tool.
When AWS DMS is the better choice
Stated first, because it is often true and you will find out either way.
- ✓Your source and target are both inside AWS, and you want migration billed and operated as part of that account.
- ✓You need to move data at a scale where a managed, horizontally-scaled replication fleet matters more than anything else.
- ✓Your team already runs on AWS tooling and IAM, and adding a third-party service is the harder sell.
Where DBShifts is different
Differences, not a scorecard.
Schema conversion is not a separate product
DMS pairs with AWS SCT for schema conversion; the two are configured and run separately. DBShifts converts the schema and moves the data in one pass, with the conversion report — lossy types, objects needing manual review — produced before anything is written.
Verification is type-aware, not just row counts
DMS provides row counts and optional data validation. DBShifts compares row counts AND a type-aware checksum per table, canonicalising values first so that a DECIMAL that became a float, or a timezone-aware timestamp that landed in a naive column, is reported rather than passing as identical.
Nothing is tied to one cloud
DBShifts runs against any reachable database, in any cloud or on-premises, and the CLI runs entirely on your machine for databases that cannot reach the internet at all.
Governance continues after the move
A migration service stops when the data lands. DBShifts then gives you read-only browsing with PII masked, per-column unmask grants, access reviews, and scoped access for AI agents over the same policy engine.
Questions people ask about AWS DMS
Can AWS DMS migrate to a database outside AWS?
It can write to targets outside AWS, but the service itself runs inside your AWS account and is billed there, so the replication instance and its networking remain an AWS dependency. DBShifts runs wherever you put it, including entirely on your own machine via the CLI for databases that cannot reach the internet.
Does AWS DMS convert the schema?
For straightforward tables it creates a basic target schema. Anything beyond that — procedures, views, complex constraints — is the job of the AWS Schema Conversion Tool, a separate application. DBShifts converts the schema and moves the data in one run, so the DDL you reviewed is the DDL that executes.
How do I verify a DMS migration actually moved everything?
DMS offers row counts and an optional data validation feature that compares rows. The gap worth knowing about is type fidelity: a DECIMAL that became a float, or a timezone-aware timestamp that landed in a naive column, keeps the row count identical. DBShifts canonicalises values per engine before hashing, so those differences are reported instead of passing.
Try it against your own schema.
Connect a database read-only and DBShifts reports every lossy conversion before anything moves. Free tier, no card.