Migrate Azure SQL Managed Instance to Amazon RDS for SQL Server with BYOM
Microsoft Workloads on AWS Blog
This article provides a step-by-step guide for migrating SQL Server databases from Azure SQL Managed Instance to Amazon RDS for SQL Server using Bring Your Own Media (BYOM), enabling license reuse through Microsoft's License Mobility benefit.
- Export COPY_ONLY backup from Azure SQL Managed Instance, disabling TDE if needed
- Transfer backup files to Amazon S3 using azcopy and AWS CLI
- Deploy BYOM instance from RDS console, specifying RTM media location
- Restore database using native RDS restore procedures with S3 ARN references
- Validate database integrity and cut over applications to RDS endpoint
- Supports SQL Server 2019, 2022, and 2025 Enterprise, Standard, and Developer editions
- Downtime proportional to database size; AWS DMS alternative for lower-downtime migrations
BYOM enables cost-effective SQL Server migration to fully managed AWS service while reusing existing licenses and gaining automated patching, backups, and high availability.
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