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We’re excited to announce a significant improvement for Azure Database for MySQL users, the ability to perform major version upgrades directly on Burstable SKU compute tiers through the Azure portal. This enhancement makes it easier than ever to upgrade to the latest MySQL versions with just a few clicks.
Major version upgrades are critical for accessing the latest features, performance improvements, and security enhancements in MySQL. However, these upgrades can be resource-intensive, demanding substantial CPU and memory resources. Burstable SKU instances, which are optimized for cost efficiency with variable performance, are credit based and often face challenges in handling these upgrades due to their limited resources.
Due to the challenges mentioned above, major version upgrades were not supported directly on Burstable SKU instances previously. Users had to manually upgrade to a General Purpose (GP) or Business Critical (BC) SKU before initiating the upgrade. After the upgrade, users needed to either downgrade back to the original Burstable SKU or decide to stay on the GP or BC SKU, followed by necessary clean-up tasks. This manual process was cumbersome and time-consuming.
To overcome this, we've streamlined the upgrade process. When you initiate a major version upgrade on a Burstable SKU instance, the system automatically upgrades the compute tier to a General Purpose SKU. This ensures that the upgrade process has the necessary resources to complete successfully.
The key benefits of this functionality are detailed in the following sections.
The new upgrade process is designed to be seamless and user-friendly. Here’s how it works:
1. Initiate the upgrade: In the Azure portal, select your existing Azure Database for MySQL Burstable SKU server, and then select Upgrade.
2. Validate schema compatibility: To help identify any potential issues that could disrupt the upgrade, before proceeding, use Oracle's official tool to validate that your current database schema is compatible with MySQL 8.0.
When you use Oracle's official tool to check schema compatibility, you will encounter some warnings indicating unexpected tokens in stored procedures, such as:
You can safely ignore these warnings. They refer to built-in stored procedures prefixed with mysql., which are used to support Azure MySQL features. These warnings do not affect the functionality of your database.
3. Automatic upgrade to the Compute tier: To ensure sufficient resources are available for the upgrade, the system will automatically upgrade your Burstable service tier instance to use the General Purpose service tier.
4. Select which service tier to use after the upgrade: During the initial upgrade steps, you’ll be prompted to select whether to remain on the General Purpose service tier or revert to the Burstable service tier after the upgrade completes.
5. Perform the upgrade: The major version upgrade to MySQL 8.0 is performed seamlessly.
6. Post-Upgrade Option: After the upgrade, the system will either retain the General Purpose SKU or revert to Burstable SKU based on the selection you made during the initial upgrade steps (the default option is to use B2S).
By ensuring that your compute tier has adequate resources, this new process significantly enhances the reliability of major version upgrades. You can be confident that your upgrade will proceed smoothly, reducing the risk of interruptions or failures.
We understand that cost management is a key concern for our users. However, while upgrading to a General Purpose SKU will incur additional costs, using this approach helps ensure the success of your upgrade. As a result, you can avoid the potential costs and downtime associated with failed upgrade attempts.
Upgrading your Azure Database for MySQL instance based on the Burstable service tier to a major new version is now simpler and more efficient. With just a few clicks in the Azure portal, you can ensure that your database is up-to-date and take advantage of the latest MySQL features and improvements. For more detailed information and step-by-step instructions, please visit our documentation page.
We're committed to continuously improving your experience with Azure Database for MySQL. We hope this new feature helps you manage your databases more effectively and so that you can take full advantage of the powerful capabilities of MySQL.
If you have any questions about the information provided in this post, please leave a comment below or contact us directly at AskAzureDBforMySQL@service.microsoft.com. Thank you!
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Why this matters
Major version upgrades are critical for accessing the latest features, performance improvements, and security enhancements in MySQL. However, these upgrades can be resource-intensive, demanding substantial CPU and memory resources. Burstable SKU instances, which are optimized for cost efficiency with variable performance, are credit based and often face challenges in handling these upgrades due to their limited resources.
Due to the challenges mentioned above, major version upgrades were not supported directly on Burstable SKU instances previously. Users had to manually upgrade to a General Purpose (GP) or Business Critical (BC) SKU before initiating the upgrade. After the upgrade, users needed to either downgrade back to the original Burstable SKU or decide to stay on the GP or BC SKU, followed by necessary clean-up tasks. This manual process was cumbersome and time-consuming.
To overcome this, we've streamlined the upgrade process. When you initiate a major version upgrade on a Burstable SKU instance, the system automatically upgrades the compute tier to a General Purpose SKU. This ensures that the upgrade process has the necessary resources to complete successfully.
Key benefits
The key benefits of this functionality are detailed in the following sections.
Seamless upgrade process
The new upgrade process is designed to be seamless and user-friendly. Here’s how it works:
1. Initiate the upgrade: In the Azure portal, select your existing Azure Database for MySQL Burstable SKU server, and then select Upgrade.
2. Validate schema compatibility: To help identify any potential issues that could disrupt the upgrade, before proceeding, use Oracle's official tool to validate that your current database schema is compatible with MySQL 8.0.
When you use Oracle's official tool to check schema compatibility, you will encounter some warnings indicating unexpected tokens in stored procedures, such as:
- mysql.az_replication_change_master - at line 3,4255: unexpected token 'REPLICATION'
- mysql.az_add_action_history - PROCEDURE uses obsolete NO_AUTO_CREATE_USER sql_mode
You can safely ignore these warnings. They refer to built-in stored procedures prefixed with mysql., which are used to support Azure MySQL features. These warnings do not affect the functionality of your database.
3. Automatic upgrade to the Compute tier: To ensure sufficient resources are available for the upgrade, the system will automatically upgrade your Burstable service tier instance to use the General Purpose service tier.
4. Select which service tier to use after the upgrade: During the initial upgrade steps, you’ll be prompted to select whether to remain on the General Purpose service tier or revert to the Burstable service tier after the upgrade completes.
5. Perform the upgrade: The major version upgrade to MySQL 8.0 is performed seamlessly.
6. Post-Upgrade Option: After the upgrade, the system will either retain the General Purpose SKU or revert to Burstable SKU based on the selection you made during the initial upgrade steps (the default option is to use B2S).
Enhanced reliability
By ensuring that your compute tier has adequate resources, this new process significantly enhances the reliability of major version upgrades. You can be confident that your upgrade will proceed smoothly, reducing the risk of interruptions or failures.
Cost management
We understand that cost management is a key concern for our users. However, while upgrading to a General Purpose SKU will incur additional costs, using this approach helps ensure the success of your upgrade. As a result, you can avoid the potential costs and downtime associated with failed upgrade attempts.
Conclusion
Upgrading your Azure Database for MySQL instance based on the Burstable service tier to a major new version is now simpler and more efficient. With just a few clicks in the Azure portal, you can ensure that your database is up-to-date and take advantage of the latest MySQL features and improvements. For more detailed information and step-by-step instructions, please visit our documentation page.
We're committed to continuously improving your experience with Azure Database for MySQL. We hope this new feature helps you manage your databases more effectively and so that you can take full advantage of the powerful capabilities of MySQL.
If you have any questions about the information provided in this post, please leave a comment below or contact us directly at AskAzureDBforMySQL@service.microsoft.com. Thank you!
Continue reading...