RDS Recommendations

RDS Recommendations for AWS

The Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) recommendation feature in Cloudamize helps users identify on-premises SQL Server workloads suitable for migration to a managed AWS RDS environment. It compares the costs and performance of running databases on Amazon EC2 (Lift & Shift) versus moving to a fully managed RDS instance.

What is Supported?

Cloudamize supports recommendations for Microsoft SQL Server workloads. The platform identifies on-premises instances running SQL Server and assesses their performance metrics (CPU, RAM, IOPS, and Storage) to determine the most cost-effective and performance-aligned RDS instance type.

Data Collection

Cloudamize collects the necessary data for RDS recommendations using standard Agent or Agentless Data Collectors.

• Basic SQL Data: Collected by default, including instance name, version, edition, and database size.

• Advanced SQL Data: Requires PowerShell 5.1+ to collect deeper metrics such as High Availability (HADR) status, cluster configurations, and detailed performance counters.

How to Enable RDS via the Designer

If you are not using a pre-configured OLA plan, you can manually enable RDS recommendations within the Designer section of the Cloudamize console:

1. Navigate to Designer: Click on the Designer tab for your assessment.

2. Access Compute Tuning: Open the Compute Tuning settings on the left-hand sidebar.

3. Toggle RDS: Under the Workload-Based Tuning section, check the box for "Use RDS".

4. Refine Settings: You can further refine your results by adjusting the Target Peak CPU Threshold (default 80%) or selecting specific Instance Families (e.g., m6i, r6i) to be considered for the recommendation.

5. Save and Recalculate: Click Update to refresh the results across your entire assessment.

You can find more details on using Cloudamize Designer in our KB here: https://support.cloudamize.com/kb/designer-for-aws#DesignerforAWS-WorkloadBasedTuning

RDS Recommendation Design (OLA 8)

Cloudamize utilizes a specialized optimization plan, labeled OLA 8, to generate managed database recommendations. This design transitions on-premises or EC2-based SQL Server workloads to Amazon RDS, combining the operational ease of a managed service with a predictable commitment model. 

You can find more details on OLA 8 Design in our KB https://support.cloudamize.com/kb/designer-ola-savings-plans#DesignerOLASavingsPlans-OLA8-RDSWorkload,1YearNoUpfront

OLA 8 - RDS Workload, 1 Year No Upfront

This plan is ideal for organizations that want to reduce administrative overhead while maintaining a predictable monthly OpEx with zero initial investment.

Note on SQL Server Developer Edition:

Cloudamize identifies nodes running SQL Server Developer Edition. Because this version is intended for non-production use and does not incur licensing fees, the tool does not generate RDS recommendations for these nodes. These instances will typically be recommended for Amazon EC2 to maintain the cost-free licensing structure of the Developer Edition.

Analyzing Results via the SQL Server Report

To perform a deep dive into the RDS recommendations, you can download the SQL Server Report from the Reports tab in the Analyze. This Excel report provides granular inventory and performance data essential for validating RDS sizing.

Key Data Points in the Report:

• Database Instance Name: The specific SQL instance identified for migration.

• Edition & Version: Critical for RDS engine compatibility and licensing costs.

• Database Size (MB): Used to calculate the required RDS storage capacity.

• Peak Memory Used & CPU Utilization: Actual on-premises performance metrics used by OLA 8 to choose the RDS instance class.

• IOPS & Throughput (Read/Write): Granular metrics (Average and Peak) that help determine if the workload needs General Purpose (gp3) or Provisioned IOPS storage.

• Enterprise Features: A list of features in use (e.g., TDE, Columnstore) that helps verify if the RDS instance needs to be Enterprise or Standard edition.

You can find more details on the SQL report in our KB here https://support.cloudamize.com/kb/sql-server-report

Important Considerations

• Managed Efficiency: Moving to RDS automates time-consuming tasks like patching, backups, and hardware provisioning.

• Administrative Shares: Local administrative drives (e.g., C:) are typically excluded from database storage calculations.

• Manual Overrides: If a Developer Edition node is actually a production workload requiring RDS, the edition must be manually adjusted in the design settings to trigger pricing.

For more details on AWS's RDS offering, please see the official AWS RDS documentation.

If you have queries regarding Cloudamize's presentation of these recommendations, please get in touch with the Technical Helpdesk at helpdesk@cloudamize.com.