In today’s data-driven landscape, organizations increasingly recognize the critical need for unified governance to ensure consistent data security, compliance, and efficiency. AWS Glue Data Catalog users seeking enhanced governance, operational control, and streamlined workflows often consider migrating to Databricks’ Unity Catalog (UC). This article outlines an AI-assisted, phased migration approach designed to achieve minimal disruption and maximum alignment with organizational goals.
A. Need for Unified Governance
Unified governance offers a structured approach to data management, centralizing control over data assets while providing visibility and regulatory compliance. A well-governed environment ensures that data integrity, security, and accessibility remain top priorities, enabling businesses to leverage their data assets with confidence.
B. Unity Catalog as a Solution for Unified Governance
Databricks’ Unity Catalog offers a comprehensive solution for achieving unified governance across an organization’s data landscape. With its multi-level namespace, Unity Catalog enables secure access control at various granularity levels, enhancing data security and simplifying permissions management. Unity Catalog’s structured approach to cataloging data empowers organizations to manage their data ecosystem cohesively.
C. AI-Assisted, Phased Migration to Unity Catalog with Minimal Disruption
Migrating from AWS Glue Data Catalog to Unity Catalog can be complex due to the volume of data assets and workloads. We offer an AI-assisted, phased migration strategy that minimizes disruption, leverages automation, and reduces manual effort, ensuring a smooth transition.
1. Laying the Groundwork and Planning the Migration
Duration: 1–2 weeks
Migration planning is crucial and involves understanding the scope, assets, and complexities of the current data ecosystem. Two main migration types exist: an upgrade or a full-fledged migration. Key preparatory steps include compiling an extensive inventory of Glue meta store assets:
- Tables categorized by storage location, type, and format
- AI assets including views, models, dashboards, queries, and notebooks
- Jobs and data volumes
- Storage locations and mount points
- Delta Live Tables and workspace configurations
- Databricks Runtime (DBR) versions compatibility (UC requires DBR 11 or higher)
Using the Databricks Labs UCX tool, we gather this inventory, providing migration estimates and tracking progress to set a strong foundation for the transition.
2. Defining Migration Strategy and Establishing Metastore
Duration: 2 weeks
Strategizing each phase of migration involves listing all tasks and defining an execution plan. This includes deciding which tasks can be parallelized or centralized. Before initiating migration, designing the Unity Catalog landscape is essential, given UC’s three-level namespace. Key decisions include:
- Data object segregation
- Group and permission setup per data object
- Catalog and schema design aligned with organizational SDLC environments
Group migration, which involves transitioning workspace-level groups to account-level, is another critical step. By enabling account-level SCIM, we ensure synchronized user roles across workspaces, while UCX facilitates the seamless transition of permissions.
3. AI Brick Stack-Assisted Data Migration
In this phase, we manage the transfer of data objects to Unity Catalog. Glue tables are categorized into Managed or External tables to prevent unnecessary data movement. To handle this effectively:
- Convert Managed tables in DBFS-mounted cloud locations to Glue external tables.
- Use SYNC command for external table migration to UC.
- Implement CTAS or DEEP CLONE for Managed tables.
During migration, a two-way sync is established between Glue and Unity Catalog to ensure data consistency. Non-tabular data access is set up by creating Volumes over cloud storage paths.
4. AI Brick Stack Assisted Pipeline and Code Migration
Given the complexity and scale, a phased migration approach is often necessary. This approach enables the coexistence of Glue and Unity Catalog during the transition, ensuring workloads continue seamlessly. Key actions include:
- Using SYNC command to update external table schema changes between Glue and UC.
- Implementing CREATE OR REPLACE commands for updating tables from UC to Glue.
- Leveraging system tables and CloudWatch events for automated syncing.
Cluster Adjustments
To ensure compatibility, we configure clusters to run on Unity Catalog-supported environments, utilizing DBR 11 or higher. All access controls are managed through UC, replacing instance profiles where possible. Modifications are made to ensure code compatibility:
- Update mount references to point to UC volumes.
- Replace BOTO3 with volumes where applicable.
- Adjust dynamic views and add row filters or column masking for enhanced security.
Decommissioning
Once migration is complete, workloads are transferred entirely to Unity Catalog, discontinuing Glue tables. Sync jobs can then be halted, and legacy Glue tables removed.
Wrap-Up
Migrating from AWS Glue Data Catalog to Unity Catalog represents a significant advancement in data governance and operational control. By leveraging AI Brick Stack assisted migration, organizations can achieve seamless migration with minimal impact on workflows. This structured, phased approach and the use of Databricks Labs UCX tool ensure an efficient, automated transition.
