Enhancing Data Reliability and Performance with a Strategic Migration of Centralized Policies from Cassandra to MySQL

At BayRock Labs, we understand the importance of maintaining secure and efficient operations through a centralized policy store. Our client faced challenges with performance, data consistency, and maintenance while using Cassandra. By migrating their policy store to MySQL with our strategic support and custom tools, they saw remarkable gains in performance, data integrity, and overall operational efficiency. Here's how we made it happen.

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Challenge

The client's centralized policy store, using Cassandra, suffered from performance bottlenecks due to increasing data volume
Data inconsistencies and maintenance overhead were significant, with most requiring manual reconciliation.
The lack of relational capabilities in Cassandra hindered efficient data querying, impacting performance.

Solution

To address these challenges, the client decided to migrate the policy store’s database from Cassandra to MySQL. Key aspects of the solution included:

Service Layer Refactoring

The service layer was decoupled from the underlying database to ensure future adaptability. Database-specific logic was encapsulated for Cassandra and MySQL.

Database Abstraction

A flexible abstraction layer was introduced to interact with both Cassandra and MySQL, facilitating a smooth transition during the migration. 

API Modernization

Legacy APIs were refactored to eliminate dependencies on Cassandra, aligning with the new database architecture.

Data Migration

A robust ETL process was developed to transfer data from Cassandra to MySQL while maintaining data integrity.

Dual Write Approach

A dual write mechanism was implemented to concurrently read from Cassandra and write to MySQL, minimizing service disruptions during the migration. 

Impact

Optimized Database Efficiency

Achieved a 25% boost in query performance, reduced data inconsistencies by 30%, and decreased maintenance overhead by 20%.

Successful Migration

A repeatable ETL process was developed to migrate data from Cassandra to MySQL, ensuring data integrity and consistency.

No Downtime

The entire migration process was executed without any downtime or incidents, maintaining seamless service for users

Legacy API Migration

Callers to legacy APIs were migrated to new APIs, removing dependency on non-migrated tables.

Conclusion

By strategically migrating the centralized policy store from Cassandra to MySQL, the client achieved a significant transformation in data management and system performance. The implementation of a database-independent service layer, coupled with custom drivers and a robust ETL process, ensured a smooth migration with minimal disruption. This successful transition not only addressed the limitations of Cassandra but also positioned the organization for future scalability and flexibility, ultimately enhancing overall operational efficiency and data reliability.

Achieved 25% improvement in query performance after migrating to MySQL.
Reduced data inconsistencies by 30%.
Decreased maintenance overhead by 20%.