data migration Archives

Winsage

August 23, 2025

Microsoft’s Windows 10 support extension – lifeline or stay of execution?

Microsoft has extended security updates for Windows 10, allowing businesses more time to plan and manage migration without immediate disruptions. This extension helps IT teams mitigate short-term risks but may lead to complacency and delays in necessary upgrades. Organizations risk accumulating technical debt, becoming dependent on costly external partners, and missing out on innovations if they postpone migration. Maintaining outdated infrastructure can become more expensive than upgrading, and reliance on unsupported systems increases the risk of vendor lock-in. Continuous modernization is essential, and businesses should adopt strategies for migrating unsupported applications while ensuring operational continuity. The extension should be seen as a temporary measure rather than a permanent solution, emphasizing the need for ongoing modernization efforts.

Winsage

August 21, 2025

Microsoft quietly updated Windows 10 — here’s what’s new in 2025

Microsoft has continued to enhance Windows 10 with cumulative updates since the release of version 22H2 in October 2022. Notable updates include: 1. A redesigned "About" page in the Settings app that displays key technical specifications and includes a FAQ section. 2. Introduction of a System Components page that consolidates essential OS components. 3. Relocation of the Optional features page for better accessibility. 4. A new Manage devices feature that enhances connectivity with mobile devices. 5. Updates to the Taskbar Calendar, including the display of seconds and expanded calendar views. 6. Enhancements to the Windows Backup app that allow file transfer to a new PC during setup. 7. Updates to the File Explorer context menu, including an Ask Copilot option. 8. Redesign of icons on the Settings home page to feature solid colors. 9. Improvements to Windows Search for European users, allowing changes to the default web search provider. 10. Changes to the default browser configuration process for European users, allowing broader link types and the option to uninstall Microsoft Edge. Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025, with an option for users to enroll in the Extended Security Update program until October 2026.

Tech Optimizer

August 15, 2025

How to Create a Foreign Data Wrapper in PostgreSQL and Aurora PostgreSQL on AWS RDS

Foreign data wrappers (FDWs) in PostgreSQL and Aurora PostgreSQL allow users to access and manipulate data from external sources without data migration. To set up a foreign data wrapper, the following steps are required: 1. **Install the Foreign Data Wrapper**: Use the command `CREATE EXTENSION postgres_fdw;` to install the FDW. 2. **Set Up Foreign Data Wrapper Access**: Grant usage permissions using `GRANT USAGE ON FOREIGN SERVER foreign_server_name TO PUBLIC;` or for specific users. 3. **Create a Foreign Server**: Use the command `CREATE SERVER foreign_server_name FOREIGN DATA WRAPPER postgres_fdw OPTIONS (host 'hostname', dbname 'dbname', port '5432');`. 4. **Create User Mapping**: Establish authentication details with `CREATE USER MAPPING FOR local_username SERVER foreign_server_name OPTIONS (user 'remote_username', password 'remote_password');`. 5. **Create Foreign Tables**: Reference remote tables using `CREATE FOREIGN TABLE remote_table ( id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, data VARCHAR(50) ) SERVER foreign_server_name OPTIONS (table_name 'remote_table');`. An example use case is an online retailer using a PostgreSQL database for operations and an external SQL database for customer feedback, allowing real-time insights into customer satisfaction.

Tech Optimizer

July 1, 2025

Fluent Commerce’s approach to near-zero downtime Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL upgrade at 32 TB scale using snapshots and AWS DMS ongoing replication

Fluent Commerce utilizes Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition as its OLTP database engine to manage complex customer search queries. The company migrated to AWS Graviton instances to enhance performance and cost-efficiency, requiring a major version upgrade from Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible 10.14 to 12.4 or higher. The migration involved upgrading over 350 production databases, some as large as 32 TB, using AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) and various upgrade strategies to minimize downtime. The migration process included configuring replication slots, creating snapshots, and validating data between source and target databases. AWS DMS was chosen for its cost-effectiveness, seamless integration with AWS services, and capabilities for ongoing data replication with minimal downtime. The cutover process involved updating application configurations, managing sequence numbers, and ensuring optimal performance through vacuuming and analyzing tables.

Winsage

June 20, 2025

How Uniphore achieved 30% cost savings by modernizing Windows servers on AWS

Uniphore is an AI innovation company that faced challenges with its legacy Windows Server infrastructure, which was costly and raised security concerns due to its end-of-support status. To modernize, Uniphore utilized Amazon Web Services (AWS) for containerization and cloud-native solutions, achieving a 30% reduction in costs and improved operational capabilities. The migration involved transitioning from 50 bare-metal Windows Server 2008 R2 instances to a Linux environment on AWS, optimizing call-center analytics workloads and enabling better training of large language models. The modernization strategy included three key areas: application modernization through refactoring and containerization, a custom data migration solution using Type 2 hypervisor technology, and a cloud infrastructure setup with Amazon EC2, Amazon EKS, Amazon EFS, and Amazon S3. The migration was executed in three phases: deploying the hypervisor and DataSync agent, secure data migration and validation, and production cutover with application deployment. Best practices adopted during the process included Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform, CI/CD pipelines using GitLab, comprehensive monitoring with DATADOG and CloudWatch, and enforcement of AWS Backup policies. The modernization resulted in benefits such as improved scalability and performance, flexibility and portability of applications, enhanced security and compliance, efficient data management, reduced operational overhead, and significant cost savings.

Winsage

June 18, 2025

Windows 11 user has 30 years of ‘irreplaceable photos and work’ locked away in OneDrive – and Microsoft’s silence is deafening

A Reddit user experienced account suspension on OneDrive while transferring data from old drives, resulting in loss of access to their files. The account was locked without warning or explanation, and attempts to contact Microsoft support yielded only automated responses. The user criticized the lack of accountability and transparency from Microsoft regarding the suspension. This incident highlights the importance of maintaining multiple copies of data across different locations to prevent loss and raises concerns about Microsoft's handling of account suspensions and communication with users.

Winsage

June 17, 2025

Microsoft Confirms Windows Upgrade Choice—100 Day Deadline Nears

A flaw in Windows 11 related to update KB5063060 is causing installation failures for many users, particularly in the gaming community, with error codes such as 0x800f0922, 0x80070002, 0x80070306, and 0x800f0991. Microsoft has announced an additional upgrade option for at least 240 million users still on Windows 10, as support will be withdrawn in just over 100 days. A new PC-to-PC migration experience is being rolled out to help users transfer files and settings during setup, and a Windows Migration feature integrated within the Windows Backup tool is being tested to assist those unable to upgrade due to hardware limitations. This feature is currently hidden in the latest release preview build but can be activated with a specific feature ID.

Tech Optimizer

June 2, 2025

Streamline code conversion and testing from Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle to PostgreSQL with Amazon Bedrock

Organizations are transitioning from legacy database systems like Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle to open-source alternatives such as PostgreSQL to reduce costs and enhance scalability. This migration process involves several steps, including schema conversion, business logic transformation, data migration, application changes, and performance tuning. Amazon Bedrock aids this process by automating schema and code conversion, data transformation, identifying code compatibility issues, and generating test cases for validation. The migration challenges include adapting database objects to PostgreSQL's syntax, converting stored procedures and functions, executing ETL processes for data accuracy, modifying application code, and optimizing performance. Amazon Bedrock utilizes generative AI to simplify these tasks, significantly reducing manual effort and errors. An example of code conversion from Microsoft SQL Server to PostgreSQL is provided, illustrating how to convert a stored procedure into a PostgreSQL function while generating corresponding test cases. The process involves using the Amazon Bedrock chat interface to submit prompts for conversion and validation. To support the migration, table creation scripts for the Employees and SalaryUpdateLog tables are included, along with test data that covers various employee scenarios. This data allows for comprehensive testing of the converted function, ensuring it correctly applies salary updates based on specified criteria.

Winsage

May 23, 2025

Windows 10 Support Is Ending: Flipkart says it’s time to upgrade to a Windows 11 PC

Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, meaning users will no longer receive updates, security patches, or new features. Flipkart is offering exclusive exchange discounts for customers trading in old Windows 10 laptops for select Windows 11 models. Windows 11 provides faster performance, longer battery life, and enhanced security features compared to Windows 10. Copilot+ PCs, which run Windows 11, include integrated AI features and improved battery life, catering to designers, students, and professionals.

Winsage

May 17, 2025

Best Windows apps this week

In this week's roundup of applications for Windows 10 and 11, it is noted that consumer support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025, but users can purchase a year of extended support and receive three years of security updates for Microsoft 365 apps. New applications highlighted include: - DiskCopy: Free disk and partition cloning software for backing up partitions or entire disks, facilitating data migration. - IrfanView: An image viewer that now includes batch file multithreading and new hotkeys in its latest version. - Registry Finder: A freeware tool for managing the Windows Registry, with improved search capabilities and usability.