# Migrate Heroku Postgres: Text search over records

Move PostgreSQL data from Heroku Postgres to Ample, one component at a time. Destination verified on Ample: a generated tsvector column with a GIN index, ranked websearch queries and a negative query returning nothing (search=ok). Source procedure: Take a logical backup with `heroku pg:backups:capture` and download it, or `pg_dump -Fc` against the credentials from `heroku pg:credentials:url`. Not migrated automatically: Heroku Postgres followers, forks, rollback (PITR), and dataclips have no equivalent on the managed database. Cutover: Put the app in maintenance mode with the user's go-ahead, take the final backup, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep the Heroku database until confirmed. Rollback: keep the source untouched until you confirm; nothing at the source is changed or deleted by this guide.

## Representative Queries
- Migrate Heroku Postgres: Text search over records
- Where can I host Text search over records?
- I need a component-scoped export/import or reconfiguration procedure for Text search over records, with compatibility checks, verification and rollback.

## Resource Requirements
- `primitive:postgres`

## Infrastructure Requirements
- **Postgres**: Managed PostgreSQL 16 runs in its own microVM and is auto-provisioned when an app needs a database and no DATABASE_URL is supplied.

## Preconditions
1. Authorized access to the Heroku Postgres source and its export tooling
2. An inventory of every component in scope and out of scope
3. A validated backup or copy before any cutover
4. An Ample account token with `servers:write`, `databases:read`

## Workload
Text search over records

## Migration Source
Heroku Postgres

## Workflow Steps
1. **Inventory the source**: List what Heroku Postgres provides beyond the component you are moving. Out of scope here: Heroku Postgres followers, forks, rollback (PITR), and dataclips have no equivalent on the managed database.
2. **Source step 1**: Take a logical backup with `heroku pg:backups:capture` and download it, or `pg_dump -Fc` against the credentials from `heroku pg:credentials:url`
3. **Source step 2**: Check the Postgres major version and extensions against the managed engine (PostgreSQL 16)
4. **Source step 3**: Restore into a scratch managed database first and compare row counts
5. **Provision and restore**: Deploy the app once so a managed PostgreSQL 16 database exists (or create one with `ample database create --engine postgres`), then restore the dump with pg_restore using its connection string; keep migrations idempotent.
6. **Validate before cutover**: Run the app's own checks and, for data, compare counts and checksums; the example checks are the pattern self-tests (/p/text-search-over-records).
7. **Cut over**: Put the app in maintenance mode with the user's go-ahead, take the final backup, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep the Heroku database until confirmed.
8. **Rollback**: Point DNS or configuration back to the source. The source was never modified; deletion is a separate, user-executed step after validation.

## Examples
- **Express pattern fixture (destination)**: Verified destination basis: text search over records. Source reference: `tests/deploy-canaries/express-patterns`

## Success Checks
- Ensure the destination app responds on its public URL: **GET /**  (Expect: ample canary express patterns)
- Ensure text-search-over-records check from the destination example: **GET /p/text-search-over-records** (Expect: see the pattern fixture checks)
- Ensure data or object counts and checksums match the source: manual validation before cutover.

## Limitations
- Documentation only: nothing is executed automatically and no execution binding is offered.
- No full source-product parity is claimed: Heroku Postgres followers, forks, rollback (PITR), and dataclips have no equivalent on the managed database.

## Cost Estimate
- **Monthly Amount**: $10.00 (Currency: USD)
- **Components**:
  - App server: s-1vcpu-1gb (Quantity: 1, Monthly Amount: $5.00)
  - Managed PostgreSQL database: s-1vcpu-1gb (Quantity: 1, Monthly Amount: $5.00)

## Evidence Summary
- **Canary Run**: Destination side verified: the Express pattern fixture deployed on Ample (npm install, npm run build --if-present, npm run start on the node-22 template) and its checks passed (a generated tsvector column with a GIN index, ranked websearch queries and a negative query returning nothing (search=ok)).

## Last Verified At
2026-09-21T02:34:39Z

## Unknowns
- Region availability is unknown until a verified region fact is recorded.
- Compliance attestations are unknown; none are claimed.