# Migrate Self-managed PostgreSQL: Relational records

Move PostgreSQL data from Self-managed PostgreSQL to Ample, one component at a time. Destination verified on Ample: a workspace-scoped table, an explicit state machine (draft to review to published) that rejects invalid transitions, and a cross-workspace read that returns nothing (transitions=true isolation=true). Source procedure: Take a logical backup with `pg_dump -Fc` as a role that can read all application objects. Not migrated automatically: Custom extensions, tablespaces, replication topology, superuser-only settings and OS-level backups have no equivalent on the managed database. Cutover: Freeze writes with the user's go-ahead, take the final dump, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep the source server until confirmed. Rollback: keep the source untouched until you confirm; nothing at the source is changed or deleted by this guide.

## Representational Queries
- Migrate Self-managed PostgreSQL: Relational records
- Where can I host Relational records?
- I need a component-scoped export/import or reconfiguration procedure for Relational records, with compatibility checks, verification and rollback.

## Workflow Steps
1. **Inventory the source**: List what Self-managed PostgreSQL provides beyond the component you are moving. Out of scope here: Custom extensions, tablespaces, replication topology, superuser-only settings and OS-level backups have no equivalent on the managed database.
2. **Source step 1**: Take a logical backup with `pg_dump -Fc` as a role that can read all application objects.
3. **Source step 2**: Check the major version, installed extensions, tablespaces and custom roles against the managed engine (PostgreSQL 16, no custom extensions verified).
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/relational-records).
7. **Cut over**: Freeze writes with the user's go-ahead, take the final dump, restore, validate, redeploy with the managed DATABASE_URL, keep the source server 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.

## Limitations
- Documentation only: nothing is executed automatically and no execution binding is offered.
- The source-side procedure is documented from Self-managed PostgreSQL's standard tooling and was not executed in this catalog's evidence; the destination side was verified with the pattern fixture.
- No full source-product parity is claimed: Custom extensions, tablespaces, replication topology, superuser-only settings and OS-level backups have no equivalent on the managed database.

## Cost Estimate
- Currency: USD
- Monthly Amount: 10.0
- Basis: size prices from pricing.toml (loaded by the API) at build revision 1ac5595375130d45290090e82ed0f554ccd45405-dirty
- Components:
  - App server: s-1vcpu-1gb - 5.0
  - Managed PostgreSQL database: s-1vcpu-1gb - 5.0
- Note: Destination always-on monthly price of the tested sizes; apps auto-pause when idle. Source costs are unknown to Ample.

## Success Checks
- Destination app responds on its public URL
- Relational-records check from the destination example
- Data or object counts and checksums match the source.