Methods and Instructions for Upgrading from MySQL 5.6 to MySQL 5.7
Last updated: 2025-10-27 18:01:40
Methods and Instructions for Upgrading from MySQL 5.6 to MySQL 5.7
Last updated: 2025-10-27 18:01:40
TencentDB for MySQL provides two main methods for upgrading your database version: direct upgrade via the console and indirect upgrade via the Data Transfer Service (DTS). This document uses the upgrade from MySQL 5.6 to MySQL 5.7 as an example to introduce these two database version upgrade methods and their implementation.
Version Upgrade Prerequisites
The syntax
create table … as select … is not supported.Source-replica synchronization for TencentDB for MySQL 5.6 and 5.7 is implemented based on GTID and by default only supports the InnoDB engine.
If the number of tables in a single instance exceeds 300,000, it may cause the upgrade to fail and also affect database monitoring. It is recommended to reasonably standardize and control the number of tables per single instance to no more than 300,000.
Upgrade Method Description
Direct upgrade via console: If conditions (the aforementioned Version Upgrade Prerequisites) are met, you can directly operate in the console to upgrade the database version of the existing instance to a higher version. This method is usually more convenient. It is recommended to perform a compatibility check before upgrading and to perform the upgrade during off-peak business hours.
Indirect upgrade via DTS: If your instance does not meet the conditions for direct upgrade or it is not convenient to perform a direct upgrade, you can purchase a new MySQL instance with a higher version, and use DTS to migrate data of the original instance to the new one. After the data is verified, you can switch your business to the new instance and release the original instance. This method offers high flexibility but requires additional data migration and verification work.
Must-Knows
The database version cannot be downgraded.
Instances with single-node (Cloud Disk) or cluster edition (Cloud Disk) architecture do not support upgrading the database version.
The primary instance, its associated read-only instances, and disaster recovery instances will be upgraded to the target database version simultaneously. You can upgrade the database version of the primary instance to associate the upgrade of read-only instances and disaster recovery instances under it.
Upgrading TencentDB for MySQL to a new version involves data migration and typically takes a considerable amount of time. During this period, your business will remain unaffected and accessible.
When the version upgrade is completed, an instance switchover will be involved (there will be a second-level database disconnection). It is recommended that user applications possess an automatic reconnection feature and that the switchover is performed during instance maintenance time. For details, see Setting Instance Maintenance Time.
Method One: Direct Upgrade via the Console
Preparations
Learn about the differences and advantages between old and new versions. For differences in supported features, see Appendix 1: Feature Differences Between MySQL 5.6 and 5.7. For upgrade advantages, see Appendix 2: Advantages of Upgrading from MySQL 5.6 to 5.7.
Understanding the Upgrade Process and Impact
Database versions do not support cross-version upgrades, and by default, upgrades to the latest minor version within the target major version. For example, MySQL 5.6 cannot be directly upgraded to MySQL 8.0. You need to first upgrade it to MySQL 5.7, then to MySQL 8.0.
The minimum database version for instances with cluster edition (Cloud Disk) architecture is MySQL 5.7. Therefore, upgrading from MySQL 5.6 to MySQL 5.7 is not involved.
Checking Instance and Database Configuration
Check custom functions and ensure no reserved keywords are used within the functions. For reserved keywords, see MySQL Official Keywords and Reserved Words.
Check whether there is a successful record of a full data backup in the past week, and perform a full data backup if necessary.
Before upgrading, ensure that sufficient storage space is reserved.
Increase the local log retention period. For specific operations, see Configuring Local Binlog Retention Policy.
To ensure the stability and performance of MySQL in the new database version, after completing the database version upgrade, TencentDB for MySQL no longer supports modifying certain parameters from the lower version that are deprecated in the higher version. Before upgrading the database version, it is recommended to back up modification records of related parameters for subsequent operations and auditing.
Pre-upgrade Testing and Simulation
It is recommended to create an instance with a higher database version to perform syntax testing before upgrading, to avoid situations where syntax or features from the lower database version are not supported after upgrading to the higher version.
It is recommended to clone the instance before upgrading. First, use the cloned instance for upgrade testing, and after confirming all features are normal, upgrade the original instance.
Post-upgrade Must-Knows
The database version cannot be downgraded. If you need to use the upgrade rollback capability, submit a ticket to apply.
Operation Steps
Method Two: Indirect Upgrade via DTS
For a MySQL 5.6 instance that does not meet the conditions for a direct upgrade, or if it is not convenient to perform a direct upgrade, you can create an instance with a database version of MySQL 5.7 and migrate the data from the original instance to the new instance via DTS. After performing compatibility testing on the new instance and monitoring it for a period of time to confirm its normal operation, you can choose to destroy the original instance and use the new instance, thereby achieving an indirect upgrade of the database version.
Operation Steps
1. Create a MySQL 5.7 instance. For the method, see Creating MySQL Instance.
2. Migrate data to the MySQL 5.7 instance created above via DTS. For details, see Migration from MySQL to TencentDB for MySQL.
3. Log in to the Database Management Center (DMC) console, and check whether the data is normal. For the login method, see DMC Management.
4. Destroy the original instance. For the method, see Terminating Instance.
Appendix 1: Feature Differences Between MySQL 5.6 and MySQL 5.7
The following table lists only partial feature differences between MySQL 5.7 and MySQL 5.6. For differences between other versions, see MySQL Official Release Notes.
Feature | MySQL 5.6 | MySQL 5.7 |
Automatically killing idle transactions | Supported | Supported |
Parallel replication | Supported | Supported |
Dynamic thread pool | Not supported | Supported |
NOWAIT syntax | Not supported | Supported |
Returning | Not supported | Supported |
Column compression | Not supported | Supported |
Flashback query | Not supported | Supported |
Large transaction replication | Supported | Supported |
Support for using fdatasync | Not supported | Supported |
Auto-increment column persistence | Not supported | Supported |
InnoDB buffer pool parallel initialization | Supported | Supported |
FAST DDL | Not supported | Supported |
Invisible Index | Not supported | Supported |
CATS transaction scheduling | Not supported | Supported |
Computation pushdown | Not supported | Supported |
Transparent data encryption | Not supported | Supported |
Instant column addition | Not supported | Supported |
Asynchronous large table deletion | Supported | Supported |
Hotspot update | Not supported | Supported |
SQL throttling | Supported | Supported |
LibraDB | Not supported | Supported |
Appendix 2: Advantages of Upgrading from MySQL 5.6 to MySQL 5.7
Add the transparent data encryption feature to improve database security.
Support hotspot update merge optimization to enhance hotspot update performance.
Support DDL progress display. During DDL operation, execute the show detail processlist command to view the progress.
Add the default table encryption feature.
Support flashback query persistence.
Support the nonblocking DDL feature.
Support the validate password plugin.
Support storing historical deadlock information.
Support the InnoDB auto-increment column persistence feature.
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