AWS AppFlow is a fully managed integration service that allows you to securely transfer data between AWS services and SaaS applications like Salesforce, SAP, Slack, and ServiceNow—without writing custom code. It helps automate data ingestion, synchronization, and transformation, making it easier to manage workflows across different platforms.
Key Features of AWS AppFlow
1. No-Code Data Integration
- Connects AWS services (like S3, Redshift, and EventBridge) with SaaS applications (Salesforce, Google Analytics, Zendesk, etc.).
- Supports bidirectional data flow between AWS and third-party services.
2. Secure Data Transfer
- Uses AWS PrivateLink to avoid exposing data to the public internet.
- Supports encryption using AWS KMS.
3. Automatic Data Transformation
- Supports filtering, validation, mapping, and aggregation.
- Applies transformations like merging fields, masking sensitive data, and filtering records.
4. Event-Driven & Scheduled Flows
- Triggers data flows on-demand, on a schedule, or based on events.
- Example: Automatically sync new Salesforce records to an S3 bucket.
5. Scalable & Cost-Effective
- Pay-as-you-go pricing with no upfront costs.
- Scales based on data volume and frequency.
Amazon S3 Glacier Select
S3 Glacier Select allows you to query and retrieve specific data from Amazon S3 Glacier without restoring the entire archive. It supports SQL-based filtering, reducing data retrieval time and cost.
1. How S3 Glacier Select Works
- Instead of retrieving the full archive, you can run SQL queries on CSV, JSON, or Apache Parquet files stored in Glacier.
- Returns only the required data, optimizing cost and retrieval performance.
- Works with Standard, Bulk, and Expedited retrieval tiers.
2. Use Cases
- Extracting specific records from large compressed log files.
- Running partial data analysis without full archive retrieval.
- Reducing storage costs by avoiding unnecessary data transfers.
SQS
Amazon Aurora Database Cloning is a feature that allows you to quickly create an exact copy of an existing Aurora database cluster. The cloned database is created with a low overhead and doesn’t require a full backup or restore process, making it ideal for scenarios like testing, development, and database troubleshooting.
Key Features of Aurora Database Cloning:
- Fast and Cost-Efficient:
- Aurora cloning is fast and uses minimal storage during the initial creation. The clone starts as a copy-on-write snapshot of the original database, which means that storage is only used for changes made to the cloned database.
- No need to wait for a full backup or restore process to complete. You can start working with the clone almost immediately.
- Independent Operations:
- Once created, the clone is fully independent of the source database. You can perform read/write operations on the clone without affecting the original database.
- Changes to the cloned database don’t impact the source, and vice versa.
- Low Overhead:
- Since the clone is based on a copy-on-write mechanism, it starts with shared storage and only uses additional storage for the changes made to the cloned database.
- Same Performance:
- The performance of the clone is identical to that of the source database, as it uses the same underlying Aurora architecture.
- Useful for Testing & Development:
- You can create a clone of the production database to test new features, run queries, or replicate specific use cases without affecting production workloads.
- It’s also useful for development teams to work with realistic data while ensuring that the production database remains untouched.
- Supports Aurora MySQL & Aurora PostgreSQL:
- Aurora database cloning is available for both Aurora MySQL and Aurora PostgreSQL databases.