Database Migration Service lets you migrate data to a Cloud SQL destination instance,
and then set up cascading read replicas for that instance.
Cascading read replicas
let you create a read replica under a Cloud SQL read replica in the same or
different region before promoting your instance to primary. You can add up to four
levels of cascading read replicas, including the primary instance.
Set up cascading read replicas
To migrate your data to a Cloud SQL destination that is using cascading read
replicas:
Wait until the full dump phase of the job completes and the migration job
enters the change data capture (CDC) phase. Your migration job is in the CDC
phase when the Status column in the Migration jobs page indicates a CDC
substatus.
Once in the CDC phase, you can set up your cascading read replica. For
information about how to create cascading read replicas for a Cloud SQL destination
instance, see Set up a cascading replica.
You can promote your Cloud SQL replica to primary instance using Database Migration Service.
For information about promoting a destination instance, see
Promote a migration.
When you promote the Cloud SQL replica to a primary instance, the replica's cascading
replica hierarchy is retained.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eDatabase Migration Service enables the migration of data to a Cloud SQL destination instance, followed by the setup of cascading read replicas.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCascading read replicas can be created under a Cloud SQL read replica, within the same or a different region, allowing up to four levels of replication.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eAfter a migration job enters the Change Data Capture (CDC) phase, you can configure cascading read replicas.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCloud SQL replicas can be promoted to primary instances using Database Migration Service, while preserving the existing cascading replica hierarchy.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Set up cascading read replicas for a Cloud SQL destination instance\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n[MySQL](/database-migration/docs/mysql/set-up-cascading-replica \"View this page for the MySQL version of Database Migration Service.\") \\| PostgreSQL \\| PostgreSQL to AlloyDB\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nOverview\n--------\n\nDatabase Migration Service lets you migrate data to a Cloud SQL destination instance,\nand then set up cascading read replicas for that instance.\n\n[Cascading read replicas](/sql/docs/postgres/replication#cascading-replicas)\nlet you create a read replica under a Cloud SQL read replica in the same or\ndifferent region before promoting your instance to primary. You can add up to four\nlevels of cascading read replicas, including the primary instance.\n\nSet up cascading read replicas\n------------------------------\n\nTo migrate your data to a Cloud SQL destination that is using cascading read\nreplicas:\n\n1. Set up and start your migration job. For more information, see\n [Create a migration job](/database-migration/docs/postgres/create-migration-job).\n\n2. Wait until the full dump phase of the job completes and the migration job\n enters the change data capture (CDC) phase. Your migration job is in the CDC\n phase when the **Status** column in the **Migration jobs** page indicates a *CDC*\n substatus.\n\n3. Once in the CDC phase, you can set up your cascading read replica. For\n information about how to create cascading read replicas for a Cloud SQL destination\n instance, see [Set up a cascading replica](/sql/docs/postgres/replication/configure-replication-from-external#set_up_a_cascading_replica).\n\n4. You can promote your Cloud SQL replica to primary instance using Database Migration Service.\n For information about promoting a destination instance, see\n [Promote a migration](/database-migration/docs/postgres/promote-migration).\n\nWhen you promote the Cloud SQL replica to a primary instance, the replica's cascading\nreplica hierarchy is retained."]]
