Introduction

Amazon DynamoDB is a powerful NoSQL database that is widely used for scalable applications. When working with AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK), infrastructure as code simplifies database provisioning. However, there are situations where a DynamoDB table must be recreated due to schema changes, corruption, or accidental deletion. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to safely recreating a CDK-provisioned DynamoDB table using backups stored in Amazon S3.

Step 1: Exporting the DynamoDB Table to S3

Before making any changes, it is essential to have an up-to-date backup of the existing table. AWS provides built-in export options:

  1. Navigate to the AWS Console
    • Open the DynamoDB service.
    • Select the table to be backed up.
  2. Create an On-Demand Backup
    • Click on the “Backups” tab and create a new backup.
    • Alternatively, use AWS Backup for centralized backup management.
  3. Export Data to S3
    • Use AWS Glue or AWS Data Pipeline to export the data into an S3 bucket in Parquet or JSON format.
    • AWS Data Export can also be used to directly export table data.

Step 2: Deleting the CDK-Managed DynamoDB Table

Once the data is securely backed up, proceed with deleting the existing DynamoDB table:

  1. Update the CDK Stack
    • Remove the existing table definition from the CDK code.
    • Deploy the changes using cdk deploy to delete the table while maintaining infrastructure integrity.
  2. Manually Delete the Table (If Necessary)
    • In the AWS Console, navigate to DynamoDB.
    • Select the table and delete it manually if required.

Step 3: Recreating the DynamoDB Table with AWS CDK

After deletion, define the new table with necessary schema modifications:

  1. Modify the CDK Code
    • Update the aws-dynamodb construct with new configurations.
    • Ensure the primary key and other required attributes are correctly defined.
  2. Deploy the Updated Stack
    • Run cdk synth to verify the changes.
    • Execute cdk deploy to provision the new table.

Step 4: Restoring Data from S3 to DynamoDB

Once the table is recreated, import the backed-up data:

  1. Use AWS Glue or AWS Lambda for Data Import
    • Configure an AWS Glue job to read the data from S3 and write to DynamoDB.
    • Alternatively, a Lambda function with AWS SDK for batch write operations can be used.
  2. Ensure Data Integrity
    • Validate the imported data using AWS Athena or running queries in the DynamoDB console.
    • Implement retry mechanisms for failed writes.

Conclusion

Recreating a CDK-provisioned DynamoDB table while ensuring data integrity is a multi-step process involving backups, deletion, and restoration. By leveraging S3 for backups and AWS services for data migration, this method minimizes downtime and data loss, ensuring a smooth transition.