Short answer: no, SCT is not deprecated. It is still available as a downloadable desktop tool. What changed is the default: AWS now recommends DMS Schema Conversion, a fully managed feature built on the same SCT conversion engine, for supported OLTP conversions. Here is what each one is and which the DEA-C01 expects you to know.
Last updated July 2026.
The AWS Schema Conversion Tool converts a source database's schema and code objects (views, stored procedures, functions) into a format compatible with a different target engine, the classic case being a commercial database like Oracle or SQL Server moving to PostgreSQL. For years, SCT was a desktop application you downloaded and ran locally.
AWS then built DMS Schema Conversion, a fully managed, web-based feature inside the AWS Database Migration Service console that uses the same conversion engine as SCT. For supported OLTP conversions, AWS now points you to DMS Schema Conversion first. SCT remains available and supported, so this is a shift in the recommended default, not a deprecation.
| DMS Schema Conversion | AWS SCT | |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Managed, web-based, in the DMS console | Downloadable desktop application |
| Infrastructure | AWS provisions it for you | You run it on your own machine |
| Conversion engine | Same SCT engine underneath | The original SCT engine |
| Generative AI assist | Yes, plus rule-based conversion | Rule-based conversion |
| AWS recommendation | Preferred for supported OLTP conversions | For desktop needs or broader coverage |
Source: AWS documentation, Converting database schemas using DMS Schema Conversion and the AWS SCT user guide.
DMS Schema Conversion combines a traditional rule-based approach with generative AI to reduce the number of database objects that need manual conversion. The rule-based engine handles the objects it can convert deterministically, and the generative AI feature offers recommendations for the complex code objects that would otherwise require a human to rewrite by hand. AWS documents this generative AI assistance for conversions such as Oracle and SQL Server to PostgreSQL and Aurora PostgreSQL, with regional availability that expands over time.
Schema conversion lives in Domain 2 (Data Store Management, 26% of the exam), under the task statement on understanding data cataloging systems and managing schema evolution. The exam expects you to know that schema conversion is how you move a schema between incompatible engines during a migration, and that DMS Schema Conversion is the current managed way to do it. You do not need to memorize every supported source and target pair, but you should recognize the scenario: a heterogeneous migration (for example Oracle to Aurora PostgreSQL) is where schema conversion belongs, while a homogeneous migration between the same engine does not need it.
No. AWS SCT is still available as a downloadable desktop tool and remains supported. AWS recommends DMS Schema Conversion for supported OLTP conversions, but that is a change in the recommended default, not a deprecation.
DMS Schema Conversion is a fully managed, web-based feature in the AWS DMS console that uses the same conversion engine as SCT and adds generative AI assistance. AWS SCT is the standalone desktop application you download and run on your own machine.
Yes. It combines a rule-based conversion engine with generative AI to reduce the number of complex code objects that would otherwise require manual conversion, offering recommendations for objects the rules cannot convert automatically.
During a heterogeneous migration, when the source and target run different database engines (for example Oracle to Aurora PostgreSQL). A homogeneous migration between the same engine does not need schema conversion.
Schema conversion sits inside Domain 2, worth 26% of the DEA-C01. The full domain breakdown shows how data store selection, cataloging, and lifecycle management fit together.
See the full domain breakdown →