diff --git a/wbia/cli/migrate_sqlite_to_postgres.py b/wbia/cli/migrate_sqlite_to_postgres.py
index 1774146bd8..9e43f80e2c 100644
--- a/wbia/cli/migrate_sqlite_to_postgres.py
+++ b/wbia/cli/migrate_sqlite_to_postgres.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 import logging
 import re
+import subprocess
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -98,8 +99,31 @@ def main(db_dir, db_uri, force, verbose):
                 db_infos[1].engine.execute(f'DROP TABLE {table_name} CASCADE')
 
     # Migrate
+    problems = {}
     with click.progressbar(length=100000, show_eta=True) as bar:
-        copy_sqlite_to_postgres(Path(db_dir), db_uri, progress_update=bar.update)
+        for path, completed_future, db_size, total_size in copy_sqlite_to_postgres(
+            Path(db_dir), db_uri
+        ):
+            try:
+                completed_future.result()
+            except Exception as exc:
+                logger.info(
+                    f'\nfailed while processing {str(path)}\n{completed_future.exception()}'
+                )
+                problems[path] = exc
+            else:
+                logger.info(f'\nfinished processing {str(path)}')
+            finally:
+                bar.update(int(db_size / total_size * bar.length))
+
+    # Report problems
+    for path, exc in problems.items():
+        logger.info('*' * 60)
+        logger.info(f'There was a problem migrating {str(path)}')
+        logger.exception(exc)
+        if isinstance(exc, subprocess.CalledProcessError):
+            logger.info('-' * 30)
+            logger.info(exc.stdout.decode())
 
     # Verify the migration
     differences = compare_databases(*db_infos)
diff --git a/wbia/dtool/copy_sqlite_to_postgres.py b/wbia/dtool/copy_sqlite_to_postgres.py
index 516550341e..34bfbe37cb 100644
--- a/wbia/dtool/copy_sqlite_to_postgres.py
+++ b/wbia/dtool/copy_sqlite_to_postgres.py
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 import subprocess
 import tempfile
 import typing
+from concurrent.futures import as_completed, Future, ProcessPoolExecutor
+from functools import wraps
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import numpy as np
@@ -424,7 +426,7 @@ def before_pgloader(engine, schema):
 """
 
 
-def run_pgloader(sqlite_uri: str, postgres_uri: str) -> typing.NoReturn:
+def run_pgloader(sqlite_uri: str, postgres_uri: str) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess:
     """Configure and run ``pgloader``.
     If there is a problem this will raise a ``CalledProcessError``
     from ``Process.check_returncode``.
@@ -448,8 +450,8 @@ def run_pgloader(sqlite_uri: str, postgres_uri: str) -> typing.NoReturn:
             stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
             stderr=subprocess.STDOUT,
         )
-        logger.debug(proc.stdout.decode())
-        proc.check_returncode()
+        proc.check_returncode()  # raises subprocess.CalledProcessError
+        return proc
 
 
 def after_pgloader(sqlite_engine, pg_engine, schema):
@@ -494,54 +496,67 @@ def drop_schema(engine, schema_name):
     connection.execute(f'DROP SCHEMA {schema_name} CASCADE')
 
 
+def _use_copy_of_sqlite_database(f):
+    """Makes a copy of the sqlite database given as the first argument in URI form"""
+
+    @wraps(f)
+    def wrapper(*args):
+        uri = args[0]
+        db = Path(uri.split(':')[-1]).resolve()
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tempdir:
+            temp_db = Path(tempdir) / db.name
+            shutil.copy(db, temp_db)
+            new_uri = f'sqlite:///{str(temp_db)}'
+            return f(new_uri, *args[1:])
+
+    return wrapper
+
+
+@_use_copy_of_sqlite_database
+def migrate(sqlite_uri: str, postgres_uri: str):
+    logger.info(f'\nworking on {sqlite_uri} ...')
+    schema_name = get_schema_name_from_uri(sqlite_uri)
+    sl_info = SqliteDatabaseInfo(sqlite_uri)
+    pg_info = PostgresDatabaseInfo(postgres_uri)
+    sl_engine = create_engine(sqlite_uri)
+    pg_engine = create_engine(postgres_uri)
+
+    if not compare_databases(sl_info, pg_info, exact=False):
+        pass
+        logger.info(f'{sl_info} already migrated to {pg_info}')
+
+    if schema_name in pg_info.get_schema():
+        logger.warning(f'Dropping schema "{schema_name}"')
+        drop_schema(pg_engine, schema_name)
+
+    # Add sqlite built-in rowid column to tables
+    add_rowids(sl_engine)
+    before_pgloader(pg_engine, schema_name)
+    run_pgloader(sqlite_uri, postgres_uri)
+    after_pgloader(sl_engine, pg_engine, schema_name)
+
+
 def copy_sqlite_to_postgres(
     db_dir: Path,
     postgres_uri: str,
-    progress_update: typing.Optional[typing.Callable[[int], None]] = None,
-) -> None:
+    num_procs: int = 6,
+) -> typing.Generator[typing.Tuple[Path, Future], None, None]:
     """Copies all the sqlite databases into a single postgres database
 
     Args:
         db_dir: the colloquial dbdir (i.e. directory containing '_ibsdb', 'smart_patrol', etc.)
         postgres_uri: a postgres connection uri without the database name
+        num_procs: number of concurrent processes to use
 
     """
-    # Done within a temporary directory for writing pgloader configuration files
-    pg_info = PostgresDatabaseInfo(postgres_uri)
-    pg_schema = pg_info.get_schema()
-    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tempdir:
-        db_paths = get_sqlite_db_paths(db_dir)
-        total_size = sum(a[1] for a in db_paths)
-        for sqlite_db_path, db_size in db_paths:
-            try:
-                temp_db_path = Path(tempdir) / sqlite_db_path.name
-                shutil.copy(sqlite_db_path, temp_db_path)
-
-                logger.debug('\n' + '*' * 60)  # b/c pgloader debug output can be lengthy
-                logger.info(f'\nworking on {sqlite_db_path} as {temp_db_path} ...')
-
-                sqlite_uri = f'sqlite:///{temp_db_path}'
-                sl_info = SqliteDatabaseInfo(sqlite_uri)
-                if not compare_databases(sl_info, pg_info, exact=False):
-                    logger.info(f'{sl_info} already migrated to {pg_info}')
-                    if progress_update:
-                        progress_update(int(db_size / total_size * 100000))
-                    continue
-
-                sqlite_engine = create_engine(sqlite_uri)
-                schema_name = get_schema_name_from_uri(sqlite_uri)
-                engine = create_engine(postgres_uri)
-                if schema_name in pg_schema:
-                    logger.warning(f'Dropping schema "{schema_name}"')
-                    drop_schema(engine, schema_name)
-                # Add sqlite built-in rowid column to tables
-                add_rowids(sqlite_engine)
-                before_pgloader(engine, schema_name)
-                run_pgloader(sqlite_uri, postgres_uri)
-                after_pgloader(sqlite_engine, engine, schema_name)
-                if progress_update:
-                    progress_update(int(db_size / total_size * 100000))
-            except KeyboardInterrupt:
-                raise
-            except Exception:
-                logger.exception(f'Exception when migrating {sqlite_db_path.name}')
+    executor = ProcessPoolExecutor(max_workers=num_procs)
+    sqlite_dbs = dict(get_sqlite_db_paths(db_dir))
+    total_size = sum(sqlite_dbs.values())
+    migration_futures_to_paths = {
+        executor.submit(migrate, f'sqlite://{str(p)}', postgres_uri): p
+        for p in sqlite_dbs
+    }
+    for future in as_completed(migration_futures_to_paths):
+        path = migration_futures_to_paths[future]
+        db_size = sqlite_dbs[path]
+        yield (path, future, db_size, total_size)
diff --git a/wbia/init/sysres.py b/wbia/init/sysres.py
index d6c1900513..c485836ff1 100644
--- a/wbia/init/sysres.py
+++ b/wbia/init/sysres.py
@@ -909,7 +909,8 @@ def ensure_db_from_url(zipped_db_url):
     uri = get_wbia_db_uri(dbdir)
     if uri:
         logger.info(f"Copying '{dbdir}' databases to the database at: {uri}")
-        copy_sqlite_to_postgres(Path(dbdir), uri)
+        for _, future, _, _ in copy_sqlite_to_postgres(Path(dbdir), uri):
+            future.result()  # will raise if there is a problem
 
     logger.info('have %s=%r' % (zipped_db_url, dbdir))
     return dbdir