diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/base.py b/ceilometer/storage/base.py
index e036fc6c6..67f7aecf2 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/base.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/base.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ class Connection(object):
         """Constructor."""
 
     @abc.abstractmethod
-    def upgrade(self, version=None):
+    def upgrade(self):
         """Migrate the database to `version` or the most recent version."""
 
     @abc.abstractmethod
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/impl_hbase.py b/ceilometer/storage/impl_hbase.py
index a0636e768..c71f6c2d2 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/impl_hbase.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/impl_hbase.py
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ class Connection(base.Connection):
             self.conn = self._get_connection(opts)
         self.conn.open()
 
-    def upgrade(self, version=None):
+    def upgrade(self):
         self.conn.create_table(self.PROJECT_TABLE, {'f': dict()})
         self.conn.create_table(self.USER_TABLE, {'f': dict()})
         self.conn.create_table(self.RESOURCE_TABLE, {'f': dict()})
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/impl_log.py b/ceilometer/storage/impl_log.py
index 040f1fa3a..337940450 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/impl_log.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/impl_log.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ class Connection(base.Connection):
     def __init__(self, conf):
         pass
 
-    def upgrade(self, version=None):
+    def upgrade(self):
         pass
 
     def clear(self):
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/impl_mongodb.py b/ceilometer/storage/impl_mongodb.py
index 1da5c5eb3..1111ef2d8 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/impl_mongodb.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/impl_mongodb.py
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ class Connection(base.Connection):
         # needed.
         self.upgrade()
 
-    def upgrade(self, version=None):
+    def upgrade(self):
         # Establish indexes
         #
         # We need variations for user_id vs. project_id because of the
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/impl_sqlalchemy.py b/ceilometer/storage/impl_sqlalchemy.py
index 81469981d..f89e30552 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/impl_sqlalchemy.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/impl_sqlalchemy.py
@@ -147,9 +147,9 @@ class Connection(base.Connection):
             conf.database.connection = \
                 os.environ.get('CEILOMETER_TEST_SQL_URL', url)
 
-    def upgrade(self, version=None):
+    def upgrade(self):
         session = sqlalchemy_session.get_session()
-        migration.db_sync(session.get_bind(), version=version)
+        migration.db_sync(session.get_bind())
 
     def clear(self):
         session = sqlalchemy_session.get_session()
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/alembic/README b/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/alembic/README
index 98e4f9c44..540003fb4 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/alembic/README
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/alembic/README
@@ -1 +1,9 @@
-Generic single-database configuration.
\ No newline at end of file
+Please see https://alembic.readthedocs.org/en/latest/index.html for general documentation
+
+To create alembic migrations you need to have alembic installed and available in PATH:
+# pip install alembic
+$ cd ./ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/alembic
+$ alembic revision -m "migration_description"
+
+See Operation Reference https://alembic.readthedocs.org/en/latest/ops.html#ops
+for a short list of commands
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/README b/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/README
index 6218f8cac..42bddd18a 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/README
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migrate_repo/README
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-This is a database migration repository.
+sqlalchemy-migrate is DEPRECATED.
 
-More information at
-http://code.google.com/p/sqlalchemy-migrate/
+All new migrations should be written using alembic.
+Please see ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/alembic/README
diff --git a/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migration.py b/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migration.py
index 1a52d5a86..d7d4609ab 100644
--- a/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migration.py
+++ b/ceilometer/storage/sqlalchemy/migration.py
@@ -18,6 +18,9 @@
 import distutils.version as dist_version
 import os
 
+import alembic
+from alembic import config as alembic_config
+
 import migrate
 from migrate.versioning import util as migrate_util
 import sqlalchemy
@@ -59,20 +62,17 @@ from migrate.versioning.repository import Repository
 _REPOSITORY = None
 
 
-def db_sync(engine, version=None):
-    if version is not None:
-        try:
-            version = int(version)
-        except ValueError:
-            raise Exception(_("version should be an integer"))
-
-    current_version = db_version(engine)
+def db_sync(engine):
+    db_version(engine)  # This is needed to create a version stamp in empty DB
     repository = _find_migrate_repo()
-    if version is None or version > current_version:
-        return versioning_api.upgrade(engine, repository, version)
-    else:
-        return versioning_api.downgrade(engine, repository,
-                                        version)
+    versioning_api.upgrade(engine, repository)
+    alembic.command.upgrade(_alembic_config(), "head")
+
+
+def _alembic_config():
+    path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'alembic/alembic.ini')
+    config = alembic_config.Config(path)
+    return config
 
 
 def db_version(engine):
diff --git a/ceilometer/tests/db.py b/ceilometer/tests/db.py
index 4ed01302f..c999c25f9 100644
--- a/ceilometer/tests/db.py
+++ b/ceilometer/tests/db.py
@@ -35,8 +35,6 @@ class TestBase(test_base.TestCase):
                               group='database')
         self.conn = storage.get_connection(cfg.CONF)
         self.conn.upgrade()
-        self.conn.clear()
-        self.conn.upgrade()
 
     def tearDown(self):
         self.conn.clear()