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What Is ETL

The document discusses ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) which is a process of cleaning and organizing data from different sources into a database or data warehouse. It defines ETL, explains why it is important through examples, provides steps for a successful ETL implementation, and discusses common use cases and tools for ETL.

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28 views

What Is ETL

The document discusses ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) which is a process of cleaning and organizing data from different sources into a database or data warehouse. It defines ETL, explains why it is important through examples, provides steps for a successful ETL implementation, and discusses common use cases and tools for ETL.

Uploaded by

Faiza
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is ETL?

Overview of ETL Process,


Tools, Use Cases
Are you a data-driven business? Do you plan to extract and transform data from numerous sources and
then load it into a database? If yes, then ETL is what you’re thinking about.

But what exactly is ETL? Read on to find out.

In this article, you’ll learn what ETL data integration is and why you should be using it. Plus, you’ll find a
step-by-step guide to implement a successful ETL process and two use-cases to help you get started.

Let’s get rolling.

What is ETL Data Integration?


ETL stands for Extract, Transform, and Load. It is the underpinning of today’s data-driven businesses and
fundamentally defines a three-step process.

 Extraction: Raw data is acquired from disparate sources (such as a database or an application).
 Transformation: The acquired data is altered, cleaned, and synchronized so that it becomes
easier for the end user to read.
 Loading: Once the data is transformed, it is loaded into a target system, which basically is a
business intelligence (BI) tool or a database.

Figure 1. A typical ETL process involving a Data Warehouse (Source: StitchData)

From Manual Coding to Automated ETL


With manual ETL tools, you write scripts that also have to be frequently adjusted for various data
sources. In contrast, automated ETL excludes manual coding and offers an automated process to
oversee the data flows.
By means of ETL automation tools, you can design the ETL workflow and monitor it via an easy-to-use
graphical interface. Plus, these tools possess sophisticated capabilities such as data profiling and data
cleansing.

Beers & Diapers Analogy: Why ETL is Important?


Here are some of the key benefits of ETL:

1. It saves time and effort of manually handling data


The biggest advantage of ETL is that it helps you gather, transform, and consolidate data in an
automated way. This means you can save the time and effort of importing rows and rows of data
manually.

2. It makes it easier to work with complex data


Over time, your business has to work with a large volume of data that’s complex and diverse. For
example, there could be different time zones, customers’ names, device IDs, and location.

Throw in some more attributes to the mix and you can find yourself formatting data round the clock. ETL
can simplify things for you.

3. It reduces risks associated with human error


No matter how careful you are with your data, you aren’t really safe from making errors. Even one error
in the initial phases of the data analytics process can be risky. This is because one error will lead to
another and so on. It’s a chain reaction of huge proportions. By eliminating human intervention, an ETL
tool can help you dodge such a scenario.

4. It helps improve decision-making


By automating critical data practices and reducing the chance of mistakes, ETL helps ensure that the
data you receive to analyse is of the best quality possible. And high-grade data is fundamental to making
better corporate decisions.

5. It boosts return on investment (ROI)


As you save time, effort, and resources, ETL ultimately helps you increase your ROI. Plus, by improving
business intelligence, it helps boost your profits.

Five Steps for Successful ETL Implementation


Want to implement a successful ETL process? Follow these 5 steps:

Step 1: Ingestion
The first step is to ingest or input data from disparate sources in its rawest form. Clearly identify the
data sources you wish to include into your data warehouse. These sources could be relational SQL
databases, non-relational NoSQL databases, software as a service (SaaS) platforms, or other
applications. Once data sources are identified, determine the particular data fields you wish to extract.

Step 2: Transformation
The next step is to transform this data to make it uniform by using a set of business rules (like
aggregation, joins, sort, union functions etc.).
Step 3: Velocity
Once data is transformed, it’s time to load it into the data warehouse. At this step, you’ll have to set the
velocity, which refers to the frequency of data loading. Specify whether you’ll be inserting new data or if
present data has to be updated.

Step 4: Validation
It’s important to carry out a record count check before and after data is transferred to the data
warehouse, ensuring that invalid and redundant data is excluded.

Step 5: Automation
The last step is to automate the ETL process by using tools so that you can save time, improve accuracy,
and reduce effort of manually running the process again and again.

ETL Use Cases


Here are the two most common use cases of ETL in enterprises:

1. Constructing a Data Warehouse


Data Warehouse is an organized environment that holds critical business data. But before data is loaded
into the data warehouse, it has to be cleansed, improved, and transformed. Once loaded, this data
becomes a ‘single source of truth’ for the business.

The main step in building a data warehouse is to make sure that the data loaded is precise, consistent,
and latest. An ETL tool can simplify this use case effortlessly and allow reliable data loading.

2. Migrating Data from legacy systems


Another use case of ETL tools is when companies transfer data from legacy systems to an updated
system.

During data migration, an ETL tool helps extract the data from different sources, transform it to a format
compatible with the new infrastructure, and then load it into the new system.

Top 4 ETL Tools


We’ve compiled a list of top 4 ETL tools available in the market to help you choose the one that suits
your business needs.

1. Astera Centerprise
Astera Centerprise is a powerful ETL tool that consolidates data across numerous systems. It supports
data manipulation with a range of in-built transformations and helps transfer data to a repository, all in
an entirely code-free, drag-and-drop manner.

2. Hevo Data
Hevo Data helps businesses extract data from numerous sources (such as databases, event stream, and
cloud applications) into the data warehouse. Everything occurs in real-time with no coding at all. It is
easy to setup and natively integrates with a wide range of data sources.
3. Improvado
Improvado is a robust marketing ETL tool that allows you to connect marketing API to any visualization
platform –even when you don’t have any technical skills. It can connect with 100+ kinds of data sources
that you can connect and manage via a single platform in the cloud or on-site.

4. Skyvia
Skyvia is a cloud-based tool that needs no coding for data integration, backup, management, and access.
If offers an ETL solution for several data integration scenarios, supporting CSV files, databases, cloud
data warehouses, and cloud applications.

Conclusion
To obtain meaningful insights that support your company’s growth, you need to bring all your data from
several incongruent sources together in a useable format. This is where an ETL tool can help you.

An ETL tool simplifies and enhances the process of extracting the raw data dispersed across numerous
systems into a data repository. Thus, choosing the right ETL tool is a vital part of any company’s data
analytics stack.

The ETL tool you select should integrate all the data sources used by your business. It should offer a bug-
free user interface and facilitate consistent, accurate, and safe data loading.

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