There are a wide range of tools which provide the capability to Extract Transform and Load data from numerous different source systems (RDBMS, Flat Files, XML,Mainframe, etc.).  ETL tools can be used to populate Data Warehouses, Data Marts and Data Conversions from Legacy Systems.  iOLAP establishes ETL Best Practices, framework, development, optimized load balancing and end to end testing.  With these standards in place we are able to deliver great success and easy ongoing maintenance for our clients.

Extract

The first part of ETL is extracting data from source systems.  The most common use is to consolidate data from numerous systems into one easily accessible target system.  The extraction process is usually used to prepare data for the transformation process.  The extraction process allows us to manipulate and constrain the data before bringing it across the network.

Transform

The transform process is where the data manipulation occurs.  This can include some of the following actions:

• Calculations
• Constraining records on certain criteria to limit rows selected
• Aggregation
• Encoding values
• Joining different sources
• Merging records

Load

The final process of the ETL is the loading of the data.  This can include inserting records or updating existing ones.  This requires the frequency of the loads to be defined and data retention needs to be outlined.  Properly defined and optimized databases allow for better success with your ETL.