Nowadays, information is the nigh valuable asset for nigh businesses. So the more information y'all can collect the better, right? Actually, no. The situation is a little fleck more than complicated. Considering fifty-fifty terabytes of data may bring you no results if it'south not managed properly. In small and medium companies, this task may be performed by a atomic number 82 engineer from an Information technology department while large enterprises sometimes demand an ETL developer.

To aid you lot effigy out if you lot need this position in your tech team, nosotros'll outline the cardinal responsibilities of an ETL programmer and look at the listing of skills this person must possess. But let'southward get-go from the nuts and discuss the ETL process first.

  1. What is ETL?
  2. What does an ETL programmer do?
  3. A skillset of an platonic ETL programmer
  4. When does a visitor need an ETL developer?

What is ETL?

The abbreviation ETL stands for Extract, Transform, and Load . In general, it'south a process aimed at discovering business organization insights from unstructured data retrieved from different sources. Here'southward what exactly happens at each stage:

Extract. Every modern organisation deals with a vast amount of data every 24-hour interval. For example, a CRM system gathers information about customers, ERP software processes information about business processes and and so on. The extract phase is when all such information is collected and transferred to a temporary depository.

Transform. Naturally, even the same data extracted from several systems may have a different format and construction. For example, CRM software may store prices in euro while ERP's default currency may be Us dollars. At the transformation phase, raw information is converted into a unified form so it can exist used subsequently.

Load. It's the final phase of the whole ETL process when transformed (i.e. structured and formatted) information is loaded into a database or a information warehouse. The latter is used for exceptionally large amounts of information that ofttimes involve big data processing.

ETL process

Once data is written into the target database, information technology can be analyzed with the help of business intelligence tools. Usually, such tools are connected to a database so users tin conveniently dispense (eastward.g. drag and drop) the pieces of information they demand.

What does an ETL developer do?

But put, an ETL developer is a person responsible for setting up extracting, transforming, and loading process likewise every bit ensuring that it runs smoothly and flawlessly. As a dominion, a chore description for this position includes the following duties:

  • Analyzing the company's data needs
  • Defining the unified format for the data
  • Designing a target database
  • Creating a data flow from original sources to the target database
  • Development of ETL tools (unless gear up-fabricated solutions are used)
  • Testing and troubleshooting the organization
  • Maintaining the ETL process and database

Depending on whether an ETL programmer works independently or every bit a function of a data engineering science team, he or she may be involved in the above activities to unlike extents. For case, if there is a database developer on board, an ETL developer doesn't model and create a target database only only overviews the procedure.

Still, even if there is no information engineering team, ETL developers don't piece of work in isolation. To determine system requirements, they consult with business organisation analysts. In addition, a person who occupies this position constantly communicates with top managers to properly determine what information and in what format will assistance a company to meet its business organization objectives.

The skillset of an platonic ETL programmer

The role of an ETL developer is quite circuitous since it requires expertise in several fields. Besides having strong technical skills, this person must excel in advice, have a deep understanding of the industry and business as well as exist able to manage and lead. Only let'due south await at this in greater particular.

Key technical skills

  • ETL tools and software. Nowadays, at that place are a lot of off-the-shelf solutions that help to perform the extraction, transformation, and loading of the information. Talend, Informatica, and Pentaho are the most popular of them. Ideally, an ETL programmer should accept experience in working with this (or similar) software. He or she is also responsible for its integration with the company'south existing systems as well as farther administration.
  • Database engineering. Usually, the target database is created by another team member (database developer) or a development squad. However, an ETL programmer should take expertise in information mapping and adept cognition of SQL/NoSQL databases to properly manage the development process. Also, he or she has to be familiar with data warehouse architecture techniques such equally  EDW, ODS, DM, etc.
  • Data modeling. Information technology'due south crucial for an ETL developer to be able to read, clarify, and transform the data in society to make up one's mind its output formats represented in a target database. Such formats are chosen data models and they are the starting points which assistance an ETL developer ascertain the tools required for data transformation.
  • Scripting languages. Although there are many set up-made ETL solutions, the data storage needs of every business organisation are unique. Hence, an ETL developer must know the scripting languages to automate or tweak some processes. Ideally, information technology should be Python, Ruby, Perl, or Bash since those are the most widely used ones.

ETL-Developer

Other skills and personal traits

  • Organizational and time management skills. A daily routine of an ETL developer comprises many various tasks from technical, business, and people management areas. That'southward why the ability to proceed things organized is of utmost importance for people in this position.
  • People and analytical skills. ETL developers regularly communicate with a lot of different people, including business owners, junior programmers, and vendors. Hence, they must be able to understand the ideas coming from the business side, properly interpret them, and provide clear instructions to the Information technology squad.
  • Inventiveness. Information technology'south true that the position of ETL programmer is technical. Nonetheless, it also contains a creative element since this person has to design the most efficient way to manage and make utilize of information. To build a pipeline of a data menstruum, an ETL programmer should exist able to run into the big moving-picture show and call up out of the box.

When does a visitor need an ETL developer?

Not all companies demand an ETL programmer. For example, if an organization doesn't process a vast amount of data on a daily basis, other tech specialists can cover the tasks related to its data storage needs. So you should consider the selection of hiring an ETL developer only if:

  • your business is growing fast and the Information technology team can no longer efficiently leverage the data
  • you plan to build a new large-scale data processing system or want to extend the existing system
  • your main activity relies on information or yous have many business intelligence / machine learning projects

It'due south also worth mentioning that finding a perfect candidate for this position is quite a challenge. Near programmers adopt to have a narrow specialization and not many of them are every bit good at business organisation direction and coding. That's why looking for a reliable software development company might be a better alternative.

Putting information technology all together

The future belongs to those who can control the data. An ETL developer can assist your organisation brand the most out of the information it collects. But since the function is quite complex, it requires non but a strong technical groundwork but also the ability to see the concern side of all operations a company conducts. For this reason, finding a person who would possess all necessary skills and knowledge is not an easy and sometimes even incommunicable task. Hence, partnering with an IT outsourcing company might exist a amend idea.

Looking for a team of tech professionals who tin help you leverage the data?