in a ETL procedure not everything goes, therefore you have to know how to select. To do it with knowledge of the facts, It is necessary to know the most important characteristics that a Software ETL.
According to Gartner, are the following:
- Connectivity / adaptive capacities (with support for data sources and destinations): refers to the ability to connect to a wide range of types of data structures, that could include: relational and non-relational databases, various file formats, XML, ERP (enterprise resource planning system), CRM applications (customer management system) o SCM (supply chain management – supplier administration), standard message formats (I KNOW, SWIFT o HL7), message queues, emails, websites, content repositories or office automation tools.
- Data delivery capabilities: involve the ability to provide data to other applications, processes or databases in various ways, with capabilities for batch scheduling, in real time or through the launch of events.
- Capabilities of data transformation: ability to transform data, from basic transformations (type conversion, string manipulation or simple calculations) or intermediate transformations (aggregations, summaries, searches) up to complex transformations, as free-form or rich-text analysis.
- Data and metadata modeling capabilities: retrieval of data models from data sources or applications, creation and maintenance of data models, physical to logical model mapping, metadata repository open (with the opportunity to interact with other tools), synchronization of metadata changes in the different components of the tool , documentation, etc.
- Design capabilities and development environment: graphical representation of repository objects, data models and data flows, support for testing and, skills for teamwork, development process workflow management, etc.
- Capabilities of data management (data quality, profiles and mining).
- Adaptation to different hardware platforms and existing operating systems: mainframes (IBM Z / YOU), AS / 400, HP Tandem, Unix, Wintel, Linux, Virtualized Servers, etc.
- Management and operations skills: management skills, monitoring and control of data integration processessuch as error handling, compilation of execution statistics, Security controls, etc.
- Architecture and integration: degree of compactness, consistency and interoperability of the different components that make up the data integration tool (with a desirable minimum number of products, a single repository, a common development environment, interoperability with other tools or via API), etc. .
- SOA Capabilities.
It is clear that selecting a Software ETL It can be a complex task and, due to the impact it will have on the subsequent development of a project, it is a decision that cannot be taken lightly. A correct choice guarantees:
- An increase in the speed of procedure development.
- The decentralization of the control of the execution and of all the processes.
- Greater agility in the business.
