ETL pipeline
EE-tee-el PYP-lyne
ˌiːtiːˈɛl ˈpaɪplaɪnListen
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Syllable breakdown
Dictionary meaning
a three-stage data integration process: Extract (pulling raw data from source systems such as databases, APIs, or flat files), Transform (cleaning, normalizing, and reshaping the data to match the target schema and business rules), and Load (writing the processed data into a destination such as a data warehouse or database); the dominant pattern for batch data integration in enterprise data architectures; increasingly supplanted in streaming contexts by ELT (extract, load, transform) pipelines enabled by cloud data warehouses
Examples
- The overnight ETL pipeline refreshed the data warehouse with the previous day's sales records.
- Migrating from ETL to ELT cut the data team's transformation time by 60%.
Synonyms: extract transform load, data pipeline, batch pipeline
Pronunciation tips
The acronym ETL is always said as three letters: E-T-L. 'Pipeline' is one word and refers to the end-to-end automated flow. Contrast with ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) used in modern cloud warehouses.
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