Introduction to Matillion ETL

What is ETL and how it works?

ETL stands for Extraction, Transformation, and Loading.  It is the process in which data is extracted from different sources and transformed into proper format.

Data management plays the important role as it improves the productivity, reduces error, strengthens operational efficiency, minimizes data loss, and improves security. There are various ETL tools available in market which makes the data management tasks easier.

Step 1: Extraction

Before data can be moved to a new destination, it must first be extracted from its source — such as a data warehouse or data lake. In this step, structured and unstructured data is imported and consolidated into a single repository. Volumes of data can be extracted from a wide range of data sources.

Step 2: Transformation

Transformation is generally considered to be the most important part of the ETL process. The process of data transformation includes cleansing, standardization, verification, sorting, etc. Data transformation improves data integrity by  removing duplicates and ensuring that raw data arrives at its new destination fully compatible and ready to use.

Step 3: Loading

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The final step in the ETL process is to load the newly transformed data into a new destination (data warehouse.) Data can be loaded all at once (full load) or at scheduled intervals (incremental load).

Let’s take a deep dive into matillion!!

What is Matillion?

Matillion is an ETL/ELT tool built specifically for the cloud marketplace. It is a tool that extracts raw data from popular sources and loads it into cloud data platform destinations. Cloud database platform includes Amazon Redshift, Google BigQuery, Snowflake and Azure.

It builds data pipelines in minutes to connect your data sources to leading cloud data platforms. It rapidly integrates and transform data in the cloud. It also ensures easy, ready, and rapid access to data for all users to optimize its value

Recently I worked on a project in which I was working on Matillion for data transformation and orchestration from source to target. Let’s see some key features of Matillion ETL tool.

• Unlocks the power of your data warehouse: Matillion ETL pushes down data transformations to your data warehouse. Process millions of rows in seconds, with real-time feedback.
• Modern, beautiful, browser-based environment: It has drag-and-drop browser interface. It has various types of functional components. It also includes collaboration, version control, full-featured graphical job development.
• Fast setup: We can perform some of the most complexes of task by developing ETL jobs within minutes.

Matillion provides two types of jobs:

• Orchestration – It does data ingestion that means it loads data from different sources into the database. This includes creating, altering, dropping resources.
• Transformation – It transforms data that already exists within tables and getting data ready for analysis. This includes filtering data, aggregation, changing data types and removing rows.

Variables in matillion:

• Job Variables – Job variables are always included in jobs that are imported or exported and are not available for optional inclusion like environment variables are. It is defined within a scope of single job. Job variables will override any environment variables of the same name within that specific job.
• Environment Variables – A name: value pair that is created in, and can be used across, the Matillion ETL product. Environment variables can be used in all jobs through many components.
• Grid Variables – Allow the user to define key-value pairs in an array fashion. Grid variables can be used in many components where lists of data need to be passed around.

Summary

• This brings us to the conclusion about Matillion ETL tool. This article taught us about what is ETL and process of ETL.
• Now you have known about matillion ETL tool, it’s key features, jobs, variables.
• Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the space below, and I’ll do my best to respond to all of them as time allows.
• Refer to the official Matillion documentation here if you want to learn more.

Keep Learning!!!!!