

Initial transformations are focused on shaping the format and structure of data to ensure its compatibility with both the destination system and the data already there. In the modern ELT process, data ingestion begins with extracting information from a data source, followed by copying the data to its destination.

Each layer of processing should be designed to perform a specific set of tasks that meet a known business or technical requirement.ĭata transformation serves many functions within the data analytics stack. Data analysts and data scientists can implement further transformations additively as necessary as individual layers of processing. These operations shape data to increase compatibility with analytics systems. The first phase of data transformations should include things like data type conversion and flattening of hierarchical data. A business might change information to a specific format for one application only to then revert the information back to its prior format for a different application.ĭata transformation can increase the efficiency of analytic and business processes and enable better data-driven decision-making.

Data is transformed to make it better-organized.Transforming data yields several benefits: Benefits and challenges of data transformation Data analysts, data engineers, and data scientists also transform data using scripting languages such as Python or domain-specific languages like SQL. Processes such as data integration, data migration, data warehousing, and data wrangling all may involve data transformation.ĭata transformation may be constructive (adding, copying, and replicating data), destructive (deleting fields and records), aesthetic (standardizing salutations or street names), or structural (renaming, moving, and combining columns in a database).Īn enterprise can choose among a variety of ETL tools that automate the process of data transformation. The scalability of the cloud platform lets organizations skip preload transformations and load raw data into the data warehouse, then transform it at query time - a model called ELT ( extract, load, transform). Today, most organizations use cloud-based data warehouses, which can scale compute and storage resources with latency measured in seconds or minutes. Organizations that use on-premises data warehouses generally use an ETL ( extract, transform, load) process, in which data transformation is the middle step. For data analytics projects, data may be transformed at two stages of the data pipeline. What is data transformation?ĭata transformation is the process of changing the format, structure, or values of data. Learn how your enterprise can transform its data to perform analytics efficiently. Data transformation enables organizations to alter the structure and format of raw data as needed. What is data transformation: definition, benefits, and usesĪnalyzing information requires structured and accessible data for best results.
