Table of contents
- Introduction
- What Is MySQL?
- MySQL ETL Process
- Open Source ETL Tools
- Talend Big Data Open Studio
- Airbyte
- Singer
- Premium ETL Tools
- Skyvia
- Hevo Data
- Pentaho Kettle
- Conclusion
Introduction
In today’s tech-driven world, data has proved to be one of the most useful resources. Data serves as the raw material that analysts and data scientists use to extrapolate useful information that helps in making decisions that drive their organizations’ toward their goals. Thus, it becomes essential to store the organization’s data for a longer duration of time for analytical purposes. This is where the ETL process comes in. ETL (Extract-Transform-Load) is the data integration process that involves the extraction of multiple data sources into a single data warehouse in a transformed format. Databases like MySQL can play a vital role in this process as it is a popular way of storing relational data. The data needs to be extracted from databases and stored in a data warehouse that can sustain a huge amount of data (Extraction). Rather than dumping the data into a data warehouse, the transactional day-to-day data can be converted into a summarical format (Transformation). After transforming the data, it can be stored in the data warehouse (Loading). In this article, we will focus on several ETL solutions that can be integrated with MySQL databases and data warehouses.
What Is MySQL?
MySQL is a database that is used to store relational (row-tabular) data. MySQL can be managed through a command-line interface as well as using the MySQL GUI tool. It allows managing the database, writing SQL queries and viewing the records, etc.
There are many reasons why companies choose to use MySQL. Some of the features of MySQL:
- It is available as open-source software and under a premium license.
- It is relatively easy to use compared to other relational databases like Postgres.
- It is well-known for its high performance and scalability.
- It is compatible with multiple operating systems like Windows, Linux, etc.
- It has GUI support.
MySQL ETL Process
MySQL is an open-source relational database management system (RDMBS) that is used for creating, maintaining, managing, and archiving relational databases. However, it has no specific data extraction tools beyond rudimentary data injection commands.
When it comes to the ETL process, ETL tools help to extract the data from MySQL databases and load them to different types of data warehouse systems like Hadoop. One should keep in mind that not all systems are equal, and neither are integration software.
In this article, we’ll categorize the ETL tools into two types:
- Open Source Tools
- Premium Tools
Open Source ETL Tools
Talend Big Data Open Studio
Talend Open Studio is an open-source tool developed by Talend that helps perform multiple tasks like data integration from multiple sources, data quality, and preparation, etc. It is developed using Java and based upon the Eclipse tool. It allows you to easily process your data in a big data environment by building the basic data pipelines in a time-efficient manner. You can execute simple ETL tasks, manage your files, and get graphical profiles of your data. With many big data components available, Talend Open Studio allows you to create and run Hadoop jobs simply by dragging and dropping those components.
PROS
- Talend Open Studio is a Java application that is based on the Eclipse IDE, which makes it very comfortable for in-house Java developers to customize.
- Some connections within Open Studio can be developed graphically through drag and drop, which is super intuitive for those who understand the underlying logic.
- Eclipse allows automatic creation of the code when the connections are built graphically.
- Open Studio also comes with a number of pre-built widgets that provide a wide array of data sources and data warehouses for integration.
CONS
While being a Java program, it does offer great customization capabilities for Java developers. This can be a double-edged sword as your organization will require specifically Java developers to make the most out of it. This can be particularly pernicious when it comes to large, complex projects as it becomes more difficult to maintain and might require more people skilled in Java.
USE CASES
Mid-size, budget-conscious companies and organizations with a capable team of Java developers stand to benefit from using Talend Big Data Open Studio. A team such as this can benefit from all of the pros of Open Studio while possessing the skills to mitigate the cons.
Airbyte
Airbyte is an ETL platform that assists in replicating and syncing the data from different applications to data warehouses, data lakes, and other destinations. It can sync the data from the sources at scheduled intervals. Currently, the code is fully provided as open-source under MIT license and their future roadmap is to provide Cloud and Enterprise versions as well. To connect with the data sources, a list of connectors has been developed that only requires authentication and is ready to be used. As it is open-source, the community helps in creating connectors that are specific to little-known data sources.
PROS
- Airbyte is integrated with Airflow, which is one of the widely used data workflow management tools. This helps in scheduling certain jobs at a specific time and maintaining the flow of the data.
- Airbyte also allows real-time monitoring of the connections that help in troubleshooting.
- It also allows re-sync of the entire database.
- It also keeps a track of all the logs that were generated during the sync.
- It provides a GUI for easy use and efficient management of the workflow.
CONS
- Many connections that have been developed come under the beta and alpha phases while some have been certified to use. Thus, you might run into some issues while creating a connection for certain data sources.
- Dedicated team support or resources might not be available when you are unable to resolve an issue.
- It does not offer much support for the transformation of the data if required.
USE CASES
Organizations of any size can make use of this tool. As it is open-source, the developers must have some skills to implement this tool in a fault-tolerant manner. As it is open-source and recently released, some people might not find the required documentation for their use case. But with enough skilled hands, the organizations can surely make their ETL process much more feasible and easier.
Singer
Singer is a tool that allows moving data from different data sources to other data destinations. Essentially it involves two main components namely taps and targets. The functionality of the taps is to extract the data from a data source and send it to a data stream. The targets get the data from taps and load it into a file or database. The taps write the data in JSON format that is one of the widely-used formats and is generally compatible with most of the databases. The taps and targets are based on python language and can be installed using pip.
PROS
- It is a lightweight solution to your data extraction and loading processes as each tap and target come as a different python package and we can install only the essential packages.
- It provides good performance when dealing with commonly used relational databases like MySQL and Postgres.
CONS
- The purpose of the tool is to move data from a tap to a target without any data transformations.
- It does not have a GUI for the users to monitor or manage the data movement.
- The list of taps and targets is not extensive and the developers might need to create one on their own for specific databases.
USE CASES
The use of Singer can be done when the main objective is to extract and load data into another database. Although it does not have a lot of options, it can come in handy while moving a small set of data on a day-to-day basis.
Premium ETL Tools
Skyvia
Skyvia is a SaaS (Software as a Service) platform that provides an easy-to-use solution for many data-related tasks beyond ETL, including data integration, cloud data backup, data management, and much more. It is a completely web-based online solution. It does not require coding or installation of any software. With several different and individually priced data solutions, users may configure their own bespoke Skyvia service configuration and only pay for the data used.
PRICING
Skyvia is a freemium product, allowing users access to its platform and services up to a certain amount of data. The entire platform is an aggregate of several products, each with its own unique price set. The packages are priced according to a client’s needs or the volume of data that they will be processing, transporting, and/or querying.
Skyvia offers a free starter pack plan to help you get the feel of the software. The paid pricing plans start from as low as $15 per month (Basic Version – processing 25k records/month with 5 schedules) till $799 per month (Enterprise Version – 50m records/month with unlimited schedules). Click on this link to obtain more information about Skyvia’s pricing module.
PROS
Skyvia’s combination of a large repository of integrations, the ability to schedule transfers and updates, and their suite of complementary business intelligence products makes Skyvia a perfect fit for the technology-oriented modern business. There is no need to install drivers, configure database connections or deal with any complex networking tasks as all of that is handled behind the scenes. Just log in via your web browser and use the Skyvia’s intuitively designed web interface to connect your data sources, data warehouses, and data lakes. If that isn’t enough, Skyvia’s flat-rate pricing model ensures no surprise charges due to large data transformation projects, which makes for more stable fiscal planning. The pricing options are several that will help you in choosing the module as per your needs.
CONS
While Skyvia’s pricing model allows stable planning as far as finances go, Skyvia’s Backup option could become expensive if you need to backup particularly large volumes of data.
USE CASES
Skyvia is a great solution as it provides a stable, reliable platform that will not drain your budget or cash reserves. Fiscally conservative organizations and businesses will appreciate how easy Skyvia allows fulfilling their data ETL needs. The intuitive user interface ensures that companies can spend more money on hiring experts within their industry without having to funnel resources to beefing up their IT departments. And with a stable pricing model, Skyvia provides one less thing to worry about when planning for the next quarter and beyond.
Hevo Data
Hevo refers to its software solution as “Data Pipeline as a Service”. The app allows users to set up data pipelines to and from their data sources and data warehouses. The GUI is user-friendly, the configuration is a guided step-by-step process, and the Hevo team keeps their integrations updated to maintain pipeline uptime with minimal data loss.
PRICING
Hevo is a freemium product for those users who process less than 5 million records into their data warehouse. For users processing more than that, they will be charged between $249 per month (for up to 20 million records) and up to $999 per month (for more than 300 million records). However, these prices are for yearly billed clients. Monthly billed clients pay significantly more ($299 to $1249).
PROS
Setting up data pipelines with Hevo is fairly straightforward and the graphical interface makes it painless, as long as you have the proper access credentials for your data sources and data warehouse. The step-by-step process makes it fairly intuitive and softens the learning curve sufficiently, such that business professionals can use it with minimal training.
CONS
Given Hevo’s pricing format, organizations that see an increase in data not immediately tied to realized sales (e.g., market lead info) will see a significant increase in their processing fees due to high data volumes. The fact that the platform is a cloud-based SaaS/DPaas that is not optimized for mobile, despite its target market of non-technical professionals, is considered a drawback. Also, the inability to instantiate more granular workflows may frustrate more advanced users.
USE CASES
Hevo Data works for a wide array of companies and organizations from plucky startups to established enterprise firms. The SaaS application’s intuitive interface makes it a viable tool for the functional user (as opposed to tech geeks). You do not need a dedicated IT team or developer cohort to use this tool proficiently (although it wouldn’t hurt). Hevo Data works for those teams that are more focused on the business, marketing, and analytics end of things, and less on technical implementations.
Pentaho Kettle
Pentaho Kettle is available in two editions: Community and Enterprise Editions. Though the community edition provides only the basic set of functionalities, the Enterprise edition does offer a lot of features. Kettle provides a wide range of business intelligence tools, including ETL via its easily accessible web platform. The main drawback, however, is the initial configuration as it might require some expertise in setting things up.
PRICING
Pentaho Kettle offers a custom pricing model. As such, users may download Pentaho Kettle to use for a free 30-day trial. After that, they can contact Pentaho to discuss a custom package. For very basic functionalities, users may also try to download the Community version.
PROS
Pentaho Kettle offers a bevy of extremely useful features for power users including SQL query + scripting. The data security tools it provides allow unique configurations depending on user groups, specific users, and even folders. The ability to create a variety of custom reports is also incredibly useful.
CONS
As mentioned earlier, setting up Pentaho Kettle can be a bit tedious. It is a job for those who are either experts in data or, at the very least, those who are experienced in working with data integration tools, as it does not come with a configuration wizard. Pentaho Kettle is also another ETL tool that suffers in the clarity (or lack thereof) of their error logs.
USE CASES
Pentaho Kettle is a powerful but complex BI tool that requires a team of individuals who are passionate about data. This is not a separate BI tool meant to be used as an add-on to support a business’ operational efficiency. This tool is meant for those organizations whose business is data. Organizations and teams that work within the data industries (analytics, data science, data mining) would be best served by this tool.
Conclusion
The ETL process generally involves a combination of multiple tools when it comes to open-source tools. For example, we can use one tool for the extraction of the data from our data sources, another tool can provide the transformation of the data and the third tool can load the data into a data warehouse or a data lake. You need to rely more on the resources available on the Internet for troubleshooting the issues.
In the case of the premium tools, the tools are built end-to-end. One software can take care of all of our ETL requirements. We are offered expert tech team support and 24×7 availability for any of our issues. Implementing open-source ETL pipelines requires a good amount of technical skills whereas premium tools offer you expertise and feasibility of using the tools. Open-source tools do not involve any cash expenditures while the premium tools are essentially paid services. There’s always a trade-off in such situations and a lot of things come into consideration like skilled employees, annual costs, etc.
Hopefully, the article provided perspective on possible solutions that might work for you. However, if you’re specifically looking for a premium, user-friendly solution supported by a dedicated team of ETL engineers and developers, then visit Skyvia.com, sign up, and get started for free. Skyvia provides multiple solutions that can perfectly fit into your use cases. The pricing of these solutions is volume-based which will help you in choosing the package according to your needs and save a fortune. This makes Skyvia the most versatile platform covering the largest number of situations.
