ETL Developer – Roles, Responsibilities, and Skills

Businesses generate data in millions and billions and thus, it becomes necessary to store and process it timely. To handle this process, ETL developers play a significant role. If you’re someone who’s new to this term – ETL Developers, worry not. In this article, we’ll be discussing ETL developers, his/her roles and responsibilities, the skills required to become one, the career scope, and the qualifications needed.

Who’s an ETL Developer?

ETL means Extract, Transform, and Load. The method of transferring data from different sources to its warehouse is ETL development. Hence, an ETL developer is one whose responsibility is to manage data. The method followed in ETL development is initially they EXTRACT data from sources, then TRANSFORM it and LOAD it into the data warehouse. All kinds of business-related data are designed, developed, and maintained by the ETL developer. ETL is divided into three stages:

• Extract – In this process, all kinds of useful data generated from different sources (text files, raw data, online sources, etc.) are extracted. The extracted data is stored in consolidated form. Different kinds of tools can consolidate the data in sources such as the cloud, or external systems.
• Transform – In this process, the extracted data (raw data) is transformed (structured and formatted). Before processing the data for use, it has to be transformed so as to be compatible with the standards. This process involves cleansing standardization, deduplication, verification, and sorting.
• Load – The final stage in ETL is load. In this process, the transformed data is loaded into the data warehouse system. A warehouse may include several tools to represent data from multiple dimensions and then make it accessible to each user. To allow users to drag and manipulate data, data representation tools are connected to the warehouse.
• Skills Required for an ETL Developer

1. SQL

SQL or Structured Query Language is the basic fundamental concept you need to know as an ETL developer. You have to use it at every step of ETL. SQL is one of the most popular database management systems making it a perfect fit for ETL development. Having a good command over SQL concepts such as tables, keys, DDL, DML, TCL commands, etc.?

2. Scripting Language

ETL developers cannot rely on tools completely, therefore, ETL developers need to know the scripting language well so as to deal with the data. Having knowledge of scripting language helps developers in dealing with files and directories. Hence, one of the most important skills of an ETL developer is having hands-on practice with a scripting language.

Some of the popular scripting languages are:

• Python
• Bash
• Perl

3. Data Warehousing

A warehouse includes tools used to represent data and perform loading after transformation. Several data representation tools are connected to the data warehouse. Data warehousing lets you integrate data from various sources into one consolidated database. It is a kind of central repository of information to analyze and make meaningful.?

4. Tools/Software

ETL developers need tools to automate the process easily. Instead of spending hours on coding, it’s better to use tools and come up with output easily. Using these tools, it becomes easy for developers to drag and drop several functions, and hence, it becomes easy for developers to understand the flow. Some of the tools used by ETL developers are Microsoft SSIS, Oracle Data Integrator, SAP Data Services, Informatica, and Pentaho. Also, the proper use of the Power BI tool adds value to your skill.