ETL Frameworks: Top Python Use Cases for Data Integration
What is an ETL Python Framework?
An ETL Python framework is a set of tools and libraries built on top of the Python programming language. It allows developers to perform tasks related to ETL processes more effectively. This framework has several modules for extracting data from various sources, data transformation and cleaning, and loading data into a target system like a data warehouse or database. Apache NiFi, Airflow, and Bonobo are a few popular examples of ETL Python frameworks.
What is Python's role in ETL?
Python is becoming a popular programming language even beating Java. Python is a robust and flexible programming language. It is useful for a wide range of data manipulation and processing tasks. Thus, it plays a key role in ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes. Python also features an extensive ecosystem with many supportive tools and libraries for ETL. For instance, you can use pandas for data manipulation, NumPy for numerical computation, and PySpark for large-scale data processing.
Python can be used to extract data from various sources such as databases, flat files, APIs, and web scraping. You can also use it for data cleaning and transformation tasks like filtering, sorting, and aggregating data. What's more, it is helpful for more advanced tasks such as machine learning and natural language processing. Finally, you can use Python to load data into a target system, such as a data warehouse or database. It allows for further analysis of data and reporting to gain business intelligence.
The simplicity, readability, and widespread usage of Python in the data science field have made it favorable to ETL developers. Python frameworks and libraries like Apache NiFi, Airflow, and Bonobo help automate the ETL process, making them more efficient.
Types of ETL tools
You will find several types of ETL tools in the market. Each tool will have its own set of features and capabilities. In this section, we will go through different types of ETL tools, such as custom ETL tools, enterprise software ETL tools, open-source ETL tools, and cloud-based ETL tools.
Custom ETL tools
These types of ETL tools are designed to cater to the unique needs of an organization. Usually, in-house developers or third-party firms develop these tools with a high level of flexibility and customization. Custom ETL tools enable organizations to design their own data pipelines and workflows. It allows them to handle complex data sets and workflows. However, the development of these ETL tools can be expensive and time-consuming. It may also require specialized knowledge and expertise.
Enterprise software ETL tools
Enterprise software ETL tools come with a wide array of features and capabilities. They are well suited for large organizations. Robustness, Scalability, and the ability to handle large volumes of data are some of their common characteristics. When it comes to features, they provide a wide range of data connectors and data transformation capabilities. These tools even have built-in security and compliance features. Enterprise software ETL tools are often expensive and not affordable for small organizations. Moreover, you may need specialized knowledge and expertise to implement and maintain them.
Open-source ETL tools
Open-source ETL tools are the go-to-choice for any organization looking for a cost-effective ETL solution. They are free to use and often surrounded by a large and active community of developers. This developer community often contributes to the improvements and updates of the software. Open-source ETL tools come with a wide range of features and capabilities. A special thing about these tools is they are often built on a modular architecture. It allows developers to easily integrate new functionality. However, open-source ETL tools may have more limited support and documentation than commercial solutions.
Cloud-based ETL tools
As the name implies, Cloud-based ETL tools are hosted on a cloud platform. They are accessible to users through any device with an internet connection. These tools offer the flexibility and scalability of cloud computing, eliminating the need for costly hardware and maintenance. It is very easy to set up and use these Cloud-based ETL tools. They often include built-in security and compliance features. Furthermore, these tools are often provided as subscriptions, making them cost-effective for organizations. However, users must have a stable and reliable internet connection to use these tools. Besides, there can be limitations on data storage and processing.
What are the use cases for building data pipelines with Python ETL Frameworks?
Now you have a clear idea of the ETL framework and types of ETL tools. In this section, let's dig deeper into the use cases of creating data pipelines with ETL frameworks.
Data warehousing and reporting
Data warehousing and reporting is a quite popular use case for building data pipelines with Python ETL frameworks. Nowadays, organizations often need to collect data from various sources, such as databases, flat files, and APIs. Then, they have to load this data into a data warehouse for further analysis and reporting. Python ETL frameworks like Apache NiFi and Airflow help automate extracting, transforming, and loading data into a data warehouse. They make this process more efficient and accurate.
Data Cleansing and Transformation
This is another common use case for building data pipelines with Python ETL frameworks. Organizations often need to clean and transform data to prepare it for analysis and reporting. Python ETL frameworks such as pandas and Bonobo aids data cleaning. They also facilitate data transformation tasks such as filtering, sorting, and aggregating. Furthermore, the Python ecosystem includes many libraries. They assist in advanced data transformation tasks like machine learning and natural language processing.
Real-time Data Processing
The other famous use case for building data pipelines with Python ETL frameworks is real-time data processing. Organizations often need real-time data processing to make decisions and act accordingly. Python ETL frameworks such as PySpark help process large volumes of data in real time. It allows organizations to handle complex data sets and workflows. It is useful in a variety of industries such as finance, healthcare, and e-commerce where real-time data processing is critical.
Top ETL Python Frameworks
1. Luigi
Luigi is an open-source Python framework for building complex pipelines of batch jobs. It is built on top of the popular Python library, multiprocessing. This framework is specially designed for dependency resolution and workflow management. Luigi is particularly useful for building ETL pipelines with a large number of tasks. Moreover, it is often used in combination with other data-processing libraries like Pandas and Dask.
2. Apache Spark
Apache Spark is a robust, open-source, and general-purpose cluster-computing framework. It is built on top of the Hadoop Distributed File System. This tool provides a fast and general-purpose cluster-computing framework for big data processing. Apache Spark can be easily integrated with Python using its python API, and PySpark. This framework is widely used for ETL, machine learning, and data analysis. Apache Spark comes with a default command line tool.
3. pETL
pETL is a simple and lightweight Python ETL framework. It provides a simple and convenient API for extracting, transforming, and loading data from dataframes. pETL is specially designed for small-scale data processing tasks. This framework is also often used in combination with other data processing libraries like Pandas and NumPy.
Bubbles
Bubbles is an open-source ETL framework, built on top of the popular Pandas library. Pandas is well-known for its easy and flexible schema management system. Bubbles provide a simple and intuitive API for data extraction, transformation, and loading. It is also popular for handling small-scale data processing tasks. Bubbles focus on simplicity and user-friendliness, making it an ideal choice for beginners and small projects.
4. mETL
Next on our list is mETL which is an open-source ETL framework for Python. It is based on the popular Pandas library. mETL offers a simple and intuitive API for extracting, transforming, and loading data. mETL is well-suited for small-scale data processing tasks. mETL is user-friendly in design and well-documented making it a perfect choice for beginners and small-scale projects.
5. Bonobo
Bonobo is an open-source ETL framework for Python that is simple and easy-to-use. It provides a convenient and intuitive API for data extraction, transformation, and loading. This tool focuses on small-scale data processing tasks. Bonobo is designed to be user-friendly and well-documented, making it a good choice for beginners and small projects.
6. Pandas
Pandas is a famous Python library for data manipulation and analysis. It provides a simple and intuitive API for data extraction, transformation, and loading. This library is also appropriate for small-scale data processing tasks. Pandas is simple to use and well-documented. Thus, it is a good option for beginners and small projects.
7. Riko
Riko is an open-source Python ETL framework built on top of the popular Python library, multiprocessing. It provides a simple and intuitive API for ETL jobs. This framework is also a great choice for small-scale data processing tasks. Riko is easy to use and well-documented, making it a good choice for beginners and small projects.
8. Skyvia
Skyvia is a cloud-based ETL tool that can extract, transform, and load data from various data sources to different destinations. You can access it through API and integrate it with Python. Thus, you can easily use it for data processing tasks. Skyvia is specially designed for handling large data sets. This framework is often used in conjunction with other data-processing libraries like Pandas and Dask.
9. Hadoop
Hadoop is considered a top Python framework for both ETL and ELT due to its scalability and ability to handle large amounts of data flow. It is built on top of the Hadoop Distributed File System, which allows it to handle big data processing efficiently. Its python API, PyHadoop, allows integrating Hadoop with Python easily. Thus, it has become a popular choice for data processing tasks. Hadoop can handle large amounts of data, process it parallelly, and store it in a distributed manner. Thus it is an ideal choice for ETL tasks. Hadoop's fault tolerance feature ensures the availability of data in case of a node failure. It is a crucial aspect of ETL tasks. Overall, Hadoop is a top ETL Python framework due to its scalability, ability to handle large amounts of data, and fault tolerance.
While there are many frameworks you can use as ETL python framework, following the ETL best practices is important with all these tools.
What are the top ETL tools to use with Python?
Portable
Portable.io gives you ETL connectors you can't find anywhere. It comes with over 300 connectors for hard-to-find data sources If you are having long-tail data sources, portable is one of the best data integration tools for you. It's particularly suitable for teams that develop and maintain custom connectors on request, with turnaround times as fast as a few hours.
Informatica
Informatica features many data integration capabilities, including data extraction, transformation, and loading. It also offers various connectors to connect to different data sources with different data structures and targets. Therefore, it is a versatile tool that is useful for different data integration scenarios. Furthermore, Informatica has in-built support for SQL. It allows users to write SQL code as part of the ETL process.
You can integrate Informatica with Python in several ways. For example, you can use the Informatica PowerCenter SDK for Python to interact with the Informatica platform. Then, you can perform data integration tasks directly via a Python script. It helps leverage the power of Python for data manipulation while using Informatica for data integration tasks.
Talend
Talend is an open-source ETL for data integration tool that comes with excellent capabilities like data extraction, transformation, and loading. It has built-in support for reading and writing Excel, CSV files, JSON, and XML files. Most importantly, the ability to integrate with Python is a major benefit of Talend.
Talend provides a component called tPython. It allows you to write and execute Python code within a Talend job. Thus you can harness the power of Python for data manipulation while utilizing Talend for data integration tasks. Some of these tasks include data cleansing, data mapping, and data validation. This way, you can effectively leverage Python within Talend jobs.
SnapLogic
SnapLogic is a popular cloud-based data integration platform. It helps easily connect to various cloud-based services and applications. SnapLogic can also handle large volumes of data with low latency. Thus, it is a good choice for integrating data from cloud-based systems and big data projects.
SnapLogic provides a component called Python Snap. This component allows you to write and execute Python code within a SnapLogic pipeline. It is also a good example of leveraging Python for data manipulation while using SnapLogic for data integration and data management tasks.
Integrate.io
Integrate.io can seamlessly integrate Python code within its pipelines making it a great ETL tool to use with Python. It allows users to leverage the power of Python for advanced data manipulation and analytics. Additionally, Integrate.io provides many pre-built Python components for common data integration tasks. Some of these tasks include data cleansing, data mapping, and data validation. This way, you can easily use Python within Integrate.io pipelines.
The user-friendly visual development environment of Integrate.io is one of its key strengths. It enables the creation of data integration pipelines using drag-and-drop functionality. Thus, even non-technical users can easily create and manage data integration jobs. Integrate.io also provides a wide range of pre-built connectors for a variety of data sources and targets. It allows users to connect to various systems and applications.
What are some important ETL Requirements?
Building a successful ETL process is not an easy task. You have to plan carefully and consider many requirements such as the following:
1. Data Quality: You must ensure the quality of the extracted, transformed, and loaded data. It includes checking for completeness, accuracy, and consistency of the data. Missing proper data quality checks can make the data loaded into the target system unreliable. It will consequently lead to poor decision-making.
2. Scalability: With the increasing volumes of data, it is important to ensure that the ETL process can handle the demand. It includes designing the ETL process to handle large volumes of data. Additionally, you should be able to easily add new data sources or increase processing power as required.
3. Performance: The ETL process should process data faster, without compromising on data quality. It involves designing the ETL process to handle data parallelly, and allowing real-time data processing if needed.
4. Security: Data security has become a critical concern in the current digital age. Thus, the ETL process should include built-in security features like encryption, authentication, and access control. It helps to protect sensitive data.
What are some other ETL Tools, Libraries & Frameworks?
Apart from the above, there are many other tools and libraries that assist the ETL process. One such example is the AWS Glue which allows users to easily prepare their data for analytics. Additionally, Amazon offers many other services such as Data Pipeline, Lambda, and Kinesis.
They are useful in different stages of the ETL process to manage cloud data. Even Microsoft offers many tools for ETL processes such as Azure Data Factory and Power Query. Moreover, Apache has many tools such as Apache airflow for ETL processing.
We hope you learned everything you wanted to know about Python ETL frameworks.