Can someone explain "ETL" in English

bigred · 24th September 2009, 02:29 PM

What does this mean, and I don't mean what does the acronym stands for (frankly who cares)......what IS it? Please.......not in really vague/ambiguous techno-BS, which is about all I have found on the 'net. Plain English. Actual real life experiences preferred but not mandatory. Thx

Wudang · 24th September 2009, 02:37 PM

Easy example from my work - you know what a CMDB is? We have lots of databases for problem management, configuration management, server configurations, data base installs etc etc etc. We want to know, if our monitors detect a problem with table foo, tablespace bar, on server dave what does it impact?
To answer the question we create a federated CMDB based on the above data sources from which we extract data, transform it (eg match database installs to the IP addresses of server dave etc) and load it into our CMDB.
Help any?

Leif Roar · 24th September 2009, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by bigred

What does this mean, and I don't mean what does the acronym stands for (frankly who cares)......what IS it?

Shuffling data from one (or more) system(s) to another.

GodMark2 · 24th September 2009, 04:21 PM

ETL is a Canadian shortline terminal railroad, traveling from the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario, through La Salle, to the City of Windsor, Ontario in Essex County, Ontario, a distance of 21 miles (32 km), with connections to Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway (Essex Terminal Line)

Or it's a product safety testing lab (Electrical Testing Laboratory), similar to USL.

Or it's a backup system of tapes for mid-level businesses (Enterprise Tape Library).

Fnord · 24th September 2009, 04:45 PM

Well, according to Wikipedia ...

Quote:

Extract, transform, and load (ETL) in database usage and especially in data warehousing involves:
- Extracting data from outside sources
- Transforming it to fit operational needs (which can include quality levels)
- Loading it into the end target (database or data warehouse)

In plain words, taking something out of a box, altering it, and putting it in another box.
K?

fuelair · 24th September 2009, 04:47 PM

Extraterrestrial Life.

fuelair · 24th September 2009, 04:48 PM

ooooorrr etletera

TheDaver · 24th September 2009, 11:04 PM

Exasperating Toshiba Laptops

Ysidro · 25th September 2009, 07:15 AM

Eschatons Tantalize Laurie.

deep · 25th September 2009, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by bigred

What does this mean, and I don't mean what does the acronym stands for (frankly who cares)......what IS it? Please.......not in really vague/ambiguous techno-BS, which is about all I have found on the 'net. Plain English. Actual real life experiences preferred but not mandatory. Thx

This isn't a real-life example, but hopefully it illustrates the basic principle:

Let's say you want to establish a historical record of the temperature in your office (in Celsius), once every five minutes. Your data source is a USB thermometer, which creates a new file every five minutes with the current temperature (in Fahrenheit). The date/time of each reading is embedded in the filename.

Using a simple application/script, the date/time is extracted from the filename & paired with the temperature reading contained within the file.
The data must then be transformed by putting the date/time into a standardized (database-friendly) format, and converting the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
The ordered records of date/time + temperature are then loaded into the database (e.g., using a CSV file).

That's it.

varwoche · 29th September 2009, 01:55 PM

Wow, it's really, really hard to figure out what ETL means:

Quote:

Extract, transform, and load (ETL) in database usage and especially in data warehousing involves:

Extracting data from outside sources
Transforming it to fit operational needs (which can include quality levels)
Loading it into the end target (database or data warehouse)

Aitch · 1st October 2009, 08:46 AM

The version we were using at my last job was informally known as GSL - Grab, Shuffle and Lose. But that was because the system was bought-in and, to put it kindly, rubbish. Guaranteed to fail - nothing in the way of exception handling.

More a complaint about buying systems to a price rather than a complaint about ETL.

bigred · 4th October 2009, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by varwoche

Wow, it's really, really hard to figure out what ETL means: [/list]

Yeah, that's not vague.

Wow, it's really hard (for some) not to act like a horse's ass. You'd make a great sys admin.

Thanks to those who actually gave answers to the question

six7s · 5th October 2009, 12:47 AM

Originally Posted by bigred

Originally Posted by varwoche

Wow, it's really, really hard to figure out what ETL means

Yeah, that's not vague.

Wow, it's really hard (for some) not to act like a horse's ass. You'd make a great sys admin.

Thanks to those who actually gave answers to the question

I saw this thread a few days ago and thought about how best to provide a non-vague/ambiguous techno-BS example in "Plain English"... and then I saw Fnord's concise reply and I figured that I couldn't improve on that - without resorting to writing an epic to rival War & Peace...

To be honest, I'm surprised you can say "Thanks to those who actually gave answers to the question" and yet not understand the simple, concise and coherent explanation in the quote provided by varwoche

I must be a horses ass, too

24th September 2009, 02:29 PM	#1
bigred Philosopher Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 9,443	Can someone explain "ETL" in English What does this mean, and I don't mean what does the acronym stands for (frankly who cares)......what IS it? Please.......not in really vague/ambiguous techno-BS, which is about all I have found on the 'net. Plain English. Actual real life experiences preferred but not mandatory. Thx

24th September 2009, 02:37 PM	#2
Wudang BOFH Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Sheffield Posts: 4,412	Easy example from my work - you know what a CMDB is? We have lots of databases for problem management, configuration management, server configurations, data base installs etc etc etc. We want to know, if our monitors detect a problem with table foo, tablespace bar, on server dave what does it impact? To answer the question we create a federated CMDB based on the above data sources from which we extract data, transform it (eg match database installs to the IP addresses of server dave etc) and load it into our CMDB. Help any?
	__________________ Aphorism: Subjects most likely to be declared inappropriate for humor are the ones most in need of it.

24th September 2009, 02:47 PM	#3
Leif Roar Master Poster Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 2,059	Originally Posted by bigred What does this mean, and I don't mean what does the acronym stands for (frankly who cares)......what IS it? Shuffling data from one (or more) system(s) to another.
Leif Roar Master Poster Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 2,059	__________________ "Our feature on cloud seeding (16 Apr, p40) should have started with the words 'Cannons blazed'. No clergy were set on fire in China's rainmaking experiment." -- New Scientist, 7th May 2005

24th September 2009, 04:21 PM	#4
GodMark2 Muse Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Oregon, USA Posts: 663	ETL is a Canadian shortline terminal railroad, traveling from the Town of Amherstburg, Ontario, through La Salle, to the City of Windsor, Ontario in Essex County, Ontario, a distance of 21 miles (32 km), with connections to Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian National Railway (Essex Terminal Line) Or it's a product safety testing lab (Electrical Testing Laboratory), similar to USL. Or it's a backup system of tapes for mid-level businesses (Enterprise Tape Library).
	__________________ Knowing that we do not know, it does not necessarily follow that we can not know.

24th September 2009, 04:45 PM	#5
Fnord Metasyntactic Variable Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pantopia Posts: 3,914	Well, according to Wikipedia ... Quote: Extract, transform, and load (ETL) in database usage and especially in data warehousing involves: - Extracting data from outside sources - Transforming it to fit operational needs (which can include quality levels) - Loading it into the end target (database or data warehouse) In plain words, taking something out of a box, altering it, and putting it in another box. K?
	__________________ "When I say, "Evidence, Please?" I am not asking for another statement of faith. I am asking for the evidence that supports that faith. Faith proves nothing." -- Fnord, Pointing Out the Obvious to the Oblivious Since 1957.

24th September 2009, 04:47 PM	#6
fuelair Cythraul Enfys Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 16,733	Extraterrestrial Life.
fuelair Cythraul Enfys Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 16,733	__________________ There is no problem so great that it cannot be fixed by small explosives carefully placed. Wash this space!

24th September 2009, 04:48 PM	#7
fuelair Cythraul Enfys Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 16,733	ooooorrr etletera
fuelair Cythraul Enfys Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 16,733	__________________ There is no problem so great that it cannot be fixed by small explosives carefully placed. Wash this space!

24th September 2009, 11:04 PM	#8
TheDaver hairy farting brute Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Montréal Posts: 825	Exasperating Toshiba Laptops
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25th September 2009, 07:15 AM	#9
Ysidro I'm watching you Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,853	Eschatons Tantalize Laurie.
Ysidro I'm watching you Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,853	__________________ "I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own."

25th September 2009, 09:29 AM	#10
deep Graduate Poster Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,302	Originally Posted by bigred What does this mean, and I don't mean what does the acronym stands for (frankly who cares)......what IS it? Please.......not in really vague/ambiguous techno-BS, which is about all I have found on the 'net. Plain English. Actual real life experiences preferred but not mandatory. Thx This isn't a real-life example, but hopefully it illustrates the basic principle: Let's say you want to establish a historical record of the temperature in your office (in Celsius), once every five minutes. Your data source is a USB thermometer, which creates a new file every five minutes with the current temperature (in Fahrenheit). The date/time of each reading is embedded in the filename. Using a simple application/script, the date/time is extracted from the filename & paired with the temperature reading contained within the file. The data must then be transformed by putting the date/time into a standardized (database-friendly) format, and converting the temperature from Fahrenheit to Celsius. The ordered records of date/time + temperature are then loaded into the database (e.g., using a CSV file). That's it.
deep Graduate Poster Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,302

29th September 2009, 01:55 PM	#11
varwoche Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Puget Sound Posts: 5,203	Wow, it's really, really hard to figure out what ETL means: Quote: Extract, transform, and load (ETL) in database usage and especially in data warehousing involves: Extracting data from outside sources Transforming it to fit operational needs (which can include quality levels) Loading it into the end target (database or data warehouse)
	__________________ GW evidence \| *Are you* gonna be alright? \| Epitome of gw pseudo-skepticism**

1st October 2009, 08:46 AM	#12
Aitch Apprentice Crud Puppy Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 1,443	The version we were using at my last job was informally known as GSL - Grab, Shuffle and Lose. But that was because the system was bought-in and, to put it kindly, rubbish. Guaranteed to fail - nothing in the way of exception handling. More a complaint about buying systems to a price rather than a complaint about ETL.
	__________________ There's less to this than meets the eye!

4th October 2009, 08:48 AM	#13
bigred Philosopher Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: USA Posts: 9,443	Originally Posted by varwoche Wow, it's really, really hard to figure out what ETL means: [/list] Yeah, that's not vague. Wow, it's really hard (for some) not to act like a horse's ass. You'd make a great sys admin. Thanks to those who actually gave answers to the question

5th October 2009, 12:47 AM	#14
six7s veretic Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Aotearoa Posts: 8,064	Originally Posted by bigred Originally Posted by varwoche Wow, it's really, really hard to figure out what ETL means Yeah, that's not vague. Wow, it's really hard (for some) not to act like a horse's ass. You'd make a great sys admin. Thanks to those who actually gave answers to the question I saw this thread a few days ago and thought about how best to provide a non-vague/ambiguous techno-BS example in "Plain English"... and then I saw Fnord's concise reply and I figured that I couldn't improve on that - without resorting to writing an epic to rival War & Peace... To be honest, I'm surprised you can say "Thanks to those who actually gave answers to the question" and yet not understand the simple, concise and coherent explanation in the quote provided by varwoche I must be a horses ass, too
	__________________ Sent from my Mac Book Wheel using Clickaclickaclickaclickatalk Last edited by six7s; 5th October 2009 at 12:49 AM. Reason: tyops