What to Look for in a Data Ingestion Tool
While some firms choose to build their own data ingestion framework, most firms will find that it is easier and, depending on the solution, more affordable to employ a data ingestion tool designed by data integration experts. With the right data ingestion tool, you can extract, process, and deliver data from a wide range of data sources to your various data repositories and analytics platforms to feed BI dashboards and ultimately front-line business users in less time and using fewer resources.
Not all solutions are alike, of course, and finding the best data ingestion tool for your needs can be difficult. Here are some criteria to consider for when comparing tools:
Speed. The ability to ingest data rapidly and deliver data to your targets at the lowest level of latency appropriate for each particular application or situation.
Platform support. The ability to connect with data stores on premises or in the cloud and handle the types of data your organization is collecting now and may collect in the future.
Scalability. The ability to scale the framework to handle large datasets and implement fast in-memory transaction processing to support high-volume data delivery.
Source System Impact. The ability to regularly access and extract data from source operational systems without impacting their performance or ability to continue to execute transactions.
Other features you may want to consider include: integrated CDC (change data capture) technology, support for performing lightweight transformations, and ease of operation.