What is the ETL Process? Extract, Transform, Load Explained

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A professional-level summary covering key definitions, frameworks, and exam-relevant points.

ETL vs ELT Comparison

Aspect	ETL	ELT
Transformation location	Before loading (in ETL tool)	After loading (in target system)
Data stored in target	Transformed data only	Raw + transformed data
Processing power	ETL tool/server	Target system (cloud warehouse)
Best for	Complex transformations; legacy systems	Cloud data warehouses; large volumes
Latency	Higher (transform before load)	Lower (load first, transform later)
Data lineage	Harder to trace	Easier (raw data preserved)

CDMP Exam Relevance

ETL is tested in both the Data Integration & Interoperability (6%) and Data Warehousing & BI (10%) knowledge areas. Key exam topics include: the three ETL stages and their purposes, the difference between ETL and ELT, the role of ETL in data quality (the Transform stage is where data cleansing occurs), and the types of loading (full vs incremental). Understanding ETL is also important for Data Architecture and Metadata Management questions.

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