ELT Essentials: 5 Must-Have ELT Tools for Your Data Stack

At the forefront of discussions among C-level executive teams is the quest to make their companies truly “data-driven.” Data comes in various formats and from diverse sources, including databases, spreadsheets, cloud storage, and IoT devices.

Gone are the days when leaders relied solely on intuition for decision-making. With the proliferation of data and storage solutions across multiple platforms, organizations require faster and more efficient tools to collect, manage, and migrate data seamlessly, regardless of its size.

For lean data teams, manually constructing and managing data pipelines to cater to various use cases is impractical. This approach is not only time-consuming and error-prone but also lacks scalability in enabling data engineers to drive the organization toward a data-driven culture.

Enter Extract, Load, and Transform (ELT) tools, which empower data engineers and analysts to automate these processes, facilitating seamless extraction, loading, and transformation of data for subsequent analysis.

In this article, we will explore the five most potent ELT tools for modern data stacks, along with the advantages and disadvantages each tool offers to data teams.

Factors to Consider When Choosing ELT Tools 

Selecting the right ELT tool is critical for your business; therefore, there are several things to consider. These will ensure you can handle your data without breaching security or causing poor performance: 

Data Volume and Variety

You should consider the volume and variety of data sources and formats that your organization must process. As a result, ensure the ELT tool can handle the scale and diversity of your data without reducing performance or functionality.

Scalability

It’s important to consider the scalability of the ELT tool to accommodate growth and rising data volumes. Furthermore, the tool should scale horizontally or vertically to handle growing data processing demands without significant disruptions. 

Ease of Use

The last thing your company needs is a complicated tool that takes time to master. Therefore, assess the simplicity and user interface of the ELT tool. A user-friendly interface and intuitive design can reduce the learning curve and accelerate the adoption of the tool across the organization.

Integration Capabilities

It’s also key to consider the ELT tool’s integration capabilities with your existing systems, databases, applications, and cloud platforms. You should ensure compatibility with your data sources and destination systems to facilitate seamless data integration and interoperability. 

Data Security and Compliance

Evaluate the ELT tool’s security features and compliance capabilities. You should look for data encryption, access controls, and compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). As a result, you’ll mitigate security risks and protect your organization. 

Cost and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

Evaluate the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the ELT tool—including upfront costs, licensing fees, maintenance expenses, and ongoing support costs. Compare pricing models and licensing options to determine the most cost-effective solution. 

Performance Optimization

You should assess the ELT tool’s performance optimization capabilities, including features such as parallel processing, job optimization, and caching mechanisms. Ensure the tool can deliver high-performance data processing and minimize processing times. 

Common Challenges in Data Processing

Organizations encounter various hurdles that impede efficiency and hinder decision-making processes. These challenges require robust solutions to ensure seamless data management and analysis. 

Here are some examples: 

• Data Silos: Segregation of data across different departments or systems within an organization, leading to disjointed insights and inefficient workflows.
• Scalability Issues: Existing data processing infrastructure cannot handle increasing data volumes or growing business demands, leading to performance bottlenecks. 
• Latency: Delays in data processing and analysis, resulting in outdated information and missed opportunities for timely decision-making.
• Integration Complexity: Challenges arise when integrating data from diverse sources with varying formats and structures, leading to complexities in data harmonization and consolidation.

The good news? You can avoid these issues by utilizing the following ELT tools. 

1. Rivery 

Rivery is a SaaS platform that delivers powerful data integration and ELT capabilities. The platform lets you Extract, Load, and Transform data effortlessly from various sources at scale and speed (with no coding required). Rivery is ideal for the e-commerce, SaaS, marketing, and finance industries. 

The key features of Rivery include data migration, ROI tracking, usage monitoring, data visualization, and normalization. You can also use Rivery to integrate with BigQuery, Snowflake, Microsoft Azure, and Microsoft SQL Server. 

Pros:

• Intuitive user interface.
• Extensive library of pre-built data connectors.
• Scalable infrastructure with automatic scaling.
• Flexible pricing options based on usage.
• Reliable customer support team. 

Cons:

• Lack of advanced error handling features.

Pricing Model: 

Rivery offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model with tiered plans based on usage metrics, such as data volume and frequency of data transfers. Plans include starter, professional, and enterprise. Rivery’s free trial includes access to all of the professional plan features, for 14 days or 1,000 free credits (worth $1,200) of usage, whichever expires first. When your trial period ends, you can continue using Rivery by registering for any on-demand plan, or by contacting us to explore our annual and Enterprise plans.

2. Matillion

Matillion is a data transformation platform that facilitates building and managing data pipelines. With its intuitive interface and powerful automation capabilities, it makes data management far more straightforward. 

One of the main benefits of using Matillion is the scalability. The tool can handle increasing data volumes with ease while managing highly complex data workflows. As such, if you’re a rapidly growing business—it’s a good option. 

Furthermore, Matillion is a brilliant option for data orchestration to ensure smooth execution and reliability with minimal performance issues. 

Pros:

• User-friendly interface. 
• Automation capabilities save time and effort by handling repetitive tasks.
• Scalability ensures the platform can accommodate growing data needs.
• A wide range of integrations. 

Cons:

• Advanced features may have a steeper learning curve for new users.
• Pricing may be prohibitive for small businesses with smaller budgets.

Pricing Structure:

Matillion offers subscription-based pricing with tiered plans depending on data volume and usage. 

3. Fivetran

Fivetran is an automated data integration platform that simplifies the process of extracting, loading, and transforming data. This provides automated data synchronization and seamless integration with popular data sources.

Fivetran’s key features include over 400 fully managed connectors, analytics-ready schemas, integrated scheduling, strong data governance, robust security, and 24/7 global email support to prevent any issues. 

Additionally, Fivetran offers robust monitoring and alerting features, allowing users to track data integration processes in real-time and receive notifications of any anomalies or issues

Pros:

• Automated data synchronization saves time and reduces errors.
• Seamless integration with popular data sources eliminates manual coding.
• Scalability ensures the platform can handle growing data. 
• Reliability features ensure data consistency and accuracy.
• User-friendly interface makes it easy for users to manage data pipelines.

Cons:

• Advanced customization options may be limited for highly specialized use cases.
• Can be expensive for larger organizations. 
• May fail to handle complex data transformation. 

Pricing Structure:

Fivetran offers monthly and annual subscription-based pricing with tiered plans. They include standard and enterprise tiers, catering to businesses of all sizes. However, the platform also offers monthly PAYG plans if you’re unsure about your usage. 

4. Hevo Data

Hevo Data is a real-time data integration platform that simplifies the process of building and managing data pipelines. It offers simplicity and automation in building data pipelines.

The main features include real-time data integration, an incredibly user-friendly interface, and the capacity to scale data to high levels. Likewise, the tool has advanced security features (HIPAA, SOC2, GDPR). 

In addition, Hevo Data has over 150 pre-built connector options, customizable connect builds, external APIs, and zero-code ELT. 

Pros:

• Real-time data integration. 
• User-friendly interface. 
• Automation capabilities. 
• Scalability to ensure the platform can handle growing data volumes. 

Cons:

• You can’t edit established pipelines. 
• You can’t schedule a pipeline job based on a specific time. 
• Some features may require skilled staff. 

Pricing Structure:

Hevo Data offers subscription-based pricing with tiered plans, including standard and enterprise tiers. The tool also has a free trial. 

5. Airbyte

Airbyte is a data pipeline platform for Extract, Load, and Transform (ELT) processes, offering features and benefits for building and managing ELT pipelines. Airbyte can ELT from diverse sources, and it has a user-friendly interface facilitating the management of data pipelines. 

Likewise, Airbyte’s scalability allows seamless handling of data volumes and workflows, whereas its reliability provides data consistency and integrity via monitoring mechanisms.

Moreover, Airbyte boasts advanced orchestration capabilities, allowing users to schedule and orchestrate complex data workflows with ease

Pros:

• Comprehensive data processing and analysis.
• User-friendly interface. 
• Reliability features ensure data consistency and accuracy.
• Powerful transformation capabilities. 

Cons:

• Can be challenging to troubleshoot if you’re facing issues. 
• Can be expensive if you opt for their cloud version.
• If you go the open-source route it will require having skilled data engineers to manage the platform.

Pricing Structure:

Airbyte offers an open-source version of its platform that is free to use. This version provides access to the core features and functionalities of Airbyte, making it suitable for small to medium-sized projects on limited budgets

FAQ About Choosing the Right ELT Tool 

1. Why are ELT Tools Essential for Data Management?

Managing data effectively is essential for extracting valuable insights and organizational growth. ELT tools streamline the process of extracting, loading, and transforming data; in turn, this removes bottlenecks and boosts data quality.

2. What Challenges do Organizations Face in Data Processing?

Organizations encounter various hurdles. These include data silos, scalability issues, latency, and integration complexity. 

These challenges can impede efficiency and hinder decision-making processes, which shows the need for robust data management solutions.

3. What Factors Should be Considered When Choosing ELT Tools?

When selecting ELT tools, organizations should consider factors such as data volume and variety, scalability, ease of use, integration capabilities, data security and compliance, cost, and performance optimization. 

Evaluating these factors ensures that the chosen ELT tool aligns with the organization’s requirements and objectives.

4. What are the Key Features of the Recommended ELT Tools?

The recommended ELT tools offer a range of features. These include automated data synchronization, seamless integration with popular data sources, scalability, reliability, user-friendly interfaces, advanced transformation capabilities, etc. 

These features enable you to efficiently manage data operations and derive actionable insights from data assets.

Moving Forward

Over the past few months, we have seen an uprising in organizations shifting their workflows from other ELT tools to Rivery, a modern solution for building end-to-end ELT data pipelines fast, with little to no coding required. 

Rivery is a modern response for clients looking for an ELT cloud-based solution, with several components of the modern data platform combined in a single platform. With over 200 no-code fully-managed connectors, advanced workflow orchestration, Data transformations via SQL and/or Python, reverse ELT (data activation), and data operations (full support for the development lifecycle/DataOps) Rivery works to best fit your data needs.

Unlike other ELT platforms, Rivery doesn’t charge by the number of databases or tables you’re loading into your data warehouse, nor does it charge by the number of rows or sync frequencies. Rivery offers on-demand pay-as-you-go pricing so you only pay for what you use.

Looking to join over 350 brands that use Rivery to create robust end-to-end data pipelines at scale, speed, and with full transparency? Get started with 1,000 free credits.