Engineering Trade Study: Extract, Transform, Load Tools for Data Migration

The widespread need within corporate information systems (IS) divisions to migrate large quantities of data between data stores has spawned a family of commercial products, which are commonly referred to as extract-transform-load (ETL) tools. The focus of this paper is the development of engineering trade studies to be used for ETL tool evaluation. This approach: (1) Identifies selection criteria that are essential in the evaluation of an ETL tool, (2) Develops scenarios that examine each criterion, and (3) Develops quantitative measures useful for evaluating the various aspects of ETL usage. This approach generates replicable evaluation methods that can be used and modified by companies to address their own ETL product needs. With the results generated through such evaluations, companies will be able to make informed decisions and choose the best ETL tool for their purposes.