What Is Zero-ETL?

What is zero-ETL?

Zero-ETL (extract, transform, and load) eliminates the need for traditional, costly ETL processes by allowing data to be seamlessly transferred and analyzed across systems in real time. It enables direct querying across platforms without relying on complex data pipelines and intermediate storage.

Continue reading this resource to learn more about how zero-ETL works, its components and functions, and how it compares to traditional ETL methods. You’ll also learn about zero-ETL’s benefits and use cases. Additionally, you’ll find a list of tools that enable zero-ETL.

• How zero-ETL works
• Components of zero-ETL
• Traditional ETL vs. zero-ETL
• Benefits of zero-ETL
• ETL challenges (and how zero-ETL solves them)
  
• Use cases for zero-ETL
  
• Zero-ETL tools
  
• Key takeaways and resources
  

How zero-ETL works

Imagine an e-commerce platform using a cloud database (e.g., Couchbase Capella™) for transactional data and a cloud data warehouse (e.g., Amazon Redshift) for analytics. Here’s how the data flows with zero-ETL:

User transaction occurs

A customer purchases an item on the e-commerce platform. This action generates a transaction record in the operational database (Couchbase Capella).

Automatic synchronization

Without traditional ETL, the operational database automatically replicates this transaction data into the cloud data warehouse (Amazon Redshift) in near real time through Kafka Connect. This happens through a native integration provided by the cloud service (e.g., Couchbase Capella zero-ETL integration with Kafka).

Data compatibility

The data arrives in the warehouse without requiring complex transformation, as the systems are configured to share compatible formats (e.g., columnar storage or JSON). Any lightweight transformations required, like column renaming, are handled inline.

Instant availability for analytics

As soon as the data reaches the warehouse, it becomes available for querying, analytics, and reporting. Analysts can immediately access updated dashboards or run ad hoc queries using tools like Tableau or Microsoft Power BI.

This seamless data flow from the source system to the target system eliminates the need for batch ETL jobs, reduces latency, and simplifies maintenance, making zero-ETL a powerful approach for modern data ecosystems.

Components of zero-ETL

Zero-ETL relies on a combination of technologies and approaches to streamline data integration without traditional ETL processes. Here are the key components:

Source systems

Source systems include applications, transactional systems, and operational databases. Examples are Couchbase Capella, Microsoft SQL Server, Amazon Aurora, and MongoDB Atlas. Source systems produce data and provide mechanisms (like event streams or change data capture) for synchronizing data in real time.

Change data capture (CDC) and data streaming

CDC and data streaming identify and record source system changes like deletions, updates, and inserts in real time.

CDC captures incremental changes in a database and forwards them to the target system. Examples of tools that facilitate the CDC process include Kafka Connect, Debezium, and Amazon Web Services (AWS) Database Migration Service (DMS), which includes proprietary CDC features.

Data streaming mechanisms ensure data is delivered in real time as it changes. Examples of data streaming tools include Apache Kafka and Amazon Kinesis.

Target systems

Target systems like data warehouses, analytics platforms, and databases receive and store data for further use. Examples include Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, and Google Cloud BigQuery. Target systems directly consume data without requiring significant preprocessing transformations.

Real-time integration tools and connectors

Real-time integration tools and connectors act as middleware, facilitating direct data flow between source and target systems. These are often built into modern cloud ecosystems. Examples of native integration tools include:

• Amazon Aurora zero-ETL integration with Amazon Redshift
• BigQuery Data Transfer Service
• Kafka Connect for streaming data directly into warehouses

Real-time integration tools and connectors efficiently handle data movement without requiring separate ETL pipelines.

Data format and compatibility

Zero-ETL relies on standardized or compatible data formats to minimize the need for transformations and ensure smooth integration. Examples of formats include:

• Structured formats: Apache Parquet, Apache Avro, and comma-separated values (CSV)
• Semi-structured formats: JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) and XML (Extensible Markup Language)
• Binary formats: Protocol Buffers (Protobuf) and MessagePack

Real-time query engines

Real-time query engines and tools allow data to be analyzed directly in the target system without requiring intermediate steps. Examples include Amazon Athena and BI tools like Tableau or Power BI. These tools enable real-time querying of integrated data, bypassing the need for data preparation workflows.

Traditional ETL vs. zero-ETL

The table below highlights the key differences between the two approaches regarding complexity, infrastructure, cost, and other aspects.

Benefits of zero-ETL

Zero-ETL offers a range of advantages that significantly improve data integration processes and decision making. These include:

• Accelerated time to insight (TTI): Zero-ETL accelerates TTI by enabling real-time or near-real-time data ingestion and processing, minimizing transformation steps, and significantly reducing data latency.
• Improved data quality: Zero-ETL improves data quality by automating data validation and minimizing manual intervention to reduce human error and data inconsistencies.
• Increased agility and scalability: Zero-ETL offers flexibility and scalability by allowing easy integration of new data sources without significant changes to the data pipeline.
• Reduced operational costs: Zero-ETL reduces operational costs by minimizing the need for expensive data warehouses and ETL servers and automating data integration processes to reduce data engineer and analyst involvement.

ETL challenges (and how zero-ETL solves them)

Traditional ETL processes, while foundational, come with their fair share of headaches businesses struggle with. Here’s a closer look at some common challenges and how zero-ETL simplifies things:

ETL jobs are time-consuming and slow

ETL jobs often run on schedules, nightly or hourly, which means there’s always a delay between when data is created and when it’s ready for use. In fast-paced environments, this lag is frustrating and potentially costly.

Zero-ETL enables real-time data synchronization, so data flows instantly from one system to another. With zero-ETL, it’s not necessary to wait around for batch jobs to complete.

ETL pipelines are complex

ETL pipelines involve multiple steps: extracting data from sources, transforming it to fit the destination schema, and loading it into the target system. Managing and troubleshooting these pipelines can feel like juggling a dozen spinning plates.

Zero-ETL simplifies the process by removing the need for separate extraction and transformation steps. Modern tools handle direct data movement, removing complexity.

ETL pipelines are high maintenance

ETL pipelines are fragile. Every time your data sources or schemas change, your ETL process also requires updates. This leads to constant maintenance, eating into your team’s time that could be spent on higher-priority tasks.

Zero-ETL leverages native integrations between systems or APIs that adapt more easily to changes. Native integrations help reduce the manual work required to keep data pipelines running.

Use cases for zero-ETL

Zero-ETL isn’t just a theory; it solves real problems in scenarios where traditional data pipelines fall short. Here are some practical use cases for zero-ETL.

Real-time analytics for e-commerce

In the world of online shopping, businesses need real-time insights. For example, tracking customer behavior or inventory levels in real time can make or break a sale.

With zero-ETL, data flows directly from the operational database to the analytics platform, ensuring dashboards always relay accurate data. You can spot trends or stock shortages immediately instead of waiting for nightly ETL jobs to complete.

Fraud detection in banking

Fraud prevention systems must analyze transactions as they happen. A delay in identifying suspicious activity could lead to financial losses or reputational damage.

Zero-ETL helps with real-time synchronization between transaction databases and monitoring systems, so potential fraud can be flagged and stopped within seconds.

Personalized customer experiences

Streaming platforms, social networks, and retail apps thrive because they’re able to tailor content and recommendations to individual users in real time.

With zero-ETL, customer data flows continuously into analytics systems, enabling instant personalization. This allows streaming services to recommend shows based on what a user just finished watching without delay.

Zero-ETL tools

Zero-ETL tools simplify and automate real-time data movement between systems. These tools often rely on native integrations, event-driven architectures, and modern cloud infrastructure to enable seamless data synchronization. Here’s a look at some powerful zero-ETL tools and platforms:

• Couchbase Analytics: Couchbase’s analytics service eliminates ETL complexities by unifying operational and analytical data stores into a single platform, enabling zero-ETL, reducing costs, and improving TTI.
• Amazon Aurora zero-ETL integration with Amazon Redshift: AWS offers native zero-ETL integration between Aurora (a relational database) and Redshift (a data warehouse). Changes in Aurora are automatically transmitted to Redshift for analysis.
• BigQuery Data Transfer Service: This managed service from Google allows for native data transfer from sources like Google Cloud Storage, Google Ads, and other Google services directly into BigQuery.

Key takeaways and resources

When comparing zero-ETL to traditional ETL, it’s clear that each approach has its strengths, however, one is reshaping how businesses think about data integration. While traditional ETL served us well in the past, zero-ETL offers significant advantages for businesses looking to simplify operations and get faster insights from their data.

Check out our blog and concepts hub to keep learning about topics related to data transfer and analysis.