Accelerate Business Success Automatically:
A Data Automation Overview
Data automation is fast replacing conventional methods for building and maintaining various centralised data repositories, which organisations use to deliver data-driven value and insights.
Businesses can generate vast amounts of data taking on many forms. Structured and unstructured data from CRMs, HR systems, social media and websites – these varying forms and sources of data need to be stored somewhere – this is where Data Automation can help you!
Start accelerating business success automatically with Data Automation.
What is Data Automation?
Traditionally, data pipelines to move or transform data have been manually scripted by developers. not having a development standard, these processes allowed for developers to use their own coding style to apply different methodologies, either to an individual pipeline or a set of pipelines. This made amending code or supporting issues difficult to read through, interpret or alter. This problem was then scaled significantly by the number of developers in a team.
In addition, this can lead to poor process performance where the technology is not used to its fullest extent – or cannot process everything demanded.
Yet, Data Automation eliminates these problems – making them a distant memory after the implementation of Data Automation. Data Automation is collecting, processing and presenting data using automated tools instead of performing these tasks manually. Manually updating data presents a risk of being delayed and creates an additional workload for your team to complete alongside their day-to-day responsibilities.
Replacing manually coded scripts with a low-code or no-code tool helps your team focus on processing and modelling the data without spending hours writing code. With minimal human intervention, Data Automation will collect, transform, store and analyse data using well-designed methods, software and, where applicable, Artificial Intelligence. Eliminating the reliance on manual labour with bots that will do the job for you.
In addition, code standards can be applied to the data processing scripts, creating a consistent and easy-to-support data platform. Gone are the days of flawed, manually coded scripts.
Data Automation tools automate three key elements of Data Automation. This is known as ETL or ELT, depending on what tool you are using:
Extract – Data is exported from source systems like social media, emails, SQL Servers, etc. Into a staging area. This data could consist of various types and be pulled from most structured or unstructured sources.
Transform – Changing the data to fit the purpose. For example, transforming the data into a Star Schema ready for further analysis by Visualisation or Business Intelligence tools.
Load – The data is moved from the staging area into storage. For example, a Data Warehouse or a Data Lake.
What Tools are Available for Data Automation?
With a plethora of Data Automation tools in the market, there is a significant amount to choose from; some are more efficient than others. Some do a good job, and some do an excellent job.
At Engaging Data, to be relevant to the needs of our customers, we only partner with specifically selected Data and Information partners. This approach helps our clients bring true value in realising and delivering their data-led business change journey. Our Partners include:
Microsoft – Take care of what’s important. Automate the rest. Do more with less by streamlining repetitive tasks and business processes – increasing efficiency and reducing cost.
WhereScape – Accelerate with Data Automation. Rapidly deliver a meaningful and future-proofed data platform.
Matillion – Unlock new levels of productivity and get data business-ready faster.
Snowflake – Join the cloud. Execute your most critical workloads in a fully managed platform that capitalises on the near-infinite resources of the cloud.
VaultSpeed – Delivering unparalleled automation of upfront data warehouse design and development. Fully compliant with Data Vault 2.0.
Why You Need Data Automation.
As previously mentioned, Data Automation helps improve productivity around the use of data within your organisation. Some other benefits influence improved Data Quality, simpler Data Cleaning and optimized Data Transformation.
Improved Data Quality –
As a result of datasets being standardized in accordance with formats and schemas, you can use Data Automation not detect and fix any records that don’t adhere to the format. Data Automation helps you improve data integrity and quickly detect errors.
Simpler Data Cleaning –
Data Cleaning transforms raw data, usually unformatted and unstandardised, into a significantly more suitable format for data analysis. Generally, the steps taken in Data Cleaning are repeatable, thus frameworks and standards for future datasets.
Automating these steps, using scripts and schedules to make new data match existing schemas and running steps on a recurring basis whenever new data is needed or imported.
Optimized Data Transformation –
The process of changing datasets from one format to another, Data transformation involves checking the datasets to ensure its in the correct format in the destination repository. Ensure that the data quality is good and checking the dataset follows the set standards for your organisation’s requirements or the data’s destination.
By automating Data transformation, it will help accelerate processes as you will need to manipulate, transform or analyse the data, and it is already in a standardized format.
Not only does Data Automation grant the large benefits discussed above, but Data Automation also allows for these general business benefits:
Enables Better Decision-Making – Businesses can react rapidly to the data’s narrative. Allowing for decisions to be made quickly with more data-led insights
Reduced Risk of Human Error – Manual data entry is prone to human errors that can cause Data Quality issues and affect reporting accuracy.
Improved Operation Efficiency – By setting up the rules and processes with software, you can easily audit and redefine these processes. You can quickly identify any broken or unnecessary workflows.
More Efficient Workforce – Teams no longer need to spend their precious time and advanced skillsets on mundane admin. Instead, they can add value elsewhere as their skill sets are appropriately optimized.
Reduces Operational Costs – You can get substantially more done with the same resources: minimal investment whilst maximising return.
Scalability – Automation software is ready to scale with your business, so you can utilise its benefits regardless of where your business is now and how much it grows in the future.
How Engaging Data can help You with Data Automation.
At Engaging Data, we understand that everyone needs data built efficiently to gain value quickly.
Using innovative Data Automation tools, we help you seamlessly integrate your data into accessible and secure platforms. Building data for a purpose, we only process relevant information to achieve your goals.
Do more with less effort.
Let us help you enable your teams to do more, eliminate human error and produce a higher standard of work with minimum effort.
Automate your data now.
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