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If you are searching for a top ETL tool for data integration, consider using Talend Open Studio. It supports big data, ETL implementations, data integration and other important business data functionalities.
SEE: Job description: ETL/data warehouse developer (TechRepublic Premium)
Talend Open Studio is one of several business data management tools offered through the Talend portfolio. In this review, you will learn more about Talend Open Studio, its top features, and possible alternatives for your ETL and data integration needs.
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What is Talend Open Studio?
Talend Open Studio is an open source software application that offers extraction, transform and load tools. The software is developed by Talend, one of the leading providers of data management solutions.
Talend Open Studio allows users to extract, standardize and transform datasets from disparate sources into structured databases. This tool also readies data for integration with different applications, including third-party software.
SEE: Software review: A look at Talend’s Data Quality Solutions (TechRepublic)
Using Talend Open Studio, organizations can ensure data is both complete and usable for machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analytics, reporting, data integration projects and other functions.
Data integration refers to combining data from multiple sources into a single and unified dataset. The objective of data integration is better visibility, efficiency, accessibility and security for data. Talend Open Studio offers integration opportunities for Azure, Salesforce, AWS, Dropbox, Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, Teradata and more.
Talend Open Studio features and offerings
With its intuitive user interface, Talend Open Studio is easy to learn and use. Although data integration and ETL tools are some of the main features available in Talend Open Studio, it also offers tools for data quality, master data records, API and big data management.
If you’re considering Talend Open Studio for your data management needs, here are some of its core features and offerings.
Graphs and other data visualization elements
Talend Open Studio allows users to map results into bar charts and other types of graphical outputs, all of which help with better data visualization. In addition, users don’t have to manually enter all of their data into databases; they can easily use the graphical tools offered by Talend Open Studio for mass-scale data entry, data mapping and other projects.
The tMap module in particular can map, route and transform data into an output database. This tool can be used to transform single or multiple sources of data, and it also offers user capabilities for data filtering.
Database SCD tools
Users can track slowly changing dimensions using Talend Open Studio’s built-in tooling. SCD is used to store and manage historical and current data. Managing SCD is one of the most critical ETL goals of tracking the data dimension records, and Talend offers a particularly efficient and highly-reviewed SCD option.
Business intelligence
Talend Open Studio offers a variety of methods for converting input data into formats used in business intelligence applications, including Spunk, Palo, Mondrian and Jasper. It also offers several built-in business intelligence tools for users who are looking to create single sources of truth and reduce IT tool sprawl.
What are the limitations of Talend Open Studio?
Although this solution has enterprise-level capabilities and complexities, Talend Open Studio is best for smaller projects with fewer data sources. Some users reported issues with the application when handling huge amounts of data transformation.
SEE: Data migration testing checklist: Through pre- and post-migration (TechRepublic Premium)
Another limitation with Talend Open Studio is finding a fully up-to-date online community or forum to help with troubleshooting. There is also a lack of training documentation, with several of the platform’s functionalities not covered in the training material. Some users reported problems when doing unit testing of the components.
Price of Talend Open Studio
Talend Open Studio is available in a free version, which is a great option for data teams that are just getting started or for teams that want to test the solution before committing.
The more advanced suite of Talend Open Studio commercial tools is available through paid pricing plans; however, pricing information for paid plans is not available on Talend’s website. Paid plan costs are calculated on a user basis with extra yearly maintenance charges.
For more information about pricing, prospective buyers can contact Talend’s sales team for a quote.
Alternatives to Talend Open Studio
Integrate.io
Integrate.io is a top data integration platform with ETL tools, data warehousing, API generation and more. It comes with in-built connectors to build and secure data pipelines. Top features of Integrate.io include easy data transformations, flexibility in data source and destination options, and easy workflow creation. Pricing is customized and based on the number of connectors your team uses.
Read our full review of Integrate.io here.
Fivetran
With a variety of data management features, Fivetran offers flexibility to its users. Along with a complete set of ETL tools, Fivetran provides database replication, data security and other valuable features. Top features of Fivetran include database replication, data security services and 24/7 customer support. There are different pricing models available with Fivetran, ranging from Starter to Enterprise. Pricing is customized based on customer requirements.
Read our full review of Fivetran here.
Pentaho by Hitachi Vantara
Pentaho, now part of Hitachi Vantara, is a simple and highly intuitive alternative to Talend Open Studio. It supports multiple formats for data importing, archiving, cleaning and other functions. Its best features include real-time data visualization, cloud analytics and ad hoc reporting for data science teams. Pricing for Pentaho is quote-based.
Read next: Top data integration tools (TechRepublic)
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