Enterprises are generating exabytes of data daily, which by 2018 was estimated in a Forbes study to be about 2.5 Exabytes daily (2.5 quintillion bytes). As of the end of 2022, the data generated, consumed, stored, and copied was estimated to be about 79 Zettabytes (79 followed by 29 zeros). By 2025, at least 180 Zettabytes will be generated globally. 

This data is coming in faster and in a greater variety of formats. For most organizations, it’s hard to keep up. Data comes from various sources such as SaaS apps, multi-cloud, and on-premises. Ingesting and transforming this data quickly and efficiently is a challenge. This is where data analytics tools like Azure Data Factory come in handy. 

What is Azure Data Factory?

Azure Data Factory is a cloud-based intelligent solution that allows organizations to accelerate data integration and transformation. With Data Factory, you can create data pipelines that connect disparate data sources and then transform this data as needed. You can easily integrate and transform data in just a few clicks. 

Why is Azure Data Factory good for building data pipelines? 

There are several key benefits to using Azure Data Factory for building your data pipelines. 

These include:

• Code-free data flows

Code-free data flows with Azure Data Factory offers businesses complete control over complex data transformations without the need to write complicated code. Data engineers and citizen integrators can use intuitive visual tools to quickly set up, construct, manage, and monitor ETL/ELT pipelines or simply prepare data. The comprehensive Apache Spark handles code generation and maintenance managed service – allowing agile acceleration of sophisticated tasks with minimal effort. Intelligent intent-driven mapping also automates copy activities resulting in faster transformation. Code-free data flow streamlines the process, ensuring accelerated delivery of insights that drive business decisions.

(Image source: Microsoft.com)

• Rehost and extend SSIS

Many organizations have relied on SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) for years as a powerful tool for building data pipelines. Azure Data Factory offers a way to easily re-host and extend SSIS on the cloud, providing all of the benefits of moving data pipelines to the cloud with none of the limitations.

• Over 90 built-in connectors 

With more than 90 built-in connectors that span on-premises and cloud data sources, you can easily integrate any kind of data into your Azure Data Factory pipelines. This includes SaaS apps, social media content, ETL packages, on-premises data warehouses, and more.

• Azure Synapse Analytics 

Azure Synapse Analytics is a powerful analytics platform that allows you to run advanced analytical queries against massive volumes of data in big data clusters or in the cloud. Azure Data Factory integrates seamlessly with Synapse Analytics, allowing you to easily build complex data pipelines and analytics workflows that span clouds and on-premises. 

• Trusted global cloud presence 

Azure Data Factory is part of a trusted global cloud platform backed by Microsoft’s extensive experience and expertise in building scalable, reliable technologies. With more than 100+ data centers worldwide, Azure is the ideal platform for your data pipelines and analytics workflows 

• Pay only for what you need 

With Azure Data Factory, you pay only for what you consume – no upfront costs or long-term commitments are required. As a result, you can easily scale up to meet changing requirements and pay based on the volume of data you process and the resources you consume.

As a Microsoft Solutions Partner, Expeed specializes in multiple Microsoft services including application development using Azure Data Factory. To learn more about how can help your business, contact Expeed.