What is Data Orchestration?

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Data orchestration is the process of managing and automating the flow of data between different systems, applications, and databases. It involves integrating and synchronizing data from various sources to create a unified, consistent view of data that can be used for analysis, reporting, and decision-making.

In today's data-driven world, companies must be able to access and use data from various sources to gain insights into their operations, customers, and markets. However, with so much data being generated and stored across disparate systems and applications, it can be challenging to integrate and synchronize data effectively.

This is where data orchestration comes in. By automating the key steps of data orchestration - data integration, data transformation, data synchronization, data validation, and distribution, businesses can reduce data silos, improve data quality, and reduce the risk of errors and inconsistencies.

Let’s go over the key steps and talk a bit more about the role of low code in data orchestration.

Data Integration

Data integration is the process of bringing together data from various sources, including databases, files, and web services. This involves mapping data elements to create a unified schema and resolving any data conflicts or inconsistencies.In addition to databases, files, and web services, data integration may also involve bringing in data from social media platforms, IoT devices, and other sources. A common challenge in data integration is dealing with data quality issues, such as missing or incomplete data. This can be addressed through data profiling, which involves analyzing data to identify inconsistencies and errors. An example of when a business might use data integration is to combine customer information from a CRM system with transaction data from an eCommerce platform, enabling them to gain a better understanding of customer behavior and preferences.

Data Transformation

The process of converting data from one format to another to enable seamless integration. This may involve converting data types, cleaning and normalizing data, and applying data quality rules. In addition to converting data types and cleaning data, data transformation may also involve enriching data with additional information, such as demographic or geographic data. A common challenge in data transformation is dealing with data privacy and security concerns. This can be addressed through data masking, which involves replacing sensitive data with fake data to protect privacy. An example of when a business might use data transformation is to convert customer addresses into a standardized format, enabling them to more easily analyze customer data by location.

Data Synchronization

Data Synchronization is the process of keeping data consistent across different systems and applications. This may involve real-time synchronization or batch processing, depending on the specific requirements of the business. Real-time synchronization may be necessary for applications that require up-to-the-second data, such as financial trading platforms or real-time traffic monitoring systems. Batch processing may be more appropriate for applications that can tolerate some delay, such as monthly financial reports or quarterly sales analyses. An example of when a business might use data synchronization is to ensure that inventory levels are consistent across all of its warehouses and eCommerce platforms, enabling them to avoid stockouts and lost sales.

Data Validation

The process of ensuring data accuracy, completeness, and consistency. This involves verifying data against predefined business rules and data quality metrics.In addition to verifying data against predefined rules and metrics, data validation may also involve detecting outliers and anomalies in data. A common challenge in data validation is dealing with data volume and velocity. This can be addressed through stream processing, which involves processing data in real-time as it is generated. An example of when a business might use data validation is to ensure that only valid orders are processed by its e-commerce platform, enabling them to avoid shipping incorrect or damaged products to customers.

Data Distribution

Data distribution is the process of delivering data to different systems, applications, and stakeholders. This may involve publishing data to a data warehouse, providing real-time data access to business users, or feeding data to machine learning models. In addition to publishing data to data warehouses and providing data access to business users, data distribution may also involve feeding data to machine learning models to train predictive models. A common challenge in data distribution is dealing with data latency, where data is not delivered quickly enough to support real-time decision-making. This can be addressed through edge computing, which involves processing data at the edge of the network where it is generated. An example of when a business might use data distribution to provide real-time data access to its sales team, enabling them to track sales performance and adjust strategies in real-time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, data orchestration is a crucial component of modern data management, enabling businesses to leverage data from various sources to gain insights and make informed decisions. The key steps of data integration, transformation, synchronization, validation, and distribution are essential for creating a unified, consistent view of data. By automating these steps businesses can streamline their data orchestration processes, reducing costs, improving quality, and accelerating time-to-market. As such, data orchestration will become increasingly important for businesses of all sizes and industries as they strive to stay ahead in the data-driven economy.

Learn more about Macrometa’s Global Data Mesh that allows enterprises to store and serve any kind of data from different sources and explore ready-to-go industry solutions that accelerate insights and monetization.