When considering a technology career or a change in your IT focus, data remains a lucrative area of specialization. Of course, data is the lifeblood of modern businesses; helping companies truly understand their products, services, and customer base.
Many tech professionals enjoy rewarding careers in one of the myriad of data-related job roles throughout the industry. One data tech role worthy of exploration is the ETL developer. The ETL acronym stands for extract, transform, and load. Theses developers share responsibility for collecting data from various sources and eventually uploading it to one database. Let’s take a closer look at what the position entails to see if it interests you.
ETL Developer Job Responsibilities
Basically, an ETL developer first reads data from a database or another source, like a spreadsheet or text file. Any data transformation or translation then occurs. This step typically structures the data to be loaded into the new database. Finally, the reformatted data gets loaded into that database.
Beyond that basic functionality, an ETL developer shares responsibility for database design. They also maintain the procedures used in ETL processes; optimizing performance and making structural changes as necessary. If their employer uses a data warehouse, they typically get involved in the design and testing of the warehouse. Ultimately, the specific duties of an ETL developer depend on their employer’s business sector and data needs.
ETL Developer Technical and Soft Skills
Obviously, database skills, including design and programming, remain vital for any ETL developer. The ability to write complex stored procedures in SQL lies at the heart of an ETL developer’s job duties. Skilled database and index design help provide exceptional performance for both ETL processes and data warehouses. Additionally, some ETL professionals boast a keen understanding of the various technologies used in data warehouses, including reporting.
A Bachelors degree in computer science or IT tends to be a prerequisite for most open ETL positions. An associates degree combined with tangible technology experience might suffice for some organizations. If transitioning to an ETL developer role, a variety of online courses exist for training purposes.
Soft skills also help ETL developers thrive in their roles. Business domain knowledge provides one example; helping design databases and reports used for data warehousing and analytics. Organizational skills also help, considering the ETL developer’s responsibility for that function at their employer.
Looking For A New IT Career Opportunity?
If you need advice on building an ETL developer career, speak with the expert recruiters at The CERES Group. As one of the top IT staffing agencies in Boston, we know the companies looking for talented candidates. Connect with us soon!
