White Paper
Data Virtualization and ETL: When and How to Use Each
This whitepaper compares ETL and data virtualization, clarifying when each approach is most appropriate. ETL excels at bulk data consolidation, historical snapshots, and complex multi-pass transformations, while data virtualization delivers agile, real-time federation without replication. The paper highlights differences in cost, time-to-value, data freshness, and governance impact. It emphasizes that the two technologies are complementary, with virtualization extending existing warehouses, federating multiple sources, and enabling near real-time access. Together, they form a flexible, modern integration strategy.
