“The ETL [extract, transform and load] design and development task is also very expensive and can easily consume 50-75% of the data warehouse project cost. The task is very time consuming because it requires cleaning and integrating the organization’s data, which is stored in many systems and formats . . . ETL tools can be very expensive and difficult to use.”

 

and then later, toward the end of the book, he says:

 

“A company the author worked for bought a $600,000 ETL tool which was ultimately found to be inadequate.”

 

Now, I’m not claiming that Anthracite is a replacement for all the ETL tools out there, but given how difficult this expert makes extracting, transforming and loading data sound, it sure does seem like a good area to offer up some new creative solutions.

 

If you’re struggling with automating a difficult, unusual or otherwise tricky data processing task — especially if it involves getting data off the web, such as from your old static website into your new database-driven site — Anthracite might be just the right solution for you.

 

Don’t hesitate to drop me a line if you’d like to discuss how Anthracite can help you solve your data processing problems today.