| | January 20159CIOReviewfew years later Amazon would take these same principals of re-architecting Big Data for the Cloud and implement the same types of makeovers for data warehouses by introducing Redshift, which has become one of their fastest-growing services. Another example of innovation from the IT space is in data integration technology. The growth of Big Data has also put a strain on traditional tools used to move data between databases. In the world of data integration, the Extract Transform Load technique, better known as `ETL' has been a tried-and-true method of moving data from one database to another over the decades. This traditional technology was built for a time when it was acceptable for data to move over extended periods of time and when data warehouses' compute power was limited in their capability to perform transformations. As the needs for real-time data have expanded, and processing power has increased in data warehouses, these older ETL technologies have become albatrosses, hampering companies' abilities to innovate with timely data. The primary issues with the traditional ETL approach fall into the following areas: Productivity, Maintainability, Performance and Cost.Built for another time period, ETL architecture and its approach could not be easily changed or upgraded. New processes were in order, as companies could take advantage of in-memory data movement, innovative algorithms for reading and writing data, improved user experiences, and the new compute power of data warehouses. The term "ETL" represents both the approach and the order of the operations performed. The door was opened to rethink ETL and try new approaches such as ELT (extract LOAD transform).ELT enables moving data as quickly as possible to the target and doing the transformations there so that data can be made available more quickly to support accurate and timely business decisions. As data continues to grow and become more heterogeneous, companies unable to adopt the newer approach will eventually get left behind. In today's information-based economy, organizations must be able to integrate vast amounts of data from disparate sources in order to support strategic IT initiatives. At the same time, IT organizations are under constant pressure to get more done with fewer resources. The only way to satisfy these conflicting goals is to adopt a cost-effective integration solution that enhances the productivity of the IT organization and helps to streamline a broad range of integration initiatives.Clayton Christensen, a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School, who has been regarded as one of the world's top experts on innovation and growth and one of the most influential business thinkers in the world, coined the term `disruptive innovation'. Disruptive innovation describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors. That is exactly what we are seeing in the above-mentioned examples. I would be remiss if I did not stress what I think it takes to encourage innovation to fruition. Most often, it does not happen overnight. To be innovative, it is imperative for companies to talk with their customers and prospects. We need to listen to them and learn about their needs ­ what is going to improve and grow their business ­ then grow our ideas from there. Continually ask yourself what you can contribute today to better the world around you. Shimon AlonDisruptive innovation describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors"
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