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What is the difference between ETL and ELT?
ETL means extract, transform, load: data is cleaned and reshaped before it is placed in the warehouse. ELT means extract, load, transform: raw data is loaded first and transformed inside the warehouse. ELT is now more common with cloud warehouses because storage and processing are cheap and flexible.
Both move data from source systems to a place where it can be analysed.
Why ELT has become popular:
- Raw data is preserved, so you can rebuild logic later without re-extracting
- Transformations can be written in SQL and version controlled
- Cloud warehouses handle heavy processing well
ETL still makes sense when you must filter or mask sensitive fields before data reaches the warehouse, for example for privacy reasons.
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