Optimizing ETL Dataflow Using Shared Caching and Parallelization Methods

Abstract: Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) handles large amount of data and manages workload through dataflows. ETL dataflows are widely regarded as complex and expensive operations in terms of time and system resources. In order to minimize the time and the resources required by ETL dataflows, this paper presents a framework to optimize dataflows using shared cache and parallelization techniques. The framework classifies the components in an ETL dataflow into different categories based on their data operation properties. The framework then partitions the dataflow based on the classification at different granularities. Furthermore, the framework applies optimization techniques such as cache re-using, pipelining and multi-threading to the already-partitioned dataflows. The proposed techniques reduce system memory footprint and the frequency of copying data between different components, and also take full advantage of the computing power of multi-core processors. The experimental results show that the proposed optimization framework is 4.7 times faster than the ordinary ETL dataflows (without using the proposed optimization techniques), and outperforms the similar tool (Kettle).