Data integration connects source systems to the warehouse: ads platforms, shop, CRM, analytics. ETL tools replace what otherwise ends as a CSV export with copy-paste, using versioned, monitorable pipelines.
When this category matters
As soon as one report regularly needs data from more than one source. During any marketing-warehouse build anyway. And at the latest when an API update has silently broken a home-built pipeline for the third time.
Decision criteria
- Connector coverage for your concrete sources, not the catalog length.
- Cost model: by active rows, data volume, or self-operation.
- Operating responsibility: managed SaaS or self-hosted with ops effort.
- Transformation layer: loading raw data is not enough, models must be testable.