ETL ELT And Modernization Strategy

Overview

Use this skill when the hard part is not a single job, but deciding where transformations should run and how a data estate should modernize over time. It helps agents reason about ETL versus ELT, pushdown versus external compute, orchestration boundaries, migration sequencing, and proof of parity during modernization.

When to Use

• choosing between ETL, ELT, or hybrid transformation patterns
• moving from legacy ETL tools into warehouse, dbt, Spark, or lakehouse execution
• redesigning ingestion and transformation boundaries across raw, curated, and publish layers
• reducing operational sprawl caused by duplicate transformation logic
• modernizing batch-first estates without breaking existing delivery expectations

Do not assume ELT is always better just because the warehouse is powerful.

Workflow