Azure Data Factory is a Microsoft cloud service offered by the Azure platform that allows data integration from many different sources.
What is Azure Data Factory?
Azure Data Factory is a fully managed, serverless data integration solution that helps organizations ingest data from a variety of data sources. If the data source is multi-cloud, on-premises, or provided by Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers, Azure Data Factory connects to all of them at no additional licensing cost. We can copy data between different data stores using copy activity.
For example, Azure Data Factory helps us to connect to the business applications available with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and marketing and advertising data sources like Salesforce, Google AdWords, and more.
Feature of ADF
On-premises Data Access:
The Self-hosted integration runtime feature provided by Microsoft in Azure data factory enables organizations to migrate their data between on-premises and cloud data sources. The installation of a self-hosted integration runtime requires a virtual machine or on-premises machine in a private network.
Code-free Data Flow:
Azure Data Factory allows any developer to expedite the development of data transformations with code-free data flows. With the help of ADF Studio, any developer can design data transformations without writing the code.
Data Cleaning and transformation:
With the help of Azure Data Factory, we can clean and transform our data using Azure Databricks Notebook. Azure data factory provides data movement and transformation activities (copy activity, lookup, stored procedure, HD insight, and more) which provides more flexibility.
CI/CD and Publish:
CI/CD in Azure Data Factory means migrating their Azure Data Factory assets as data flows, pipelines, linked services, and more from one environment (development, test, production) to another environment.
Monitor:
ADF has built-in support for monitoring the pipeline with the help of Azure Monitor, PowerShell, API, Azure Monitor logs, and health panels on the Azure portal. The execution of the different pipelines can be easily monitored through the user interface in the monitor section & we can set up alerts as well (linked to Azure Monitor) if anything fails.
Large collection of data collectors:
Azure data factory comes with built-in 85 plus data connectors to import data from various external sources. Even if there isn’t a pre-built Azure Data Factory data connector, we can use the generic connectors (HTTP, OData, REST, and HTTP) to work with any data store.
Consumption-based pricing:
Unlike on-premises data integration tools, which generally require a large upfront investment, Azure Data Factory offers us pay-as-you-go pricing.
Data Factory presents a seamless solution for integrating cloud data with on-premises data, distinguishing itself through its user-friendly interface while retaining the capacity to handle intricate data transformations and enrichments. Its hallmark features include scalable operations, high availability, and cost-effectiveness. Presently, this service stands as a foundational component in the construction of data platforms and the execution of machine learning initiatives.
IFI Techsolutions specializes in leveraging Azure Data Factory, boasting extensive hands-on experience in deploying Data Factory setups for a diverse array of clients and use cases. Our team possesses a profound comprehension of ADF concepts coupled with a track record of delivering comprehensive end-to-end implementations. We stand prepared to assist organizations in harnessing the full potential of Azure Data Factory to meet their unique data integration needs effectively.
