Using this book in your data engineering work

Now that you know the basics of using Alteryx, we can investigate how Alteryx applies to data engineering. Data engineering is a broad topic and has many different definitions, depending on who is using it. So, for the context of this book, here is how I define data engineering:

Data engineering is the process of taking data from any number of disparate sources and transforming them into a usable format for an end user.

It sounds simple enough, but this definition encapsulates many variables and complexity:

• Where is the data, and how many sources are there?
• What transformations are needed?
• What is a usable state?
• How should the data be accessed?
• Who is the end user?

Chapter 2, Data Engineering with Alteryx, will expand on what this definition means. It will also explain how Alteryx products cover all the steps needed to deliver that definition.

How does the Alteryx platform come together for data engineering?

So far in this introduction, we have talked about how the parts of Alteryx can help the data engineering process independently. However, each Alteryx element also works together to build a complete, end-to-end data engineering process.

There is a common set of processes that are required when completing a data engineering project. These processes are shown in the next diagram along with what Alteryx software is usually associated with that process:

Figure 1.7 – The aspects of the data engineering process

The preceding screenshot shows Designer overlapping the data sources and transformation aspects of the processes, Server overlays the automation (which performs some of the transformations), and Connect covers the discovery section of the process.

Chapter 2, Data Engineering with Alteryx, will introduce a complete data engineering example and the DataOps principles that support data engineering in Alteryx. Finally, Chapter 3, DataOps and Its Benefits, will take the principles introduced and expand on why those principles will benefit data engineering and your organization.

Examples where Alteryx is used for data engineering

I want to share two example use cases where Alteryx provides an excellent platform for data engineering from my consulting work.

In the first example, my client uses Alteryx Designer to create a series of workflows to collect reference information from a third party. They automate this process on Server to extract the information from the source text files and load them into their data warehouse daily. These resources are then shared with people throughout the company and made discoverable.

The other use case is where a medium-sized business uses Alteryx to collect the core company information from scattered business APIs; finance and billing, social media and web analytics, CRM, and customer engagement. Next, the company automatically consolidates the business resources into the core reporting database. The company then discovers the centralized data sources in Connect while Alteryx populates an additional data catalog for the Business Intelligence tool.