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What is a data pipeline? What are they for? What tool can you use to build a pipeline?
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In today’s data-driven world, businesses rely on fast, accurate, and automated data movement. Whether powering dashboards, enabling AI models, or synchronising business systems, data pipelines play a critical role behind the scenes.
A data pipeline is the foundation of data automation. Without it, organisations struggle with manual processes, disconnected systems, and slow access to insights.
In this guide, we explain what a data pipeline is, how it works, and why it is essential for businesses investing in data automation, integration, and modern data services.
A data pipeline is a set of automated activities and move data from one system to another. It extracts data from a source, transforms it into the required format, and loads it into a destination system such as a data warehouse, analytics platform, or other operational application.
In simple terms, a data pipeline ensures that the right data reaches the right place at the right time and usually on a schedule.
Common data pipeline sources include:
Destinations typically include:
Without automated pipelines, organisations often rely on manual exports, spreadsheets, and ad-hoc integrations. This leads to delays, errors, and inconsistent reporting.
Modern data pipelines enable businesses to:
For organisations focused on data automation, pipelines are a core building block.
Data automation depends on continuous, reliable data flow between systems. Pipelines automate the movement, processing, and delivery of data without human intervention.
With automated data pipelines, businesses can:
This creates faster, more resilient business processes that can scale into the future and run unattended overnight.
Most data pipelines follow a similar structure.
Together, these steps form what is commonly known as ETL or ELT processes.
There are two main types of data pipelines.
Batch pipelines move data at scheduled intervals, such as hourly or daily. These are commonly used for reporting, data warehousing and historical analysis.
Real-time pipelines stream data continuously. They are used for use cases such as fraud detection, real-time dashboards, customer personalisation, automated decision-making and IoT devices like thermostats or other sensors.
Choosing the right approach depends on business needs, system architecture, and performance requirements.
Data pipelines are a similar component to system integration. Pipelines tend to be used for ETL processes to push data into data warehouses but they can also connect platforms across the organisation and ensure data flows reliably between tools.
Integrated pipelines support:
A popular tool for ETL pipelines is SQL Server integration services (SSIS). Data pipelines eliminate data silos and improve operational efficiency by allowing data to flow to where it is needed in your business.
AI and machine learning models require consistent, high-quality data inputs. Data pipelines provide the infrastructure that feeds training data and real-time operational data into AI systems.
This enables:
Without strong pipelines, AI initiatives struggle to deliver value. Data is the foundation of everything. It measures performance, points you in the right direction and is the core of every AI system.
Organisations often face challenges such as:
Data pipeline design is the domain of the data engineer although they can also be designed by a data architect and left to the data engineer to build.
A successful ETL strategy includes:
This ensures pipelines remain reliable as data volumes and system complexity grow but also that data quality is trusted and contineously improved.
When implemented correctly, data pipelines deliver measurable business value:
Pipelines move and transform raw data allowing reporting and analytics to be performed to turn that data into actionable business intelligence.
Data pipelines are the backbone of modern data automation and analytics. They connect systems, enable real-time insight, and power intelligent business processes.
With the right data pipeline architecture supported by integration, migration, and automation services, businesses can create a scalable foundation that turns data into a strategic advantage.
Started programming in VB 6 at the age of 15. Got into databases for AS and A levels and didn't know that database administration was a job so I went to study Software Engineering at UWE. I just thought database management would be considered 'IT'. I have been a full time DBA since 2010. Love everything data, software development and just tech in general.
