Azure Data Factory
Hybrid data integration service.
Overview
Azure Data Factory (ADF) is Microsoft's cloud data integration service for orchestrating and automating data movement and transformation. It allows users to visually build complex data pipelines or write code. ADF supports extracting data from a vast number of on-premises and cloud sources, transforming it using services like Azure Databricks or HDInsight, and loading it into destinations like Azure Synapse Analytics.
✨ Key Features
- Serverless data integration
- Visual, drag-and-drop interface
- Code-free and code-based options
- 90+ built-in connectors
- Orchestration of control flows and data flows
- Support for SSIS package execution in the cloud
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Seamless integration with the Azure ecosystem
- Hybrid data movement capabilities (Self-Hosted Integration Runtime)
- Ability to lift-and-shift existing SSIS packages to the cloud
Unique Value: Offers a powerful, scalable, and deeply integrated solution for data orchestration and transformation within the Azure ecosystem, with strong hybrid capabilities.
🎯 Use Cases (4)
✅ Best For
- Orchestrating data movement from on-premises SQL Server to Azure Synapse Analytics
- Transforming large datasets using scaled-out Azure Databricks clusters
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Organizations not invested in the Microsoft Azure ecosystem
- Simple SaaS-to-warehouse data replication
🏆 Alternatives
The natural choice for Azure-heavy organizations over AWS Glue or Google Cloud Data Fusion. More of an orchestration and transformation tool compared to ELT-focused services like Fivetran.
💻 Platforms
🔌 Integrations
🛟 Support Options
- ✓ Email Support
- ✓ Live Chat
- ✓ Phone Support
- ✓ Dedicated Support (Azure Standard/ProDirect/Premier Support tier)
🔒 Compliance & Security
💰 Pricing
Free tier: Free tier includes a limited number of activity runs and integration runtime hours.
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