What is data integration?

Data integration is the practice of collecting and bringing together data from multiple data sources. This can be for a variety of reasons such as reporting, analysis, artificial intelligence, a customer 360° view, etc. Bringing data together is useful because it helps you see the bigger picture and find hidden insights that were invisible when the data lived in silos.

A data integration platform helps organizations to manage the process of connecting to multiple data sources, transferring and storing the data in a single data repository. Some integration platforms are more focused on the ability to connect to a multitude of digital tools via APIs, while others are more focused on the automation process.

What all these platforms have in common is that they provide a visual interface, enabling non-technical users to adequately manage data pipelines.