What is Data Transformation?

Data transformation is the process of converting data from one format or structure into another. It is fundamental to data integration and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes. Common transformations include data cleaning (e.g., removing duplicates, handling missing values), data standardization (e.g., converting dates to a consistent format), data enrichment (e.g., adding derived fields), and data aggregation (e.g., summarizing data). Data transformation ensures that data is compatible and usable for downstream applications such as data warehousing, business intelligence, and analytics.