Data pipeline
A sequence of data processing steps that move and transform data from source to destination. Example: extract orders from Shopify → transform into invoice format → load into Xero → send confirmation email. The ETL pattern in automation.
Expert insight
A data pipeline that has no monitoring for row-count anomalies (a load that normally processes 10,000 records suddenly processing 40 or 400,000) will faithfully process bad data just as reliably as good data. Volume-based sanity checks catch a whole category of upstream failures that pure "did it run" monitoring misses entirely.
In a real workflow
Orders flow from Shopify to a warehouse table, are cleaned, then feed finance and marketing reports.
Common mistakes
- No checks between stages, so bad data spreads.
- No documentation of what each stage does.
Complexity level
Requires some familiarity with automation concepts.
Related terms
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
A three-phase data pipeline pattern: extract raw data from source systems, trans…
Data transformation
Modifying data as it flows through an automation reformatting dates, concatenati…
Integration
A connection between two tools that allows data to flow between them. Can be nat…
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More in Data
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The accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data flowing through au…
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)
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Go deeper
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