Data flows

Data flows define the SQL-based data movement and transformation activities that run in a DB2® database.

Data flows define data transformation activities that extract data from flat files or relational tables, transform the data, and load it into a data warehousing, data mart, or staging table. The Design Studio provides an intuitive way to visualize and design data flows. Database metadata, imported to or created in the Data Project Explorer, describes the schemas of database objects. Graphical operators model the various steps of a data flow activity. By arranging these source, transform, and target operators in a canvas work area, connecting them, and defining their properties, you can create models that meet your business requirements. After creating data flows, you generate their SQL code, which defines the operations that are performed by the SQL execution database when you run a data warehousing application.

Figure 1. A basic data flow in the Design Studio data flow editor. Metadata from a linked data design project is used to define the source and target tables. Operators can be dragged and dropped from the palette.
The structure of a data flow, ability to select operators from a palette, and the Data Project Explorer as a source of metadata.


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