Introduction to ETL Testing:
 ETL testing today is done by SQL scripting or “eyeballing” of data on spreadsheets. These approaches to ETL testing are very time-consuming, error-prone, and seldom provide complete test coverage. Informatica Data Validation Option provides an ETL testing tool that can accelerate and automate ETL testing in both production environments and development & test. This means that you can deliver complete, repeatable and auditable test coverage in less time with no programming skills required.

Types of ETL Testing:
·         Production Validation Testing (testing data before moving into production): This is also called as “table balancing” or “production reconciliation”. This type of ETL testing is done on data as it is being moved into production systems. The data in your production systems has to be right in order to support your business decision making.  Informatica Data Validation Option provides the ETL testing automation and management capabilities to ensure that your production systems are not compromised by the data update process.
·         Source to Target Testing (data is transformed): This type of ETL testing validates that the data values after a transformation are the expected data values. The Informatica Data Validation Option has a large set of pre-built operators to build this type of ETL testing with no programming skills required.
·         Application Upgrades (same-to-same ETL testing): This type of ETL testing validates that the data coming from an older application or repository is exactly the same as the data in the new application or repository. Most of this type of ETL testing can be automatically generated, saving substantial test development time.
Benefits of ETL Testing with Data Validation Option:
·         Production Reconciliation. Informatica Data Validation Option provides automation and visibility for ETL testing, to ensure that you deliver trusted data in your production system updates.
·         IT Developer Productivity.  50% to 90% less time and resources required to do ETL testing
·         Data Integrity.  Comprehensive ETL testing coverage means lower business risk and greater confidence in the data.