ETAI unifies its data production architecture around Talend Open Studio

Talend Open Studio automates the integration of heterogeneous and disparate data and increases significantly the quality of production tasks

PALO ALTO, Calif - June 26, 2007- Talend, the first provider of open source data integration software, today announced that ETAI, the leading provider of technical information for the automotive, manufacturing and retail industries, leverages Talend Open Studio to unify its data production architecture.

ETAI's business consists of producing and selling data. For example, for the automotive industry, ETAI collects raw data from suppliers (vehicles and parts manufacturers), consolidates and reconciles this data, and sells applications based on the thus-created technical database. These products are provided as either DVD-ROM or internet portal subscription to automotive dealers, repair shops, and other interested parties.

“This is a vast domain, and there is no standard for data. We are getting disparate data repository formats, but also many paper documents which information needs to be keyed in,” explained Philippe Bobo, Director of Software and Information System at ETAI. “Each time a new version of a database product is released (over a hundred times a year), all these repositories need to be processed: data consolidation, reconciliation and cleansing. This process is very time consuming, both in time and resources, and always presents data quality challenges. Also, many steps of the process are manual and require domain expertise.”

ETAI looked for a data integration solution that could not only automate the assembly processes for the automotive technical databases, but also merge all data management systems for their other businesses.

“After analyzing the market, we selected several solutions for a pilot project,” explained Phlippe Bobo. “Compared to proprietary solutions, Talend Open Studio offers greater flexibility,” confirmed Philippe Bobo. “Not a single step of the prototype was blocking for the tool. This is party due to its use of industry standard languages for which component libraries are readily available, and which accelerates the ramp up of the teams.”

Talend Open Studio was also the fastest for executing a complex process of the prototype, processing 2 million records 30 to 50% faster than the other contenders and than the existing custom program.

Beyond the complexity of consolidating and reconciling data, the heterogeneity of data sources also created an important challenge. ETAI's data sources include MySQL, DB2/400, Access, SQL Server, Oracle, Excel, XML, etc. Manufacturers' data usually comes in complex flat files. The technical database is hosted on Oracle but is deployed on MySQL. And the company's backend systems run on AS/400. A broad connectivity palette was hence a strong requirement.

Finally, “the price of the solution was also a factor,” explained Philippe Bobo. “The traditional licensing model would have slowed down the deployment of the solution on our seven sites, for budgetary reasons. Talend's Open Source model does not cancel all costs but it alleviates them significantly, especially in the deployment phase. It also makes them easier to predict.”

To get the most out of Talend Open Studio, ETAI elected to use Talend's services offerings. IT teams first attended advanced training sessions. ETAI also subscribed to a Gold technical support contract with guaranteed response times. And finally an expert consultant from Talend visits ETAI on a regular basis to provide assistance to the development teams.

“The support Talend provides is excellent, corroborating the importance we attributed to this factor,” indicated Philippe Bobo. “The advanced expertise and the professionalism of the consultants we have worked with are an important asset for the success of our projects.”

“ETAI's experience proves one more time the advantages Talend offers compared to proprietary solutions : cost savings, scalability, universal connectivity and excellent associated services,” added Yves de Montcheuil, Vice President of Marketing at Talend. “Today, over 75,000 users have downloaded Talend Open Studio the world over, in companies of all sizes and in all industries.”

About ETAI

ETAI's advanced expertise and media mix apply to three industries: automotive, manufacturing and retail. The company offers diverse information solutions to these industries: databases, software, conventions, trade shows and magazines. With 400 employees, ETAI generates of 60 million euros ($80 million) in revenue.

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