What is incremental loading?
💡 Model Answer
Incremental loading is a data integration technique where only the data that has changed since the last load is extracted, transformed, and loaded into the target system. Unlike a full load that processes the entire dataset, incremental loading relies on change detection mechanisms such as timestamp columns, version numbers, or change data capture (CDC) tools that capture insert, update, and delete events. This approach reduces processing time, lowers resource consumption, and minimizes impact on source systems. For example, a nightly ETL job might load all records where the last_modified timestamp is greater than the timestamp of the previous run, ensuring that the target data warehouse stays up-to-date with minimal overhead.
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