Effortlessly Convert Parquet to CSV with Astera Centerprise

The modern-day data landscape has led to the evolution of file formats that allow faster data processing and ensure reduced time to market. The recent introduction in the realm of file formats is Parquet, which can handle large volumes of complex data more efficiently. Since Parquet is a column-based file format, it offers faster and more efficient data storage and retrieval than Excel, CSV, and other file formats.

This blog will take a closer look at Parquet data format, what it offers, and how you can Convert Parquet to CSV and other file formats without writing any code using Astera Centerprise.

What is Parquet?

Parquet is a free, open-source file format used by Hadoop systems such as Pig, Spark, and Hive. The file format is language-independent and can be used with multiple platforms.

Parquet takes considerably less space than other file formats, mainly due to compression and encoding that work in tandem. Encoding identifies repetitive data in the file and replaces it with something smaller like binary numbers, 0 and 1. Compression does the same thing differently; it takes the whole file and removes the redundant parts.

Parquet also stores metadata about header, file, and column. The metadata is available at the footer of the file and contains information regarding column metadata, key-value pairs, data schema, row groups, and version of Parquet.

Combining metadata with the schema makes Parquet flexible, allowing the schema to evolve. Whenever a new record is inserted, metadata is updated to indicate that only certain files contain the new records, allowing you to merge data easily.

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Benefits of Using Parquet

Given the attributes, the Parquet data format has obvious advantages. Here are some reasons why Parquet is gaining popularity:

1. It supports Big Data.
2. It can store semi-structured data with nested structures.
3. It can handle complex data types such as time stamps, GUID, Float, and Byte Array.
4. It considerably reduces cloud storage costs as it consumes less space.
5. The file format is suited for OLAP queries. An engine only needs specific columns instead of entire rows while executing a search query. The columnar structure also allows users to retrieve relevant data from the relevant columns without going through the entire document, leading to faster queries.
6. Schema is mentioned in the Parquet file footer. So, you don’t need to specify the schema manually, unlike in other data formats.

Convert Parquet to CSV with Astera Centerprise

During the ETL process, Parquet must be converted into other file formats for analysis or matching compatibility. Astera Centerprise is a code-free ETL tool that allows you to convert Parquet into any file format with ease.

Astera Centerprise has native connectors for various file formats, including Parquet, CSV, JSON, and XML. The out-of-the-box connectivity makes it easier for you to map data from Parquet into any file format with a few clicks.

To convert Parquet into CSV, drag and drop the Parquet source connector and CSV destination connector in the dataflow designer. Once done, you can map the data from Parquet to CSV instantly.

                                                                                      Converting Parquet to CSV with Astera Centerprise

Convert CSV to Parquet with Astera Centerprise

Are you setting up a data lake for your business? You wouldn’t want your data lake performance to decrease as your data increases in volume. Parquet files take much less disk space and are faster to scan, so it’s a better file format to store your data.

Using Astera Centerprise, you can convert CSV to Parquet without hassle. Simply choose the CSV connector as a source and Parquet as a destination. There are three compression options: Snappy, Gzip, and None.

If there are numeric values in your data and you don’t want them to pass as null, Astera Centerprise gives you the option to convert them into zeroes. Similarly, you can write null Booleans as False.

  Compression options in Astera Centerprise

Converting CSV to Parquet significantly reduces the file size. The comparison table below shows the difference between the sizes of two files after their conversion through Astera Centerprise.

        The size difference in CSV and Parquet files

Why Astera Centerprise?

Astera Centerprise has been designed to help business users take charge of their data-driven initiatives. The zero-code environment and intuitive interface simplify and expedite the process of converting Parquet to CSV. Here are some key features of Astera Centerprise:

1. In-built connectors: Astera Centerprise supports various connectors for popular databases, data warehouses, cloud storage, and file formats.
2. Transformations: You can use built-in sophisticated transformations to manipulate and alter your data in any way you want without writing code.
3. Data Quality: Data profiling and validation features ensure that your data is always accurate and reliable.
4. Instant Data Preview: This feature allows you to see how your data looks at any stage. You don’t need to execute the entire data flow whenever you want to check your data.
5. Automation: Astera Centerprise’s automation and job scheduling features allow you to automate your workflows so you don’t spend time on repetitive tasks.
6. Code-free interface: The user-friendly interface allows you to empower your business users to carry out their projects without relying on the IT team.

Download Astera Centerprise today and work with Parquet file format without any hassle.

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