The article by Astronomer experts explores how to choose the best ETL tool to integrate with Airflow, focusing on the importance of aligning the tool with specific business needs and resources. It highlights the significance of ETL processes in organizing raw data for better decision-making and discusses the nuances between ETL and ELT, noting the scalability and flexibility advantages of the latter, particularly for big data companies. The article reviews three recommended ETL tools—Fivetran, Airbyte, and Azure Data Factory—each with distinct features and integration capabilities with Airflow. While emphasizing the growing preference for ELT due to its efficiency and scalability, the article underscores the critical role of Airflow as an orchestrator, allowing businesses to customize and optimize their data workflows irrespective of the chosen ETL tool. Ultimately, it suggests that while tool choice is subjective and based on organizational needs, the integration with a robust orchestrator like Airflow is pivotal for effective data management.