Databases
Databases

How to load data from Elasticsearch to Clickhouse

Learn how to use Airbyte to synchronize your Elasticsearch data into Clickhouse within minutes.

TL;DR

This can be done by building a data pipeline manually, usually a Python script (you can leverage a tool as Apache Airflow for this). This process can take more than a full week of development. Or it can be done in minutes on Airbyte in three easy steps:

  1. set up Elasticsearch as a source connector (using Auth, or usually an API key)
  2. set up Clickhouse as a destination connector
  3. define which data you want to transfer and how frequently

You can choose to self-host the pipeline using Airbyte Open Source or have it managed for you with Airbyte Cloud.

This tutorial’s purpose is to show you how.

What is Elasticsearch

Elasticsearch is a distributed search and analytics engine for all types of data. Elasticsearch is the central component of the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana).

What is Clickhouse

ClickHouse is an open-source, column-oriented OLAP database management system that allows users to generate analytical reports using SQL queries. Also offered as a secure and scalable service in the cloud, ClickHouse Cloud allows anyone to effortlessly take advantage of efficient real time analytical processing​.

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Prerequisites

  1. A Elasticsearch account to transfer your customer data automatically from.
  2. A Clickhouse account.
  3. An active Airbyte Cloud account, or you can also choose to use Airbyte Open Source locally. You can follow the instructions to set up Airbyte on your system using docker-compose.

Airbyte is an open-source data integration platform that consolidates and streamlines the process of extracting and loading data from multiple data sources to data warehouses. It offers pre-built connectors, including Elasticsearch and Clickhouse, for seamless data migration.

When using Airbyte to move data from Elasticsearch to Clickhouse, it extracts data from Elasticsearch using the source connector, converts it into a format Clickhouse can ingest using the provided schema, and then loads it into Clickhouse via the destination connector. This allows businesses to leverage their Elasticsearch data for advanced analytics and insights within Clickhouse, simplifying the ETL process and saving significant time and resources.

Step 1: Set up Elasticsearch as a source connector

1. Open the Airbyte UI and navigate to the "Sources" tab.
2. Click on the "Create Connection" button and select "Elasticsearch" as the source.
3. Enter the required information such as the name of the connection and the Elasticsearch URL.
4. Provide the Elasticsearch credentials such as the username and password.
5. Specify the index or indices that you want to replicate.
6. Choose the replication mode, either full or incremental.
7. Set the replication schedule according to your needs.
8. Test the connection to ensure that the Elasticsearch source connector is working correctly.
9. Save the connection and start the replication process.

It is important to note that the Elasticsearch source connector on Airbyte.com requires a valid Elasticsearch URL and credentials to establish a connection. The connector also allows you to specify the index or indices that you want to replicate and choose the replication mode and schedule. Once the connection is established, Airbyte will replicate the data from Elasticsearch to your destination of choice.

Step 2: Set up Clickhouse as a destination connector

Step 3: Set up a connection to sync your Elasticsearch data to Clickhouse

Once you've successfully connected Elasticsearch as a data source and Clickhouse as a destination in Airbyte, you can set up a data pipeline between them with the following steps:

  1. Create a new connection: On the Airbyte dashboard, navigate to the 'Connections' tab and click the '+ New Connection' button.
  2. Choose your source: Select Elasticsearch from the dropdown list of your configured sources.
  3. Select your destination: Choose Clickhouse from the dropdown list of your configured destinations.
  4. Configure your sync: Define the frequency of your data syncs based on your business needs. Airbyte allows both manual and automatic scheduling for your data refreshes.
  5. Select the data to sync: Choose the specific Elasticsearch objects you want to import data from towards Clickhouse. You can sync all data or select specific tables and fields.
  6. Select the sync mode for your streams: Choose between full refreshes or incremental syncs (with deduplication if you want), and this for all streams or at the stream level. Incremental is only available for streams that have a primary cursor.
  7. Test your connection: Click the 'Test Connection' button to make sure that your setup works. If the connection test is successful, save your configuration.
  8. Start the sync: If the test passes, click 'Set Up Connection'. Airbyte will start moving data from Elasticsearch to Clickhouse according to your settings.

Remember, Airbyte keeps your data in sync at the frequency you determine, ensuring your Clickhouse data warehouse is always up-to-date with your Elasticsearch data.

Use Cases to transfer your Elasticsearch data to Clickhouse

Integrating data from Elasticsearch to Clickhouse provides several benefits. Here are a few use cases:

  1. Advanced Analytics: Clickhouse’s powerful data processing capabilities enable you to perform complex queries and data analysis on your Elasticsearch data, extracting insights that wouldn't be possible within Elasticsearch alone.
  2. Data Consolidation: If you're using multiple other sources along with Elasticsearch, syncing to Clickhouse allows you to centralize your data for a holistic view of your operations, and to set up a change data capture process so you never have any discrepancies in your data again.
  3. Historical Data Analysis: Elasticsearch has limits on historical data. Syncing data to Clickhouse allows for long-term data retention and analysis of historical trends over time.
  4. Data Security and Compliance: Clickhouse provides robust data security features. Syncing Elasticsearch data to Clickhouse ensures your data is secured and allows for advanced data governance and compliance management.
  5. Scalability: Clickhouse can handle large volumes of data without affecting performance, providing an ideal solution for growing businesses with expanding Elasticsearch data.
  6. Data Science and Machine Learning: By having Elasticsearch data in Clickhouse, you can apply machine learning models to your data for predictive analytics, customer segmentation, and more.
  7. Reporting and Visualization: While Elasticsearch provides reporting tools, data visualization tools like Tableau, PowerBI, Looker (Google Data Studio) can connect to Clickhouse, providing more advanced business intelligence options. If you have a Elasticsearch table that needs to be converted to a Clickhouse table, Airbyte can do that automatically.

Wrapping Up

To summarize, this tutorial has shown you how to:

  1. Configure a Elasticsearch account as an Airbyte data source connector.
  2. Configure Clickhouse as a data destination connector.
  3. Create an Airbyte data pipeline that will automatically be moving data directly from Elasticsearch to Clickhouse after you set a schedule

With Airbyte, creating data pipelines take minutes, and the data integration possibilities are endless. Airbyte supports the largest catalog of API tools, databases, and files, among other sources. Airbyte's connectors are open-source, so you can add any custom objects to the connector, or even build a new connector from scratch without any local dev environment or any data engineer within 10 minutes with the no-code connector builder.

We look forward to seeing you make use of it! We invite you to join the conversation on our community Slack Channel, or sign up for our newsletter. You should also check out other Airbyte tutorials, and Airbyte’s content hub!

What should you do next?

Hope you enjoyed the reading. Here are the 3 ways we can help you in your data journey:

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Take the first step towards extensible data movement infrastructure that will give a ton of time back to your data team. 
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Talk to a data infrastructure expert
Get a free consultation with an Airbyte expert to significantly improve your data movement infrastructure. 
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What should you do next?

Hope you enjoyed the reading. Here are the 3 ways we can help you in your data journey:

flag icon
Easily address your data movement needs with Airbyte Cloud
Take the first step towards extensible data movement infrastructure that will give a ton of time back to your data team. 
Get started with Airbyte for free
high five icon
Talk to a data infrastructure expert
Get a free consultation with an Airbyte expert to significantly improve your data movement infrastructure. 
Talk to sales
stars sparkling
Improve your data infrastructure knowledge
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and get the community’s new enlightening content along with Airbyte’s progress in their mission to solve data integration once and for all.
Subscribe to newsletter

Frequently Asked Questions

What data can you extract from Elasticsearch?

Elasticsearch's API provides access to a wide range of data types, including:  
1. Textual data: Elasticsearch can index and search through large volumes of textual data, including documents, emails, and web pages.  
2. Numeric data: Elasticsearch can store and search through numeric data, including integers, floats, and dates.  
3. Geospatial data: Elasticsearch can store and search through geospatial data, including latitude and longitude coordinates.  
4. Structured data: Elasticsearch can store and search through structured data, including JSON, XML, and CSV files.  
5. Unstructured data: Elasticsearch can store and search through unstructured data, including images, videos, and audio files.
6. Log data: Elasticsearch can store and search through log data, including server logs, application logs, and system logs.  
7. Metrics data: Elasticsearch can store and search through metrics data, including performance metrics, network metrics, and system metrics.  
8. Machine learning data: Elasticsearch can store and search through machine learning data, including training data, model data, and prediction data.

Overall, Elasticsearch's API provides access to a wide range of data types, making it a powerful tool for data analysis and search.

What data can you transfer to Clickhouse?

You can transfer a wide variety of data to Clickhouse. This usually includes structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data like transaction records, log files, JSON data, CSV files, and more, allowing robust, scalable data integration and analysis.

What are top ETL tools to transfer data from Elasticsearch to Clickhouse?

The most prominent ETL tools to transfer data from Elasticsearch to Clickhouse include:

  • Airbyte
  • Fivetran
  • Stitch
  • Matillion
  • Talend Data Integration

These tools help in extracting data from Elasticsearch and various sources (APIs, databases, and more), transforming it efficiently, and loading it into Clickhouse and other databases, data warehouses and data lakes, enhancing data management capabilities.