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 GCS as a source connector (using Auth, or usually an API key)
2. set up Apache Iceberg 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 GCS

What is Apache Iceberg

Prerequisites

1. A GCS account to transfer your customer data automatically from.
2. A Apache Iceberg 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 GCS and Apache Iceberg, for seamless data migration.

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

Step 1: Set up GCS as a source connector

Step 2: Set up Apache Iceberg as a destination connector

Step 3: Set up a connection to sync your GCS data to Apache Iceberg

Once you've successfully connected GCS as a data source and Apache Iceberg 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 GCS from the dropdown list of your configured sources.
3. Select your destination: Choose Apache Iceberg 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 GCS objects you want to import data from towards Apache Iceberg. 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 GCS to Apache Iceberg according to your settings.

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

Use Cases to transfer your GCS data to Apache Iceberg

Integrating data from GCS to Apache Iceberg provides several benefits. Here are a few use cases:

1. Advanced Analytics: Apache Iceberg’s powerful data processing capabilities enable you to perform complex queries and data analysis on your GCS data, extracting insights that wouldn't be possible within GCS alone.
2. Data Consolidation: If you're using multiple other sources along with GCS, syncing to Apache Iceberg 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: GCS has limits on historical data. Syncing data to Apache Iceberg allows for long-term data retention and analysis of historical trends over time.
4. Data Security and Compliance: Apache Iceberg provides robust data security features. Syncing GCS data to Apache Iceberg ensures your data is secured and allows for advanced data governance and compliance management.
5. Scalability: Apache Iceberg can handle large volumes of data without affecting performance, providing an ideal solution for growing businesses with expanding GCS data.
6. Data Science and Machine Learning: By having GCS data in Apache Iceberg, you can apply machine learning models to your data for predictive analytics, customer segmentation, and more.
7. Reporting and Visualization: While GCS provides reporting tools, data visualization tools like Tableau, PowerBI, Looker (Google Data Studio) can connect to Apache Iceberg, providing more advanced business intelligence options. If you have a GCS table that needs to be converted to a Apache Iceberg table, Airbyte can do that automatically.

Wrapping Up

To summarize, this tutorial has shown you how to:

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