Cloud-Native ETL: Integrating Databricks and Azure Data Factory for Scalable Data Processing in Enterprise Environments

This article examines the implementation of cloud-native ETL solutions leveraging Databricks and Azure Data Factory (ADF) for scalable data processing in enterprise environments. The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the architectural design, integration strategies, and performance optimization techniques for combining Databricks' powerful data transformation capabilities with ADF's robust workflow orchestration. Through a series of case studies and empirical evaluations, we demonstrate how this integrated approach addresses the challenges of big data processing, including scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Our findings reveal significant improvements in processing efficiency and resource utilization, with observed reductions in ETL pipeline execution times by up to 40% and overall cloud infrastructure costs by 25%. The article also highlights best practices for data governance, security, and quality management within this framework. These insights provide valuable guidance for data engineers and IT professionals seeking to modernize their data processing infrastructure and harness the full potential of cloud-native ETL solutions.