Step 1: Define the Purpose and Scope
Understand the purpose and scope of the data integration project. Are you trying to build one customer database? Or are you trying to merge sales data from various regions? This determination will help you determine the appropriate sources of data and methods of integration.
Step 2: Determine the Data Sources
Determine which data sources you will require. These may include
Internal Databases: CRM systems, ERP systems, sales databases, etc.
External Acquired APIs: Partner web APIs, third-party data providers, and social media APIs.
Flat Files: CSV, Excel, or text files.
Web Scraping: Data scraping from the web in case there is no existing API.
All sources of data will arrive in varied forms such as SQL databases, XML, JSON, or CSV so you are supposed to know their structures and metadata.