What is the purpose of the "Data Transformation" step in a DTS package?

The purpose of the "Data Transformation" step in a DTS (Data Transformation Services) package primarily involves modifying and converting data as it moves through the Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) process. This is a crucial part of data integration, where data from multiple sources is transformed into a consistent format that can be loaded into a destination data store efficiently and accurately.

During this phase, various operations may be performed, such as data cleansing, data type conversion, aggregation, filtering, and applying business rules. The transformation ensures that the data is accurate, complete, and relevant to the needs of the organization or application using it.

The other options, such as archiving data, deleting unnecessary entries, or compressing data, represent different data management actions that do not specifically align with the goal of transforming data for consolidation and usability in the ETL process. These actions may be part of data management strategies, but they do not encompass the transformation activities that specifically prepare data for loading into systems.