← Kermadec
Transformation Layer — the _IFT engine $ marl

Marl

Idempotent transformation for ISTD's _IFT layer. Chunked, rerunnable, safely undone.

MD-UTIL leg

Idempotent transformation

Chunked idempotency is the methodology's differentiator — the thing Fivetran/Matillion-class tools don't encode.

Why the name works

  1. 1.

    Marling — binding with a series of marling hitches, each one independently knotted so a single failure doesn’t unravel the run. Each hitch = one idempotent chunk (e.g., fiscal_quarter × region). The name encodes the algorithm.

  2. 2.

    No prior tech meaning to fight. The geology sense is obscure enough to leave the field clear.

  3. 3.

    Works as a verb: marl the Q3 chunks, re-marl the west region.

Rejected alternative

Splice — too generic (video/gene/array splicing), worn smooth, and easily confused with slice, an overused OLAP term.

In the chain of command

Marl executes Reef’s declared units as independent, rerunnable chunks.