Before you make your mind up about learning Informatica, it is always recommended that you have a basic understanding of SQL and Unix. Though these are not mandatory and you can easily use 90 percent of the Informatica PowerCenter tool without knowledge of these, the confidence to work in real-time SQL and Unix projects is a must-have in your kitty. People who know SQL will easily understand that ETL tools are nothing but a graphical representation of SQL. Unix is utilized in Informatica PowerCenter with the scripting aspect, which makes your life easy in some scenarios.