A staging area , or landing zone , is an intermediate storage area used for data processing during the extract , transform and load ( ETL ) process . A staging area ( otherwise staging point , staging base or staging post ) is a location where organisms , people , vehicles , equipment or material are assembled before use . Designated area where vehicles , supplies , and construction equipment are positioned for access and use to a construction site . In military usage , a staging area is a place where troops or equipment in transit are assembled or processed . Militaries use staging areas to deploy military units , aircraft and warships and materiel ahead of an attack or invasion .
A staging area is a location.