For optimizing resources for a parallel data integration job, a job request is received, which specifies a parallel data integration job to deploy in a grid. Grid resource utilizations are predicted for hypothetical runs of the specified job on respective hypothetical grid resource configurations. This includes automatically predicting grid resource utilizations by a resource optimizer module responsive to a model based on a plurality of actual runs of previous jobs. A grid resource configuration is selected for running the parallel data integration job, which includes the optimizer module automatically selecting a grid resource configuration responsive to the predicted grid resource utilizations and an optimization criterion.