Analytics Platform Modernization: 377 Legacy Objects to 51 dbt Models in 45 Days
From 377 legacy objects to 51 automated models under 45 days—navigating Okta authentication constraints and platform license expiration with 606% Year 1 ROI.
Clarivant migrated a cloud security platform's product analytics from 377 legacy Periscope objects to a modern Snowflake + dbt + Sigma stack in under 45 days—navigating Okta authentication constraints and platform license expiration—delivering 86% complexity reduction, 24-48X faster deployments, and 99.9996% accuracy with zero downtime.
Key Results
The Transformation
The Challenge
The product team faced an urgent analytics modernization with significant technical and timeline constraints:
- 377 interconnected Periscope objects (14,652 lines of SQL) with zero automated testing—tangled dependencies requiring careful migration planning
- Legacy BI platform license expiring in 45 days with no renewal option, creating hard cutover deadline
- Okta authentication constraints requiring use of Snowflake's built-in dbt Core instead of dbt Cloud—adding architectural complexity
- Dashboard refresh cycles consuming 3-4 hours per run with 108 product analytics charts requiring complete reconstruction
- Zero tolerance for downtime or data accuracy issues during migration to new platform
Our Approach
We architected and delivered a modern analytics foundation under tight constraints:
Modern Data Architecture with Technical Constraints:
- Designed layered dbt architecture using Snowflake's built-in dbt Core (navigating Okta limitations): 51 production models replacing 377 legacy objects with clear data lineage (staging → intermediate → marts)
- Reduced total codebase 75% (14,652 → 3,694 lines) using 21 reusable macros eliminating code duplication while maintaining Snowflake dbt compatibility
Quality & Testing Framework:
- Implemented 68 automated tests ensuring continuous data quality with 99.9996% accuracy across complete dataset validation
- Built comprehensive validation comparing new Sigma dashboards against legacy Periscope system with automated daily refresh pipelines
Product Analytics Migration:
- Reconstructed 108 product analytics charts in Sigma optimized for performance and usability
- Delivered sub-3-second dashboard load times (from 60+ seconds) with zero downtime during platform cutover
- Completed full migration under 45 days—meeting critical deadline with buffer for validation
The Outcome
The constrained platform migration delivered exceptional results—under deadline and exceeding quality standards:
Engineering Excellence Under Constraints:
- Delivered complete migration under 45 days (377 objects → 51 tested, documented models) despite Okta/dbt Core constraints with 86% complexity reduction
- Zero code duplication with 100% test coverage on critical models (68 automated tests running daily)
- Successfully navigated Snowflake built-in dbt Core limitations while maintaining best practices
Performance & Business Impact:
- 24-48X faster deployments (3-4 hours → 5-10 minutes) saving 950+ hours annually in manual maintenance
- 606% Year 1 ROI ($150K annual savings on $21K investment) with dashboard performance improving 20X
- 99.9996% validation accuracy maintaining product team confidence throughout zero-downtime cutover
Scalability:
- Reusable infrastructure foundation saving 15-20 days in Phase 2 with architecture supporting future analytics expansion
- Eliminated manual quarterly date updates (200+ hours/year)
- Platform architecture ready for migration to dbt Cloud when Okta constraints are resolved
What the Client Says
The migration delivered exceptional results: 606% Year 1 ROI, 90% faster dashboards, and 0.002% variance on revenue calculations—2,500× better than industry standard. What used to take 8-16 hours quarterly now runs automatically. The engineering rigor and speed of delivery exceeded expectations. Most importantly, we now have board-ready financial analytics we can trust.
Finance & Analytics Leadership Team
Directors, Finance & Product Analytics, Global SaaS Company (anonymized)
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