FanDuel supercharged their Redshift-to-Databricks migration with Datafold, running over 15,000 data diff validations across 1,100+ dbt models and 25 regulatory reports—saving the team more than 6 months of engineering time in their regulated betting environment.
Challenge
FanDuel was tackling a massive Redshift-to-Databricks migration while navigating the complex waters of the highly regulated gaming industry. Their sprawling data ecosystem—spanning 1,100+ dbt models, multiple source systems, and critical downstream outputs for regulatory compliance—couldn’t afford even a moment’s inconsistency. With costly legacy clusters draining resources and mounting maintenance overhead, the stakes were high for a seamless transition.
Solution
The team engineered a dual-pipeline architecture that kept both systems running in perfect harmony. By deploying Datafold’s data diff validation capabilities across three critical fronts—raw source data, complex business logic, and regulatory reporting outputs—they established an unshakable foundation in Databricks while positioning dbt as their single source of truth for data transformation. This approach allowed them to methodically validate each component of their data ecosystem as they migrated to the Databricks and dbt combination.
Over the course of the migration, FanDuel ran more than 15,000 individual data diff validations through Datafold. Each diff replaced what would have been a manual comparison process—writing queries, eyeballing row counts, spot-checking values—that typically consumed hours of an engineer’s day. By automating these validations, the team could confirm data parity in minutes rather than hours, freeing engineers to focus on the migration itself rather than verification busywork.
Results
The implementation delivered immediate impact across the organization. With each of the 15,000+ data diffs saving significant manual effort, the cumulative time savings added up fast. Engineers estimated they saved 3–4 days of work on each of the complex regulatory reports alone, and the overall engineering time saved exceeded 6 months across the full migration. Beyond time saved, developer satisfaction soared as teams embraced streamlined workflows with crystal-clear audit trails.
While both platforms were still running in parallel, FanDuel maintained flawless operations throughout the transition. The team was able to firmly establish confidence in the Databricks environment, accelerating their timeline and enabling them to earn signoff on key components while the larger migration continued.
Conclusion
FanDuel’s strategic use of Datafold’s cross-database validation capabilities transformed what could have been a painful migration ordeal into a highly efficient exercise in building stakeholder trust. By running over 15,000 data diffs and maintaining ironclad data integrity throughout the process, they’ve demonstrated how even the most complex migrations can accelerate without compromise—particularly vital for organizations navigating strict regulatory requirements.
