Taking Flight with Snowflake: Modernizing Aviation Data for Scalable Growth

One of the largest aviation service providers in North America teamed up with BlueCloud to carry out a comprehensive migration assessment, focused on streamlining data management and getting more out of their analytics environment. The project centered on moving from Databricks to Snowflake, using Snowflake notebooks with Snowpark to drive the transition. The outcome was a faster, more efficient, and future-ready data foundation built for scale.

• Migrated ~40 complex PySpark notebooks to Snowpark using Snowflake Notebooks.

• Redesigned data schema to improve performance and simplify future AI/ML use cases.

• Executed end-to-end testing and validation to ensure accuracy, functionality, and performance.

• Streamlined data pipelines, moving from Databricks to a cloud-native Snowflake environment.

This aviation leader had a clear vision for modernizing their data architecture: explore how Snowflake could simplify operations, improve analytics speed, and provide a more streamlined environment. However, migrating from an established Databricks setup posed significant challenges:

Key objectives:

• Assess Snowflake’s capability to support complex data management needs.

• Ensure the seamless migration of notebooks from PySpark to Snowpark.

• Minimize operational downtime and ensure business continuity during the transition.

Challenges faced:

• Migrating complex logic embedded in 40+ notebooks without introducing performance regressions.

• Maintaining data integrity and notebook functionality through rigorous testing phases.

• Navigating cross-platform compatibility between Databricks and Snowflake's architecture.

• Ensuring Snowpark’s capabilities aligned with the business’s data transformation needs.

This was not just a technical migration—it was a business-critical evaluation of how Snowflake could power the next phase of this aviation provider’s analytics journey.

BlueCloud’s expert team initiated a structured, phased approach to conduct the migration assessment, ensuring every aspect of the process was planned, tested, and optimized for performance.

• Reviewed the existing schema and data logic to understand dependencies, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities.

• Advised on schema redesign to enhance performance, simplify queries, and future-proof the structure for AI/ML use cases.

• Migrated workflows from Databricks to Snowflake, focusing on transitioning all data pipelines and dependencies.

• Converted ~40 PySpark notebooks to Snowpark code using Snowflake Notebooks for centralized orchestration.

• Executed extensive testing and validation, ensuring functionality, output accuracy, and performance gains across all notebooks.

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Tech Stack  

The migration assessment not only validated Snowflake as a capable alternative to Databricks—it also delivered tangible improvements in performance, data efficiency, and operational simplicity.

Successful Migration Assessment

• Migrated and fully tested ~40 complex notebooks

• Ensured no loss of functionality or performance degradation

• Validated full compatibility with Snowpark and Snowflake Notebooks

Improved System Performance

• Reduced execution times across multiple workflows

• Enabled faster query performance and better resource optimization

• Built a foundation ready to scale with AI and ML workloads

Optimized Data Management

• Simplified schema and reduced complexity across datasets

• Improved data accessibility and consistency

• Enabled real-time insights through a more agile analytics environment

Positive Client Experience

• The client praised the methodical, insight-driven approach of BlueCloud

• Recognized the attention to detail, proactive communication, and deep technical expertise

• Gained confidence in Snowflake’s potential as a long-term data solution

Key Achievemants:

Streamlined Data Architecture
Transformed legacy pipelines into scalable, cloud-native workflows.

Accelerated Analytics
Faster data processing and improved dashboard responsiveness via Power BI.

High-Performance Environment
Snowflake + Snowpark enabled efficient, cost-effective computation at scale.

Future-Proofed Foundation
Ready to support next-generation analytics, including AI, ML, and GenAI models.

With a successful migration assessment under their belt, one of North America’s leading aviation service providers is well-positioned to:

• Expand their use of Snowflake for advanced analytics

• Leverage the full power of Snowpark for transformation-at-scale

• Drive deeper business insights through intelligent data products

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