---
title: "Blog - Snowpack Data"
description: "Case-studies, product deep dives, and best practices from the team."
url: https://snowpack-data.com/blog
---

# Insights from the Field

Case-studies, product deep dives, and best practices from the team.

[![duck-on-the-edge.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/duck-on-the-edge.jpg)  
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Blog October 27, 2026  
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**Duck on the Edge**  
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A pattern for operational analytics in 1st party product  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/duck-on-the-edge)

[![two-signals-mlops-splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/two-signals-mlops-splash.jpg)  
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Blog September 3, 2026  
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**Two Signals That Decide When to Build MLOps**  
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A framework for investing in MLOps before it becomes an operational burden  
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Audris Wong](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/two-signals-that-decide-when-to-build-mlops)

[![analytics-agent-splash.png](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/analytics-agent-splash.png)  
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Blog May 20, 2026  
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**The Context Your Analytics Agent is Missing**  
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Why agentic analytics makes the case for a metrics layer stronger than ever.  
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James Garbier](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/context-your-analytics-agent-is-missing)

[![wrong-layer-blog-splash.jpeg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/wrong-layer-blog-splash.jpeg)  
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Blog May 19, 2026  
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**The Wrong Layer**  
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Why use-case-first AI strategy is already obsolete, and what to build instead.  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/the-wrong-layer)

[![pe-rollup-splash.png](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/pe-rollup-splash.png)  
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Blog March 23, 2026  
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**Data standardization across networked entities**  
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How PE rollups can reduce the cost and complexity of consolidating portco data by standardizing at the source.  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/pe-rollup-data-standardization)

[![oschersleben-circuit.png](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/oschersleben-circuit.png)  
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Blog March 20, 2026  
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**AI Didn't Replace Me. It Gave Me a Team.**  
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What changes when the team you need is no longer limited by the team you can hire.  
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Jonathan Arellano](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/ai-didnt-replace-me)

[![not-sure-if-fry.png](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/not-sure-if-fry.png)  
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Blog March 6, 2026  
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**Earning the skeptic's approval**  
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Setting standards for AI development at Snowpack Data  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/skeptics-approval)

[![books-image.jpeg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/books-image.jpeg)  
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Blog February 18, 2026  
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**Phase Transitions in Business Systems**  
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Classical Analytics Fails at the Boundary  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/phase-transitions-in-business-systems)

[![data-contracts-img.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/data-contracts-img.jpg)  
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Blog October 16, 2025  
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**Getting Started with Data Contracts**  
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Practical Ways to Protect Your Metrics, Models, and AI Products  
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Ryan Burton](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/data-contracts)

[![slim_ci_diagram_state_artifact.png](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/slim_ci_diagram_state_artifact.png)  
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Blog September 24, 2025  
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**Two Approaches to dbt Slim CI**  
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For data teams of varying sizes and maturity  
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Danny Blumenthal](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/slim-ci-for-dbt)

[![forecast_splash.jpeg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/forecast_splash.jpeg)  
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Blog September 10, 2025  
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**From Complexity to Clarity: Building a Funnel Forecasting Model**  
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A case study in using Markov chains and hazard functions to replace complex heuristic models  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/forecasting-model-markov-chain)

[![semantic-layer-splash-img.jpeg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/semantic-layer-splash-img.jpeg)  
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Blog May 29, 2025  
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**A Semantic Layer Solution for dbt Core Users at Last?**  
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Enter Hex's new Semantic Model Sync  
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Danny Blumenthal](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/hex-semantic-model-sync)

[![embedded_dashboard_splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/embedded_dashboard_splash.jpg)  
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Blog May 7, 2025  
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**Case Study: Looker Dashboard Embedding**  
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The cost benefits of metric stores and the technical challenges of dashboard embedding  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/embedding-looker-dashboards)

[![database_splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/database_splash.jpg)  
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Blog March 18, 2025  
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**Cloud Data Warehouses**  
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A guide to choosing a modern cloud data warehouse  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/choosing-a-cloud-warehouse)

[![implementation_splash.jpeg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/implementation_splash.jpeg)  
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Blog February 18, 2025  
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**New Technology Implementation**  
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Why you’re thinking about it (and doing it) wrong  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/technology-implementations)

[![federated_splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/federated_splash.jpg)  
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Blog January 28, 2025  
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**Federated Datasets**  
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A guide to building useful (and useable) datasets.  
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David Olodort](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/federated-datasets)

[![org-chart-splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/org-chart-splash.jpg)  
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Blog December 15, 2024  
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**Data Engineering in Modern Organizations**  
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A framework for managing and structuring a data engineering team  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/data-eng-org-structure)

[![cloud-databases.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/cloud-databases.jpg)  
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Blog November 12, 2024  
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**The Decision-Makers Guide To Building a Data Stack**  
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Part 2: Cloud Storage - What it is, and why we need it  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/cloud-storage-overview)

[![the-modern-data-stack.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/the-modern-data-stack.jpg)  
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Blog October 9, 2024  
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**The Decision-Makers Guide To Building a Data Stack**  
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Part 1: Introduction to problems and solutions that modern data teams face  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/the-modern-data-stack-introduction)

[![topography.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/topography.jpg)  
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Blog September 9, 2024  
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**Running Predictive Models Natively in dbt**  
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A barebones approach for simple prediction models using only SQL + Jinja  
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Danny Blumenthal](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/regressions-in-dbt)

[![spaceship-cockpit.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/spaceship-cockpit.jpg)  
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Blog June 11, 2024  
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**Dagster and dbt: A Perfect Match**  
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A powerful combo for orchestrating your data worfklows  
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Danny Blumenthal](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/pairing-dbt-and-dagster)

[![fuji-cityscape.jpeg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/fuji-cityscape.jpeg)  
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Blog June 10, 2024  
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**Case Study: Building Replo's ETL Process**  
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Building a modern end-to-end data stack  
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Danny Blumenthal](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/case-study-replo)

[![snowpack-splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/snowpack-splash.jpg)  
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Blog February 28, 2024  
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**Case Study: Workforce Enhancement**  
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Addressing key analytics staffing constraints in fast-growing organizations  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/staffing-constraints)

[![web.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/web.jpg)  
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Blog February 6, 2024  
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**Case Study: Mosaic.tech**  
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Metric Development and Modeling a Reporting Layer  
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Snowpack Data](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/case-study-mosaic)

[![build-legos-splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/build-legos-splash.jpg)  
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Blog February 1, 2024  
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**Building Project Cronos**  
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A peek into the development of our internal time tracking and project management tool  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/building-project-cronos)

[![cronos.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/cronos.jpg)  
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Blog February 1, 2024  
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**Introducing Project Cronos**  
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Snowpack's custom project management software  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/project-cronos)

[![chartsplash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/chartsplash.jpg)  
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Blog December 20, 2023  
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**The World of BI Tools**  
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Our thoughts on some of the most popular BI tools on the market today.  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/bi-tool-roundup)

[![transforming-leaves.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/transforming-leaves.jpg)  
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Blog October 9, 2023  
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**Case Study: Improving Grid's ETL**  
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Realizing an 80% reduction in BigQuery costs  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/grid-etl-case-study)

[![spreadsheets.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/spreadsheets.jpg)  
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Blog July 13, 2023  
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**Rapid Reports - Simple Metric Reports**  
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Have we lost track of the goal of BI Tooling, and what can we do about it?  
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Kevin Koenitzer & Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/simple-bi-tooling)

[![snowpack-splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/snowpack-splash.jpg)  
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Blog July 5, 2023  
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**Speed to Insights**  
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The Value of Modern Data Tooling for Finance Organizations  
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David Shore](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/speed-to-insights)

[![snowpack-splash.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/snowpack-splash.jpg)  
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Blog June, 13, 2023  
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**What is the modern data stack?**  
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And why are so many people talking about it?  
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Kevin Koenitzer](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/what-is-the-mds)

[![mammoth.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/mammoth.jpg)  
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Blog June, 26, 2023  
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**Why Foundational Analytics**  
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Why we invest in foundational layers, and remain flexible on consumer tooling  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/the-case-for-foundational-analytics)

[![road.jpg](https://snowpack-data.com/assets/img/road.jpg)  
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Blog Jan, 1, 2023  
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**Why We Started Snowpack**  
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Or how we learned to embrace the data journey  
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Nate Robinson](https://snowpack-data.com/blog/why-we-started-snowpack)