Retail | Database Migration Services

Customer success story

Wayfair expedites SQL Server migration to CloudSQL with AI conversion

Wayfair-Circle

Wayfair bypassed years of modernization effort converting code with AI.

With Google Cloud, Wayfair can deploy features for their eCommerce business faster than ever.

Wayfair faced significant technical debt from a monolithic MS SQL architecture that delayed critical feature rollouts for customers and suppliers. They turned to Pythian to augment their engineering teams and leverage specialized expertise in cloud-native tools and generative AI. Pythian delivered an automated migration framework that transitioned legacy data to Google Cloud SQL and PostgreSQL. This solution unlocked millions in operational savings and empowered Wayfair to deploy new customer features in days rather than years.

Wayfair had thousands of SQL applications and petabytes of data across our architecture. As we thought about modernization and leveraging Google Cloud, we relied on Pythian to be the experts on how to do it from an architectural perspective and then execute with our data team in actually getting it done.”
Matt Ferrari, Head of Platforms, Wayfair
Matt Ferrari

Head of Platforms, Wayfair

$8M

Operational savings

82%+

Reduction in incidents

32M

Customers impacted

Leverage AI to convert code fastermodernize with confidence.

Discuss your migration today ->

Technical debt from a legacy MS SQL architecture was delaying Wayfair’s critical feature rollouts. 

Pythian augmented Wayfair's engineering teams to migrate legacy data to Google Cloud SQL and PostgreSQL using automation and generative AI. 

FINANCIAL IMPACT

Rising database costs

The mounting costs of maintaining Microsoft SQL Server environments limited the budget available for eCommerce innovation and growth. Wayfair needed to scale their infrastructure to meet the demands of 30 million products across hundreds of global suppliers.

GROWTH CONSTRAINTS

Technical debt held back innovation

Organic growth resulted in complex, interrelated databases with little to no structure. Wayfair’s organic growth created a tangled web of legacy databases that hindered their ability to provide personalized customer experiences.

ENGINEERING STRAIN

Time to market delayed by development

Engineering teams were trapped in manual maintenance cycles, causing new feature releases to take months or even years to reach production.

Automated database modernization

Pythian developed a custom toolkit using Vertex AI to automate code generation, drastically reducing manual migration effort. 

Pythian leveraged the Gemini API in Vertex AI to build an innovative toolkit that converted nearly five decades of legacy SQL logic in under six months. This automation removed thousands of hours of manual labor, allowing Wayfair to bypass years of modernization effort and move directly into Google’s AI ecosystem.

Modernization strategy

Pythian’s experts provided the architectural blueprint and execution power to migrate petabytes of data without disrupting engineering workflows. We established a robust data foundation for Wayfair’s modernized cloud-native environments to accelerate innovation using Google Cloud’s ecosystem of AI.

Migrated data to CloudSQL for PostgreSQL

Pythian migrated high-value customer data from legacy MS SQL to Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL. By augmenting Wayfair’s thinly spread team, Pythian ensured petabytes of data were transitioned smoothly while maintaining the integrity of 30 million product listings.

We implemented a database-as-a-service platform allowing Wayfair developers to provision instances independently, boosting overall velocity.

Innovation at scale

Since migrating to Google Cloud, Wayfair has leveraged Google Cloud’s ecosystem to drive further operational efficiency and innovation at scale with AI.

Accelerate your migration 

Meet with Pythian today ->

Pythian is a proud Google Cloud Premier Partner

Lean into our deep expertise, and 25+ years of data heritage.

Our expertise spans the full Google ecosystem, helping customers harness the power of scalable cloud infrastructure, data analytics, and modern AI modeling to drive innovation. We combine world-class technical skills with a customer-centric approach to accelerate digital transformation and maximize the value of your Google investment.

Learn more ->
Pythian is a Google Cloud Premier Partner.