Client story Gateway Services Improves Pet Aftercare With Real-Time Data

Breaking free from legacy constraints on data operations

Gateway Services had been relying on an existing data platform to power critical business analytics and reporting. A legacy Azure Synapse environment started to compromise the speed and efficiency of data operations — so the company sprang into action to pave a new path forward.

The goals:

• Eliminate performance bottlenecks: Address the legacy platform's inability to scale, which was leading to slower execution times for complex data integrations and reporting.
• Reduce operational overhead: Lower the high maintenance cost and complexity associated with managing multiple data environments with a small IT team.
• Implement modern governance: Close gaps in deployment consistency by establishing modern CI/CD automation for reliable version control and releases.
• Unlock innovation: Future-proof the platform to easily integrate critical, non-relational data sources, such as RavenDB, needed for next-generation insights and AI initiatives.

With a network of more than 150 locally managed locations across the U.S. and Canada, Gateway offers a proprietary online tracking system called Paws e-Track to ensure efficient, transparent, and dignified handling of pet aftercare and memorial decisions.

The solution: A two-phase roadmap to Fabric adoption

Gateway partnered with Insight Canada to design and execute a disciplined, two-phase program to validate and pilot the move to Microsoft Fabric. It was an expedited project, made more cost-effective through the strategic leverage of Microsoft ECIF (Ecosystem Co-Innovation Fund) funding.

Phase 1 – Proof of Concept (January 2025): Quantifying performance gains

The first phase focused on a deep-dive analysis and performance validation:

• Discovery and assessment: Insight collaborated with Gateway’s team to review the current Synapse architecture and key data sources, identifying bottlenecks and opportunities.
• Performance benchmark: A critical, complex Synapse integration pipeline was meticulously rebuilt within a new, secure Fabric environment. This allowed for a head-to-head performance comparison to quantify the value proposition.
• Recommendation: A clear, data-driven report was delivered, confirming Fabric’s superior performance and providing a strategic blueprint for full, confident adoption.

Phase 2 – Pilot Deployment (June 2025): Building the architectural foundation

Building on the proof of concept, the pilot established the core architecture for Gateway Services’ new platform:

• Simplified architecture: Provisioned and configured a single Fabric capacity (F64) in Gateway's Azure tenant, successfully consolidating their data warehousing and lakehouse needs.
• Future-proof processing: Core data pipelines were migrated, implementing a robust medallion-layer architecture (Bronze → Silver → Gold) using Spark notebooks for clean, reliable data processing.
• Automated governance: Robust CI/CD automation was implemented via Azure DevOps, ensuring deployment consistency and version control for reliable, low-risk releases.
• Real-time integration readiness: The team successfully investigated and validated real-time data ingestion patterns for complex, non-relational sources like RavenDB, ensuring Gateway can leverage all its data for analytics.

The outcome: Immediate benefits and future growth capacity

The pilot successfully delivered on Gateway’s modernization goals, positioning them for sustained growth and innovation. Today, Gateway benefits from:

• Increased speed: Significant performance gains were achieved in data ingestion and transformation, allowing business teams to access critical insights faster than before.
• Reduced complexity: Operations were drastically simplified by consolidating disparate tools and data environments into a single, unified Fabric capacity.
• Reliable deployments: CI/CD workflows established consistent, governed deployment practices, minimizing risk and ensuring data quality across all new releases.

With their new, simplified, and high-performance platform, Gateway can now:

• Future-proof data strategy: Leverage the validated approach for integrating complex, real-time data sources, opening the door for future AI and machine learning initiatives.
• Empower business users: Business teams gained access to self-service analytics through curated Gold-layer data, empowering them to generate their own insights via Power BI.

Prepared for what’s next

Gateway Services is now ready to meet escalating data demands with confidence, ensuring every customer interaction is supported by reliable and governed data.

By adopting Microsoft Fabric, Gateway has established a unified, high-governance platform — one that will support their compassionate, high-quality service that families and veterinary partners will rely on for years to come.