**Situation:** I led data platform optimization for a 50TB+ analytical workload where queries routinely timed out (15+ min), blocking downstream reporting and analytics teams. The warehouse was partition-unaware and stored raw JSON, driving 3x storage costs and full-table scans.
**Task:** Reduce query latency to sub-minute P95 while cutting storage spend by at least 25%, without disrupting existing pipelines or introducing new vendor lock-in....
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