Databricks

DuckDB as an Analytical Read Layer: Querying a Gold Store Without a Database Server

DuckDB is an in-process analytical database that runs inside your Python application, reads Parquet files natively, and handles complex SQL including window functions, QUALIFY, and MEDIAN — with no server to manage. This tutorial covers the read-only connection pattern used in the flight disruption serving layer, thread-safety in a FastAPI threadpool, and the queries that power the reliability API.

Beginner
9 minutes
Aug 10, 2026

Flight Disruption Intelligence: A Full-Stack Delay Predictor on Public Data and Free Infrastructure

An end-to-end flight delay prediction platform spanning medallion lakehouse, calibrated LightGBM with SHAP explanations, Spark Structured Streaming, dbt reliability marts, FastAPI serving, and a SvelteKit dashboard — built entirely on public BTS/NOAA/OpenSky data, self-hostable for $0/year, with a contract module that enforces leakage prevention across every pipeline stage.

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