CONCEPT Cited by 1 source

Backward compatibility in data models

Definition

An explicit design requirement that introducing new product data into a data warehouse must not break existing models that power the core product line's reporting and analytics.

Considerations include (Source: sources/2026-06-09-airbnb-scaling-beyond-one-data-architecture):

• New product data (initially low volume) must be handled gracefully without distorting existing metrics
• Unexpected values from new products must not crash pipelines or produce misleading aggregations
• Forward compatibility: the model should accommodate future product additions without redesign

Relevance

This is a data-warehouse-specific manifestation of the broader software engineering principle of backward compatibility — but applied to schema and metric stability rather than API contracts.

Seen in

• sources/2026-06-09-airbnb-scaling-beyond-one-data-architecture — explicit guideline for teams choosing between separate and monolithic models in Airbnb's three-product expansion