From legacy to lightning‑fast
Overview
We modernized Standardbred Canada - official registry since 1909 - through phased migrations and enhancements: Drupal 6 → 8 → 10, preservation of 25k+ archival records, performance/security upgrades, and a new Auction module to unlock growth.
Behind the Project
Standardbred Canada is the official registry for Standardbred horses in Canada (est. 1909). The site manages member services, event registrations, and an archival database dating back over a century. The organization needed a careful migration off Drupal 6, a modern UX, and room to scale without downtime.Standardbred Canada needed to modernize its digital infrastructure to better serve its members and support new digital services like auctions. Their existing Drupal 6 platform had major limitations, including performance bottlenecks, outdated architecture, and inflexible content structures. Key challenges included:
- Massive Historical Data Load: Migrating and preserving over 25,000+ legacy records with zero data loss or corruption risk.
- Rigid System Architecture: Adapting to evolving business needs and user growth was nearly impossible under Drupal 6.
- Limited User Experience: The site was hard to navigate, non-responsive, and failed to meet modern UX and accessibility standards.
- No Room for Innovation: Business growth was hindered by the platform’s inability to support new modules and features.
SoftXPro executed a phased program focused on safety, speed, and scale.
Phase 1 - Audit & Plan
• Full content/module map of Drupal 6; migration blueprint with risks & timelines.
Phase 2 - Data Migration
• Drupal Migrate API + ETL to extract, normalize, and validate relationships.
Phase 3 - Module Updates & New Features
• Rebuilt member & event systems; delivered a zero-code Auction module with real-time bidding/alerts.
Phase 4 - Front-End Redesign
• Mobile-first UI (Bootstrap 5 + TailwindCSS) and WCAG-aligned patterns.
Phase 5 - Performance & Security
• Redis/Varnish, query tuning; HTTPS+HSTS, role-based access, 2FA; ongoing audits.
Phase 6 - QA & Launch
• CI/CD, unit/integration/UAT, low-downtime deployment.
Platform Evolution
• Drupal 6 → 8 → 10, with a plan for Drupal 11.
The Results
• +50% traffic lift - driven by the new Auction module capturing new demographics.
• −40% page load times - Redis/Varnish & query tuning improved speed.
• +30% user satisfaction - responsive UI and accessibility gains.
• 0 data loss & minimal downtime - validated ETL and CI/CD rollout.
• Future-ready - Drupal 10 foundation with a planned D11 path.
