Frequently Asked Questions

Product Information & Use Cases

What is Hygraph and how is it used by DTM?

Hygraph is a GraphQL-native Headless CMS that enables organizations to manage and deliver content across multiple platforms and channels. In the DTM case study, Hygraph powers all textual and media data for DTM's website and mobile apps, serving as a central content hub. This allows DTM to deliver real-time updates, personalized event schedules, and localized content to fans worldwide. (Source: DTM Case Study)

What industry does DTM operate in, and what are their main use cases for Hygraph?

DTM operates in the automotive industry, focusing on motorsport events and fan engagement. Their main use cases for Hygraph include powering applications and platforms, managing websites, and delivering omnichannel content experiences for fans through web and mobile apps. (Source: DTM Case Study)

Why did DTM migrate from Drupal and a monolith system to Hygraph?

DTM migrated from Drupal and a monolith system to Hygraph to address limitations in user experience, adaptability, and scalability. The legacy setup was unable to meet evolving user requirements and became obsolete. Hygraph's API-first, headless architecture enabled DTM to adopt a user-centric, microservice-led approach, improving flexibility and responsiveness to changing fan expectations. (Source: DTM Case Study)

Features & Capabilities

What key features of Hygraph did DTM use?

DTM leveraged several key features of Hygraph, including the GraphQL API for content delivery, onboarding support for smooth migration, and native localization to serve international audiences. These features enabled DTM to manage content efficiently, support multiple locales, and provide up-to-date information across web and mobile platforms. (Source: DTM Case Study)

How does Hygraph support localization for international audiences?

Hygraph offers native localization functionality, allowing organizations like DTM to manage content in multiple languages and locales. DTM's website supports both English and German, and Hygraph's locale-based publishing enables independent updates for each locale, ensuring a tailored user experience for fans worldwide. (Source: DTM Case Study)

What are the performance benefits of using Hygraph?

DTM experienced a 20% reduction in bounce rate and achieved an average page performance score of 94+ after migrating to Hygraph. The platform also enabled DTM to launch a new site in just 2 months, demonstrating improved speed-to-market and user experience. (Source: DTM Case Study)

How does Hygraph's GraphQL API benefit development teams?

Hygraph's GraphQL API allows development teams to retrieve and manage content efficiently without requiring backend or database expertise. In DTM's case, two separate teams worked in parallel on different mobile platforms, leveraging the API-first nature of Hygraph and features like development environments. This parallelization reduced time-to-market and ensured up-to-date content delivery. (Source: DTM Case Study)

Implementation & Onboarding

How long did it take DTM to implement Hygraph?

DTM was able to launch their new site within 2 months from the initial idea to launch, demonstrating Hygraph's ability to support rapid implementation and go-to-market timelines. (Source: DTM Case Study)

What onboarding support does Hygraph provide?

Hygraph offers onboarding support to help teams migrate from legacy systems and adopt the platform efficiently. This includes structured onboarding processes, training resources such as webinars and how-to videos, and access to extensive documentation. (Source: DTM Case Study, Hygraph Documentation)

Customer Success & Metrics

What measurable results did DTM achieve after migrating to Hygraph?

DTM achieved a 20% reduction in bounce rate, an average page performance score of 94+, and launched their new site in just 2 months. These metrics highlight the impact of Hygraph on user engagement, site performance, and speed-to-market. (Source: DTM Case Study)

Can you share a customer testimonial from DTM about using Hygraph?

Marvin Weiland, Digital Product Owner and Marketing Manager at DTM, stated: "I love the idea of pure content data in the headless CMS. All applications – and who knows what we will come up with – simply retrieve content via GraphQL and serve it the way we need to at the different touchpoints. Tomorrow we could build an Alexa skill with the existing content structure we already have in place." (Source: DTM Case Study)

Security & Compliance

What security and compliance certifications does Hygraph have?

Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant (achieved August 3rd, 2022), ISO 27001 certified for hosting infrastructure, and GDPR compliant. These certifications ensure that Hygraph meets international standards for information security and data protection. (Source: Hygraph Security Features)

Support & Training

What support and training resources are available for Hygraph customers?

Hygraph provides 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone, real-time troubleshooting through Intercom chat, a community Slack channel, extensive documentation, webinars, live streams, and how-to videos. Enterprise customers receive a dedicated Customer Success Manager for personalized guidance. (Source: Hygraph Documentation, Hygraph Pricing)

Case Studies & Further Reading

Where can I find more case studies about Hygraph's use cases?

You can explore additional case studies, including those for Komax, Stobag, Samsung, Dr. Oetker, Telenor, and more, on the Hygraph case studies page. These provide insights into how various organizations leverage Hygraph for digital transformation and content management.

See Hygraph MCP Server, AI Agents, and Editorial Experience Upgrades in Action

DTM's migration to a headless CMS to empower user-centric digital transformation

Case study cover image

2

Months from idea to launch

20%

Reduction in Bounce Rate

94+

Average Page Performance*

Snapshot

Founded in 1984, the DTM builds on more than 35 years of history and offers a spectacular, passionate, and emotional wheel-to-wheel racing experience for millions of fans every year. The DTM series reflects the core product of the so-called “DTM Platform,” which also integrates further products and events, such as DTM eSports, the DTM Trophy, and in the future, the DTM Electric series. With its global live TV coverage (+30 countries) and more than 600,000 spectators on-site during the 2019 DTM season, the DTM series underlines its status as one of the biggest racing series worldwide.

In 2019, DTM’s leadership decided to commit to a user-centric strategy for its digital presence. The transformation included a complete re-platforming of DTM’s website and the re-launch of their native web apps and mobile apps. DTM aimed to be visible and attractive in the early phases of the customer journey with website features that show the emotional, exciting and ambitious character of DTM as well as offering ways for users to become integrated into the sports: via “Datatainment” second screen solutions, customizable video streaming or an enhanced event companion app that makes sure fans never miss any action while visiting the motorsport festival that DTM is.

I love the idea of pure content data in the headless CMS. All applications – and who knows what we will come up with –simply retrieve content via GraphQL and serve it the way we need to at the different touchpoints. Tomorrow we could build an Alexa skill with the existing content structure we already have in place.
Marvin Weiland
Marvin WeilandDigital Product Owner and Marketing Manager at DTM

The Process

Previously, DTM’s website ran on several content management systems, and they decided that migrating from Drupal to a Headless CMS was the right approach. The UX was not appropriate for the demanding fan and not adapted to the various user segments of DTM. The legacy setup quickly became obsolete as it no longer fulfilled the ever-changing user requirements. Instead of continuing to adapt the existing solutions, the team knew it was time to consider a microservice-led architecture with a user-centric approach, rather than a tool-centric approach defined the direction of DTM’s transformation.

Hygraph, as an API-first headless CMS, is used for the management of all DTM textual and media data. Hygraph’ GraphQL APIs deliver the content to the new apps. The central content hub ensures data quality and integrity. Instead of having multiple content management systems for the website and for the mobile apps, DTM uses Hygraph for all its content.

DTM’s mobile application for iOS and Android is a trusted companion of the true racing fan. It gives real-time access to breaking news, live standings, and competition results. Fans at home can use the app as a second screen to check a driver’s history while fans on-site use its location map as a navigation tool. The app provides fans with the ability to plan their own personalized event schedule: activities in the fan village that make DTM events a beloved motorsport festival.

User expectations change constantly and your digital architecture must be built for extensibility and adaptation. We build with the user in mind, not given software features.

This content is all hosted on Hygraph, an essential part of creating the fan-centric experience that DTM strives for.

Why Hygraph?

The DTM team chose Hygraph for the following reasons.

Hosted GraphQL Backend-as-a-Service

The DTM team wanted a system that could power their applications with the most up-to-date information possible and keep users engaged with DTM’s “datatainment” offerings. The system needed to be flexible and allow for teams to react to changes in user expectations and the latest trends. Hygraph met those needs.

GraphQL APIs

Revealing the content structure and all API features through the GraphQL API Explorer helps immensely to achieve proficiency without any additional backend or database experience. Two separate development teams working in parallel on different mobile platforms is possible thanks to the API-first nature of Hygraph and features such as Development Environments. Parallelizing implementation work means a drastically reduced time to market for DTM’s products and any new features they wish to implement. Being able to programmatically update content ensures that DTM users always get the most up-to-date content with an excellent user experience to match.

Localization

DTM caters to an international audience so having native localization functionality is key. The new DTM website offers both English and German locales to serve the needs of racing fans wherever they are. Setting up Localization within Hygraph was straightforward and simple. The flexibility it provides for the team to update assets and content with each locale independently using Locale-based publishing helps ensure that new content can be created quickly without compromising the user experience.

The Current Setup

Instead of having multiple content management systems for the website and for the mobile apps, DTM uses Hygraph for all its content. The tech stack also contains a middleware with NodeJS and a frontend with VueJS.

Benefits of Hygraph:

  • 20% reduction in bounce rates after moving to Hygraph.

  • Hygraph drastically reduced the go-to-market time, making it possible to launch a new site in just 2 months DTM easily embraced the content hub approach by using Hygraph as their repo, simplifying their execution to deliver omnichannel content.

  • Hygraph made it possible to create a powerful Backend-as-a-Service with a GraphQL core quickly.

  • Despite no prior experience with GraphQL, the teams were able to rapidly embrace the new query language, making their implementation even easier with the API playground and self-generated GraphQL documentation.

  • Best-of-breed tech stacks, including Hygraph, enabled DTM to deliver better performance and measurably greater user experience as compared to their previous website.


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