I find a certification syllabus or learning path extremely useful in prioritising what I try and learn.

I went through an exercise at my previous place of employment where we restructured...

No Jeff, we do it that way to ensure enforced  consistencyfor all data engineers, abstracting the docker process, making sure that any engineer can run the test/build on their laptop.

We have template Python projects so that the start of any Python development has a big head start

• Virtual environment build (venv)
• Test framework install with sample test
• Library install

...

I've requested that BCP be capable of exporting in Parquet format.  I think a widely used compressed format would be of great benefit and sidestep all those irritating CSV type...

I can tell you that if you migrate to a DB platform with no stored procs or equivalent your world becomes one of pain.

Instead of nicely orchestrated work in the...

I was a developer long before I became a DBA.  I went on the two original SQL 6.5 courses.  I realised that the ability to write stored procedures made my...

HDFS is a file system implemented using a JVM.

hBase is a distributed database implemented using a JVM sitting on top of HDFS sitting on top of a JVM.

The stuff that...

I think we need to get COVID-19 into some sort of perspective.  The fear is that there will be an outbreak of some virus comparable with the Spanish Flu of...

My experience with Hadoop was that it was too complex, too slow, too hyped up.  It didn't take long to work out that it wasn't going to replace anyones data...

Any chance some of the course material could be put on this site, Simple-talk or the Red-Gate product knowledge sites?

I was shocked on a company away day into the local hills by how unfit a lot of colleagues half my age were.  I was worried that I wouldn't be...

I know of a company that paid an astronomic sum to keep a warehouse distribution system supported on obsolete hardware and a long obsolete version of the software.

They had a...

We use Flake8 for Python coding. It enforces a whole range of coding rules including coding style.

I wouldn't call SQLPrompt a linter but its features achieve many of the same...

If you are not one of the ones the powers that be listen to then study those who are listened to.

• What do they do that is different?
• What have...

I know, from working for a documentation company, that there are guidelines based on studies that say how much can be proofread within a given time period.

I can't imagine that...