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271 Articles Found
M-I-C-K-E-Y... F-U
Despite grossing 20 billion in Q3 revenue, Disney is cutting a key employee benefit.
education
Sep 10, 2024
Why I Nearly Turned Down A 30k Raise And A Data Engineering Job
A 3-year data engineering retrospective with 3 pieces of unsolicited advice.
data-science
work
Sep 09, 2024
Set Up A Virtual Environment In A Compute Engine VM In 5 Min.
Set up a virtual environment, install Python & pip and run Python scripts in a Google Cloud Compute Engine virtual machine.
programming
Sep 02, 2024
When Isn't Automation Worth It?
A simple formula to calculate ROI on development time.
programming
Aug 26, 2024
Forget Your Sprint — When Data Engineering Tasks Must Be Completed In The Same Day
When data engineers must meet an 8-hour, same-day deadline and how to get it done with minimal panic.
work
programming
Aug 19, 2024
Be The Glue
Neither a high performer nor a junior, what middling engineers can do to be a subtle tech team asset.
work
programming
Aug 14, 2024
Why Is Authenticating Google Cloud Platform Applications So Hard?
Distinguishing between Google Cloud Platform and a typical API's authentication process emphasizes the need for secure credential storage.
programming
Aug 12, 2024
Validate Your BigQuery SQL Table Metadata Using Just 1 Word
Leverage BigQuery SQL table metadata to deduplicate, partition and delete data — all using only one word.
programming
Aug 05, 2024
Edit Your BigQuery Columns Without Ever Dropping A Table
Prevent BigQuery type errors and table deletions with a 5-minute method to edit columns without putting your table at risk.
data-science
programming
Jul 30, 2024
Do Data Engineering Candidates Really Know Anything?
A framework for honestly evaluating programming skills, technical proficiency and conceptual knowledge.
data-science
work
programming
Jul 22, 2024
What A Data Engineer (Really) Does On A "Slow Day"
No meetings doesn't mean no work.
data-science
programming
Jul 16, 2024
Deploy Your Google Cloud Functions The Right Way (Step-by-Step Guide)
Covering GitHub versioning, CI/CD pipeline development and scheduling jobs within Google Cloud Platform.
programming
Jul 10, 2024
Go From Staging Table To Production Data With 1 Stupid Simple SQL Line
A risk-averse approach to "flipping the switch" from test tables to production tables featuring a subtle BigQuery SQL function.
data-science
programming
Jul 09, 2024
:Sad_Face: Why You Should Emojize Your Boring Data Alerts
Data engineers: Use a Python library to highlight data downtimes, scheduled jobs and other logging information.
data-science
programming
Jul 03, 2024
Why Do My Data Engineering Requests Take Forever?
How data engineers can set realistic development expectations and respond to impatient stakeholders.
data-science
programming
Jul 01, 2024
Break Into Data Science In 12 Minutes
3+ Years Of Data Science Job Seeking Advice In 10 Minutes (Part 2).
work
Jun 24, 2024
This "Contract" Could Cost New Developers $20,000 And 2 Years Of Their Careers
How new developers can avoid a popular contract scheme that hurts their careers before they begin.
work
Jun 19, 2024
Why New Data Engineers Need To Watch Their Mouths
Why data engineers need to be precise with words, terminology and concepts in — and outside — the workplace.
data-science
programming
Jun 18, 2024
3+ Years Of Data Science Job Seeking Advice In 10 Minutes (Part I)
Actionable data science job searching, application and portfolio strategies to compete in a tight data science job market.
data-science
Jun 17, 2024
Using PyPDF For PDF →CSV Conversion To Find Missing Groceries
Convert PDFs to CSVs in an unusual–but practical–use case of real-life data engineering problem-solving.
data-science
programming
Jun 12, 2024
Google Cloud Engineers Need This App — But Few Realize It Exists
Reviewing a Google Cloud mobile solution for on-the-go data infrastructure management, monitoring and incident response.
programming
Jun 11, 2024
The Best Thing Your Boss Can Do For Your Data Engineering Career? Leave
Strategies for building self-reliance as a first-year data engineer.
data-science
work
programming
Jun 10, 2024
From 0 To Data Solution In 5 Phases To Land Contracts & Wow Bosses
Demystifying data infrastructure design, implementation and maintenance for short and long-term employees and new grads.
data-science
programming
Jun 05, 2024
Requirements Gathering With Fewer Tears
Avoid time-consuming stakeholder back-and-forths with strategies that promote conciseness, accuracy and clarity.
work
programming
Jun 04, 2024
If You Must Use A Spreadsheet As A Database At Least Use This Kind
Spreadsheets are a breeding ground for data inaccuracy — unless you can solve one core problem.
data-science
programming
Jun 03, 2024
I Got $75 For This Dashboard But Not A Job
Takeaways from a controversial data science interview practice: The take-home assignment.
data-science
work
May 01, 2024
Data Candidates Are Invisible And Dashboarding During Baseball
ICYMI: The best of Pipeline: Your Data Engineering Resource, April 2024.
data-science
Apr 30, 2024
How Data Engineers Can Google Better (Yeah, Seriously)
How new data engineers can leverage search engines to get precise answers to develop better and troubleshoot faster.
data-science
programming
Apr 29, 2024
I Lost 3 Days Of Data By Not Taking 10 Min. For These Deprecation Steps
How data engineers can anticipate, adapt to and recover from inevitable data downtimes and API outages.
data-science
programming
Apr 24, 2024
How I Used Python & SQL To Build A Looker Dash During A Baseball Game
The 35 line SQL Query That Powers A Top 3 SQL Publication's Analytics (Part II).
programming
Apr 23, 2024
Experienced Developers: Solve Data Science Unemployment In 1 Email
Why senior-level data scientists, data engineers and developers don't need to "hop on a call" to help data science job seekers.
work
Apr 22, 2024
Is My SQL Query Going To Break Production?
A senior data engineer identifies SQL query pitfalls that can trigger nasty errors — and even break your data pipelines.
programming
Apr 18, 2024
The 35 Line SQL Query That Powers A Top 3 SQL Publication's Analytics
A behind-the-scenes look at the "making of" data analytics infrastructure for a top 3 Medium SQL publication.
programming
Apr 17, 2024
SQL Developers: Take These 5 Create Table Steps To Improve Performance
Forget one of these 5 SQL CREATE TABLE steps and your table load time could grind to a halt.
programming
Apr 15, 2024
Not Getting Data Science Job Interviews? You Have A Visibility Problem
Data science job applicants are facing more competition than ever; how to create compelling work to stand out — the right way.
data-science
Apr 10, 2024
The Subtle Power Of SQL's Overlooked DML Function
One function you gloss over has the power to save you hours of development time — and preserve data accuracy.
programming
Apr 09, 2024
Is Data Engineering An Entry-Level Job?
How new data engineers can find data engineering roles — even with less than 1 year of experience.
data-science
programming
Apr 08, 2024
Why Your Data Pipelines Will Fail On These 10 Days Every Year — And What To Do About It
When the clock strikes midnight on certain days of the year (or decade) your pipelines will transform into functionless code.
data-science
programming
Apr 02, 2024
What To Do About A Data Leak & An Unlikely Data Career Path
ICYMI: The best of Pipeline: Your Data Engineering Resource, March 2024.
data-science
Apr 01, 2024
A Hospital Leaked My Family's Data. So I Taught It About Data Privacy.
How to identify, address and prevent data breaches — and why you shouldn't handwrite medical information.
cybersecurity
Mar 25, 2024
The "AI Job" That's Either The Ultimate Opportunity Or A Complete Scam
New data science grads: Learn to recognize potential AI scams and unfair work arrangements for entry-level job seekers.
artificial-intelligence
work
Mar 20, 2024
From Pool Boy To Senior Data Engineer In 2.5 Years
How I balanced 14-hour shifts at Disney resorts with learning data science and improbably landed a data engineering job.
data-science
work
Mar 18, 2024
How I Reduced My Query's Run Time From 30 Min. To 30 Sec. In 1 Hour
The query optimization steps a senior data engineer took to reduce the process time of a query processing 1 billion+ rows.
programming
Mar 13, 2024
Packaging And Remote Installation With Pip, Python & Artifact Registry
Neatly package and securely store Python packages in Python repo with Google Cloud's Artifact Registry for your cloud builds.
programming
Mar 06, 2024
Data Spring Cleaning For More Productivity — And Less Illegality
Cleaning out old scripts and deleting files increases focus and makes sure you don't accidentally break data privacy laws.
programming
Mar 04, 2024
Why Google Is Deleting Your Queries And How To Nail A Phone Interview
The Best of Pipeline — February 2024.
work
programming
Feb 28, 2024
Stop Wasting Hours On Cover Letters. Use Python To Generate In 3 Steps.
Gain an edge in the most competitive data science job market in 5 years to save 10+ hours a week on cover letter writing.
work
programming
Feb 26, 2024
If You Missed This BigQuery Email You Could Lose Your SQL Queries
What you need to do to avoid losing your work in the fast-approaching Google Cloud BigQuery Studio migration.
programming
Feb 19, 2024
How To Stop Failing Technical Phone Screens (Phone Interview Guide)
An interview guide for the most overlooked but important interview in a technical recruiting process: The gatekeeper.
work
Feb 12, 2024
Get Google Forms Survey Results In < 10 Lines Of Python Without An API
Ingest first-party data from Google Forms & avoid the complexity and frustration of Google's multi-step authentication process.
programming
Feb 07, 2024
Break Glass In Case Of Layoff
Why contingency, not prevention, is the answer to preserve employability during the worst layoff season since 2008.
work
Feb 05, 2024
Pandas Deprecation, Senior Frustration
ICYMI: Best of Pipeline, January 2024
programming
Jan 31, 2024
Using BigQuery SQL To Prettify Your Ugliest URLs And Extract Insights
Learn BigQuery SQL techniques to extract only the most relevant elements of your ugliest URLs.
programming
Jan 29, 2024
6 Months Ago I Built My Own Data Infra. Why I'm Now Tearing It Down.
How I'm rethinking my build and what new data engineers can learn about system design and data automation development.
programming
Jan 22, 2024
How Not To Annoy Senior Developers — Sincerely, A Senior Data Engineer
Proactive strategies covering how not to annoy your senior data scientists, engineers or developers from a senior's perspective.
work
programming
Jan 17, 2024
Why Would I Hang Up On A Recruiter When I'm Unemployed?
The leverage data science and tech candidates have and need to exert during job interviews — even before getting an offer.
work
Jan 16, 2024
Pandas' 2.0 Release Deprecated Your Favorite Method. What Now?
Pandas' 2.0 update deprecates a function so popular it's in the top 10 docs searches. How to adjust your data transformations.
data-science
programming
Jan 10, 2024
The Simple Networking Spreadsheet I Wish I Used To Land A Data Job
A simple spreadsheet for data science job seekers to leverage your existing network to optimize your job search.
work
Jan 08, 2024
How Data Job Seekers Can Market Themselves And Auto-Delete Rejection Emails
ICYMI: The best of Pipeline: Your Data Engineering Resource, December 2023.
data-science
work
Jan 04, 2024
2023 In 12 Data Engineering Errors That Ultimately Advanced My Skills
What new data engineers can learn from my struggles and discoveries troubleshooting Python, SQL and Airflow errors.
programming
Jan 02, 2024
Why Production-izing SQL Is Like Producing Your Favorite Movie
Explaining the SQL production life cycle — from query to dashboard — by comparing it to Hollywood filmmaking.
programming
Dec 18, 2023
How Can I Shamelessly Market Myself As A Data Science Job Seeker?
Plus: A formula for crafting a genuine, memorable and attention-grabbing personal brand.
work
Dec 13, 2023
Using Gmail's Python API To Delete 10,000 emails In Less Than Two Minutes (Pt. I)
Never manually delete emails again with this script integrating Python and Google Cloud Platform's Gmail API.
programming
Dec 12, 2023
Writing Your First DAG? Use SQL For More Accurate Data Availability Checks
Avoid the dreaded problems of data downtime and duplication by using simple SQL queries to establish data availability.
programming
Dec 11, 2023
Level-Up Your SQL WHERE Clause & Filter On This Complex Data Type
SQL WHERE clauses don't just need to filter on one row of data; walk through a complex SQL problem step-by-step.
programming
Dec 05, 2023
Talk With Your APIs, Not At Them
Reduce failed API requests by taking the time to "listen" to your API responses and — other pointers to improve your API conversation...
programming
Dec 04, 2023
End Times, Manual Labor & (Resume) Stuffing
ICYMI: The most engaging data stories from Pipeline for November 2023.
data-science
Nov 30, 2023
How Do I Overcome Code Fear?
How to overcome a paralyzing technical fear in order to meet — and exceed — expectations at work as a new data professional or programmer.
work
programming
Nov 29, 2023
A Single Screenshot Has Made Me Nearly Undefeated In GitHub Deployments
Taking an extra 30 seconds to add this screenshot type can save you the time — and embarrassment — of a failed deployment.
programming
Nov 27, 2023
Why Isn't My Data Science Project Data Working?
Despite mastering technical skills your project ideas aren't "working." Why your data might be working against you.
data-science
Nov 22, 2023
Revisiting The Data Science Resume That Got Me 2 Jobs And A Career
Though not perfect, you can use my resume as a template for targeting, applying to and landing data science roles.
data-science
work
Nov 20, 2023
For Data Engineers The Real Y2K Happens Twice A Year
The bi-annual problem data engineers ignore year after year — sometimes to disastrous effect.
data-science
programming
Nov 15, 2023
Do I Need To Love Data Science To Be Good At It?
Why your professed "love" of data science is irrelevant and possibly misplaced — at least in the short-term.
data-science
work
Nov 13, 2023
The Simple Reason Your Data Pipelines Will Never Be 100% Automated
Even AI solutions can't fix gaps in vendor infrastructure and the ultimate data engineering constraint — time.
data-science
programming
Nov 09, 2023
How Soon (Or Late) Should I Contact Data Science Job References?
Clear the final job search hurdle by securing your references. And don't make the same mistake I did.
data-science
work
Nov 07, 2023
Am I Doing A Data Science Certificate For The Wrong Reason?
Your LinkedIn might show a lot of data science certificates, but are you actually learning? And will those skills get you a job?
data-science
programming
Nov 01, 2023
Generating Automated Headers In Looker For More Dynamic Reporting
In less than 10 minutes create a Looker header that dynamically displays attributes — like the current month — for your users.
programming
Oct 30, 2023
A Typical Data Engineering Workday — Abroad.
A glimpse into a data engineer's typical workday with an international twist.
work
programming
Oct 25, 2023
How Close To Graduation Should I Apply To Data Science Jobs?
Data science remains a competitive field but applying too early can do you — and future employers — a disservice.
data-science
work
Oct 23, 2023
Create Your ETL Pipeline In 90 Min. (A Best Case Scenario)
Creating a data engineering pipeline using Python, SQL and Google Cloud in less than 2 hours.
programming
Oct 18, 2023
Why Would Anyone Give Me A Data Science Job Referral?
Approaching experienced data science professionals for a referral can be scary. Understand what you, even as a data newbie, bring to the...
work
Oct 16, 2023
Picking The Wrong SQL Join Key Cost Me Weeks Of Accurate Data. Don't Let It Happen To You.
Even if you're choosing the correct SQL JOIN, you could still make a tiny mistake that could cost you — or your org — big time.
programming
Oct 11, 2023
Why Don't I Feel Prepared In Data Science Interviews?
Most data science candidates are unprepared for the most important — and basic — job interview question of all.
data-science
work
Oct 09, 2023
Write Your First ETL Pipeline (Part III)
Take a SQL script from a SQL environment to Google Cloud Platform by introducing a dynamic data check and upload step.
programming
Oct 05, 2023
Why Is Landing A Data Science Role So Hard?
A six-figure job that was once a sure bet is now being oversaturated. Why is landing a data science role so hard?
data-science
Oct 04, 2023
As A Student I Failed To Hone This Development Skill Employers Secretly Crave But It's Not Too...
As a data science student don't get so distracted by technical requirements that you overlook opportunities to develop an underrated...
data-science
programming
Oct 02, 2023
Did I Make A Mistake Going Into Data Science?
In a tough job market, tougher economy and rapidly automating world you might have asked yourself: Did I make a mistake choosing data...
data-science
work
Sep 27, 2023
Even SQL Newbies Can Materialize SQL Views In Under 10 Minutes
Learn one of the most useful but intimidating SQL/data engineering skills in just a few minutes.
programming
Sep 25, 2023
I Crossed The Canadian Border In A UHaul Truck. And I Wasn't Moving.
An international vacation suddenly falls apart and unexpectedly ends with a high-stakes border crossing.
travel
Sep 18, 2023
There's An API To Get Your Partner Program Earnings — But It's Not What You Think (Pt. 2)
Create a functional Python script, deploy your build to a cloud function and schedule an automated report to your email.
data-science
programming
Sep 04, 2023
I Landed 2 Data Science Jobs — But Only After I Stopped Applying
Facing data science job rejection? You might be applying too much. Learn how to focus your ambitions and your search.
data-science
work
Aug 31, 2023
There's An API To Get Your Partner Program Earnings — But It's Not What You Think
Track your writer/creator revenue by sourcing, ingesting and cleaning a data frame of your Partner Program earnings data.
data-science
programming
Aug 28, 2023
Everything Your Cloud Provider Won't Tell You About Service Accounts
Learn service account logic, use cases and the unavoidable business problem they solve.
programming
Aug 23, 2023
The Data Science Course From Hell That Nearly Broke Me And My Tutor
An accelerated course using an outdated text taught by a new professor at the height of COVID. What could go wrong?
data-science
programming
Aug 21, 2023
I Spent A 45-Minute Layover Sharing An Uber With Someone I'll Never See Again
Airport chaos leads to a brief and unlikely travel companion.
travel
Aug 17, 2023
Don't Just Display Your Data Science Projects, Production-ize Them
Elevate data science portfolio projects by deploying code and rationalizing your builds to be a top 5% candidate.
data-science
programming
Aug 16, 2023
Python Logs Aren't Code. They're A Communication Tool.
Embrace logs as communication plus 3 non-negotiables you must include for a functional, transparent data pipeline.
programming
Aug 14, 2023
Taking 5 Minutes To Make These Tweaks Reduced My GCP VM Costs From $110 to $30 A Month
Understand Google Cloud Platform pricing, VM configurations and virtual environments to save > $700 a year.
programming
Aug 09, 2023
4 Ways You Weren't Taught To Use CSVs In A Data Science Portfolio
From live tables to programmatic API calls, tweak your data science portfolio projects to make read_csv() more interesting.
data-science
programming
Aug 07, 2023
I Failed Calc But I Can Do Data Engineering Math And So Can You
Learn the fundamental and surprisingly simple math concepts that form the basis for most analytics or data engineering jobs.
data-science
programming
Aug 02, 2023
Scrape Data From 50+ Wikipedia Pages With 1 Pandas Function and 2 Loops
Use Python to scrape 200+ Wikipedia tables into Pandas data frames with programmatically generated URLs.
data-science
programming
Jul 31, 2023
5 Ways You Misuse SQL Date Functions. And How To Be Better.
From hard coding dynamic variables to timezone mistakes, it's time you master the subtle art of filtering SQL queries by date.
data-science
programming
Jul 27, 2023
4 Subtle Tweaks To Create Executive-Approved Data Visualizations
How to get cleaner data, to apply data visualization best practices and leverage your own judgement to create better dashboards for your...
data-science
Jul 25, 2023
Independent Data Science Education Has A Credibility Problem. And It's Getting Worse.
Interns hawking courses, teaching techniques without context and more terrible side effects from the DIY data science bubble.
data-science
Jul 20, 2023
I Scraped This Overlooked Web Data Source With 1 Line of Python And Landed A Job
Use 1 Pandas function to scrape accessible data from a website you've visited thousands of time to create a job-landing portfolio project.
data-science
programming
Jul 19, 2023
Stop The Bleeding: 4 Strategies To Troubleshoot, Triage Data Anomalies
Quickly identify, isolate and fix malfunctioning data pipelines for quality data, happier stakeholders and a stress-free workday.
data-science
programming
Jul 17, 2023
Your Side Hustle Could Prepare You For Your Next Job. Here's How To Effectively "Brag" About It.
Even if you're on every Twitter clone and legacy social platform you're still not talking about your side hustle where it matters.
freelancing
marketing
work
Jul 13, 2023
America's Latest, Most Boring Conspiracy Theory Explained
Within the last year conspiracists are sounding the alarm on an alleged corporate plot that, while plausible and disturbing, isn't nearly...
media
Jul 12, 2023
5 GitHub Deployment Errors And 1 Word You Can Never Use With GCP
A deployment error is the worst consolation prize for finishing an ETL build; review common GitHub deployment errors for less complexity...
programming
Jul 10, 2023
After 2 Years Working From Home I Now Have A 6,000 Mile Commute
After stumbling into an international commitment I've developed a borderline-superhuman tolerance for air travel, shrugging off a...
travel
Jul 06, 2023
Stop Writing Queries When You Need To Be Writing Views (With Examples)
Reduce the complexity and execution time of your queries with views for cleaner data and happier stakeholders.
data-science
programming
Jul 05, 2023
Overcoming The Final Hurdle of Data Automation With Fewer Failures
Learn the components of data pipeline production to take your ETL build from code to cloud with automated, actionable results.
programming
Jul 03, 2023
DeSantis Only Has To Win 1 Small Little-Known Battle To "Own" Disney
An amendment quietly slipped into a Florida Senate bill has the power to cripple Disney infrastructure, enrage guests and put hourly...
business
Jun 28, 2023
Your Data Science Portfolio Stops Being Useful When This Happens To You (And It Will)
I deleted >90% of my data science portfolio after I realized not only was it not helping me — I was no longer proud of my work.
data-science
programming
Jun 26, 2023
Track API Usage In Your Python Script — Not Your Credit Card Bill
In 5 lines of Python store information about requests, timestamps and status flags to avoid unexpected API charges.
programming
Jun 19, 2023
The Quiet Allies and Hidden Casualties In The Reddit War
To a sub of only 100k members, the Reddit war is about a principle that hits close to home and could harm many of their own.
programming
Jun 15, 2023
I Just Deleted 90% Of The Data Science Portfolio That Got Me My First Job.
What I deleted, what I saved and why you need to be able to kill data science projects and work you once loved.
data-science
Jun 08, 2023
Yes, You Can Edit Schemas In BigQuery–But Not How You Think
A hacky workaround for one of the biggest problems in SQL.
programming
May 30, 2023
Remote Workers Are Missing One Subtle But Powerful Commute Benefit
Remote workers have all the time in the world — but fewer boundaries than ever.
productivity
work
May 17, 2023
Exceeding An API Rate Limit Cost Me $300–And I Almost Didn't Realize It
A precautionary tale for data scientists using paid API subscription services in personal projects.
data-science
programming
May 15, 2023
Why You Should Use JSON, Not Pandas, In Your First Data Science Project
Why your first instinct to convert raw data into a data frame is probably wrong.
data-science
programming
May 10, 2023
How You Can Use Python To Pull Stock Data For 3,000 Companies In Under 10 Minutes
How I used python to help a Wall Street banker pick stocks (part II).
programming
May 08, 2023
How I'm Using Data Engineering To Help A Wall Street Banker Pick Better Stocks (Part I)
How a conversation between friends turned into a potentially lucrative data side project (with code walkthrough).
data-science
programming
May 02, 2023
Your Data Science Project Is Missing This Component — And You're Missing Out On Interviews
Don't get too invested in the conception of your project that you forget this resume-boosting component.
data-science
programming
Apr 25, 2023
How To Test Data Pipelines — Even When You Don't Have Any Data
How to create, evaluate and apply test data to data pipeline builds.
data-science
programming
Apr 20, 2023
Stream Your Data Using Nothing But Python's Requests Library
Understand when to stream data, how to configure a pipeline and learn from my mistakes building streaming pipelines.
programming
Apr 18, 2023
Remote Work Is Better For Everything — Except Your Anxiety
Isolation + self-doubt = panic.
mental-health
work
Apr 13, 2023
A SQL One-Liner To Master Your Pesky Nested Fields
Easily isolate, convert and transform deeply nested SQL fields.
programming
Apr 11, 2023
Data Engineers: Data Analysts Are Your Repeat Customers — How To Make Both Your Jobs Easier
Data science is a team sport; learn how to leverage your data analyst's strengths to build more impactful data pipelines.
data-science
Apr 06, 2023
Flattening Your SQL Tables — Not As Easy As It Sounds
How to expose deeply nested SQL fields — and why you need to be careful when handling complex raw data.
data-science
programming
Apr 04, 2023
The 1 Ugly Trait Data Engineers Must Embrace
Otherwise you risk delivering inaccurate data and building faulty systems.
data-science
programming
Mar 30, 2023
Write Your First SQL ETL Pipeline (Part II)
How to create and load an aggregate table for your GCP usage using ETL principles and SQL commands.
programming
Mar 28, 2023
BigQuery Schema Design 101 — And What To Watch Out For
Understand these BigQuery SQL nuances to create table schemas that result in less errors and less headaches.
data-science
programming
Mar 23, 2023
Write Your First SQL ETL Pipeline (Part I)
You've written enough queries; it's time to move to production.
data-science
programming
Mar 21, 2023
Why You Shouldn't (Immediately) Dismiss Controversial Data Sources
From the guy who talked about porn stars in a job interview.
data-science
Mar 16, 2023
SQL Users: Reduce Your CASE Statements With A Lookup Table
Map fields in your SQL tables without using CASE.
programming
Mar 14, 2023
Titanic Insurance & How To Reinvigorate A Data Science Project
Why you don't always need a unique dataset to produce a unique project.
data-science
Mar 10, 2023
Just Another Day Working At Pandemic-Era Disney World
Face shields, layoffs and reservations for the pool.
coronavirus
business
work
Mar 09, 2023
10 Reasons Why SQL Is and Is Not a Programming Language
Presenting popular technical and non-technical arguments from both sides of a 40-year-old debate.
programming
Mar 06, 2023
Measuring Impact As A Data Engineer
How data engineers can more accurately trace the impact of your data, your work and your team within your organization.
data-science
programming
Mar 02, 2023
4 BigQuery Metadata SQL Queries To Save You Time, Money & Sanity
Never write another schema, save on storage costs and more.
software-engineering
data-science
programming
Feb 27, 2023
"It Was The First Interview They Had To Start An HR File For Someone Who Didn't Work There."
How to stand out in a data science job interview with NSFW data — in conversation with Ken's Nearest Neighbors host, Ken Jee.
data-science
work
Feb 23, 2023
A Simple Python Script That Allows Me To Save More Than 20k A Year (Pt. II)
How to use SQL to query your personal credit card transactions data and Python to calculate remaining discretionary income.
programming
Feb 21, 2023
3 Data Engineering Quick Fixes When You Hit An Optimization Ceiling
Use the 3 Rs of optimization to smash through technical barriers.
programming
Feb 16, 2023
A Simple Python Script That Allows Me To Save More Than 20k A Year
How to use Python to convert a budget spreadsheet to a dynamic Python function.
data-science
programming
Feb 14, 2023
New To My Work? Start Here
Plus this week's most engaging story (refreshed weekly).
productivity
data-science
work
programming
Feb 10, 2023
Data Scientists: Answer 6 Questions to Summarize Your Insights In 1 Sentence
A simplified writing technique to help you communicate complex data science problems, describe methods and share results.
data-science
Feb 08, 2023
So, You Think A Company Misused Your Data. How To Write A DSAR.
Learn how to audit a company for your user data, request data suppression or even request total deletion — all in one email.
privacy
data-science
cybersecurity
programming
Feb 03, 2023
Data Engineers Who Take These 5 Shortcuts Will (Probably) Break Production
As you gain proficiency, you gain confidence; this can lead to cutting corners — and the potential to make big mistakes.
programming
Jan 31, 2023
Ignoring These 5 Travel Tips Left Me (Nearly) Stranded In Germany
Assumptions, oversights and American-bred naivety that led to me nearly spending the night at a German train station.
travel
Jan 27, 2023
Understand These 10 Data Science School Truths Before Day 1 Or Risk Falling Behind
Data science concepts to study before you start studying.
data-science
programming
Jan 24, 2023
Scrape, Clean and Store Zillow Apartment Data — Part II
Store data scraped from Zillow in a BigQuery table and view.
data-science
programming
Jan 17, 2023
Scrape, Clean and Store Zillow Apartment Data (ETL Pipeline)
Use Python to find an apartment on Zillow.
programming
Jan 10, 2023
How Not To Annoy Your Senior Data Scientists, Engineers Or Developers
It's a senior's job to put up with you; make that an easy task.
software-engineering
work
programming
Jan 03, 2023
2022 in 12 Data Engineering Errors That Ultimately Advanced My Skills
In no particular order: Mistakes I made on professional and personal projects and how you can avoid them.
programming
Dec 26, 2022
Refactoring A Python ETL Pipeline (With Example)
My step-by-step process for revising an existing Python pipeline fetching data from the Reddit API.
programming
Dec 19, 2022
Why One Company Has Their Data Scientists Work the Drive-Thru. And Why More Should.
An unconventional, hands-on example of an organization developing employee domain knowledge and soft skills and how you can do the same.
data-science
Dec 12, 2022
Creating The Dashboard That Got Me A Data Analyst Job Offer
A walkthrough of the Udemy dashboard that got me a job offer from one of the biggest names in academic publishing.
data-science
Dec 05, 2022
The Crucial Voice Missing From The End of Remote Work Conversation
And why we still might not hear from them.
remote-work
work
Dec 01, 2022
3 Data Engineering Presentation Types That Don't Touch Analysis or ML
How to prepare for crucial infrastructure conversations with your stakeholders, management and data consumers.
data-science
programming
Nov 29, 2022
4 Crucial Job Requirements My Data Science Master's Didn't Prepare Me For
Why your data science MS isn't as applicable as you thought.
data-science
programming
Nov 24, 2022
Non-Code GitHub Mistakes That Will Land You in the Reject Pile
You spend hours writing your code but minutes displaying it. And, believe me, it shows.
programming
Nov 21, 2022
5 Data Engineering Skills You Won't Fully Grasp Until You're On the Job
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to learn them.
programming
Nov 14, 2022
9 Unconventional Data Project Ideas You Can Shamelessly Steal From Me
Open-sourcing my data project ideas for data science, data analysis and data engineering for your benefit.
data-science
Nov 08, 2022
5 SQL Mistakes You'll (Probably) Make In Your First Data Science Job
Learn from my SQL mistakes to minimize yours.
data-science
programming
Nov 01, 2022
Change 3 Lines in Your Data Science LinkedIn Referral Requests to Actually Get a Response
How to stop getting left on read and start getting interviews.
data-science
work
Oct 26, 2022
Backfill Your SQL Tables Without Breakage Before Anyone Finds Out You Were Wrong
Re-loading missing data will be one of the least glamorous but most important tasks you do as a SQL developer. Get it right.
data-science
programming
Oct 24, 2022
How to Use Python to Get Abs
When I didn't want to pay for a fitness app, I made my own.
data-science
programming
Oct 17, 2022
Data Engineers Who Don't Do This 30-Minute Exercise Will Waste Hours of Development Time
Save time, sanity and keystrokes with this low-tech strategy.
data-science
programming
Oct 10, 2022
I Got a Data Job Without Interning. You Can Too.
A job seeker's action plan for those approaching graduation or reaching a breaking points with applications.
data-science
work
Oct 05, 2022
3 BigQuery SQL Tricks to Undo Your Screw Ups
Messing up while writing and running SQL is inevitable; your recovery determines whether this is a hiccup or an apocalypse.
programming
Oct 03, 2022
Why You Gave Up on SQL And 3 Resources to Get Out of Your Rut
What to do when giving up on SQL is easier than learning it.
programming
Sep 27, 2022
5 Ways to Use Python to Boost Your SQL Operations
Overcome SQL's limitations with these Python methods.
programming
Sep 21, 2022
5 Lessons That Helped Me Not Quit My Data Job in Week 1
If you think getting a data engineering job is hard, just wait until you start one.
data-science
work
programming
Sep 14, 2022
Automate Your BigQuery Schema Definitions With 5 Lines of Python
Tired of manually writing my BigQuery schemas, I wrote a function that makes schema definition less time-consuming.
programming
Sep 12, 2022
5 Upskilling Traps to Avoid if You Really Want to Learn Data Science
Too often aspiring candidates and new professionals are making the same mistakes when trying to level up in data science.
data-science
Sep 08, 2022
5 Portfolio-Worthy SQL Project Ideas for Beginners
Ideas to help you create projects that will wow future employers.
data-science
programming
Aug 31, 2022
3 Data Science Projects That Got Me 12 Interviews. And 1 That Got Me in Trouble.
3 work samples that got my foot in the door, and 1 that almost got me tossed out.
data-science
Aug 29, 2022
4 Reasons Why Data Privacy Regulation is Good for Data Science
Instead of fearing data privacy legislation, data professionals should embrace regulation and all the opportunities that accompany it.
data-science
Aug 24, 2022
A No-Fear Introduction to Working with SQL Nested & Repeated Fields
Making SQL nested and repeated data types more understandable — and less intimidating.
programming
Aug 22, 2022
How You Can Employ Basic Reading Comprehension to Stay Sane Reading API Docs
How a grade-school reading technique can help you interpret and apply API documentation to build your data pipelines.
programming
Aug 19, 2022
Create Your SQL Table Right the First Time Using These 6 Tips
Review this SQL professional's check-list before running 'CREATE TABLE.'
programming
Aug 15, 2022
4 Tips to Survive Your 1st Year in Data
First-hand tips for easing nerves, increasing technical knowledge and maximizing team impact in year 1.
data-science
Aug 12, 2022
6 Things SQL Newbies Need to Realize Before Writing A Single Query
Breaking down the context behind your SQL queries.
programming
Aug 10, 2022
Why Your Data Pipeline Didn't Get Used
Understanding why some builds never make it to production can help you conceptualize and deploy better pipelines.
programming
Aug 04, 2022
cURLing: Converting cURL to Python with CurlConverter
Easily translate your pesky API's cURL commands to Python.
programming
Aug 02, 2022
5 SQL Bad Habits You Need to Break
From beginners to professionals, chances are we're all guilty of at least one of the following bad SQL habits.
programming
Jul 27, 2022
Prettify Your Python Logs with Loguru
How an easy-to-use logger can format your log data output.
programming
Jul 22, 2022
Criteria for Choosing a SQL Course You'll Actually Want to Finish
Beyond reviews, price and personal judgement, here are criteria for how you should be evaluating SQL courses before you enroll.
programming
Jul 20, 2022
What Beginners Need to Know About SQL Query Optimization
How even beginners can write optimized queries.
programming
Jul 13, 2022
3 Ways Junior Data Engineers Can Make An Impact In Their First Year
Subtle initiatives to positively impact your team and credibility.
data-science
work
programming
Jul 11, 2022
Parsing SQL Queries For Table Names
How to use Python to extract datasets and table names from plaintext SQL queries.
programming
Jul 05, 2022
SQL Quality Assurance Queries
How to construct queries in SQL to confirm data accuracy.
data-science
programming
Jun 27, 2022
An Overlooked Source of GitHub Actions Deployment Errors
How understanding dependencies can make the difference in a failed run and a successful GitHub Actions deployment.
programming
Jun 13, 2022
The Subtle Art of Asking Other Programmers for Help
In a field dominated by the self-taught and self-assured, it's important to overcome the stigma of asking for help.
work
programming
Jun 03, 2022
Forget the Side Hustle, Employed Data Professionals Need a Side Project
Why side projects remain essential for building technical proficiency and nurturing professional development.
data-science
work
programming
May 27, 2022
How to Use Logging Query Language to Analyze GCP Logs Data in Python
How to use Google Cloud's Logs API and Logging Query Language in Python to obtain real-time data on active GCP instances.
programming
May 25, 2022
Collection: Data Career, Job Hunting, Education — Zach Quinn
Aggregating my career, job hunting and education content for data professionals.
data-science
May 24, 2022
Collection: Data Science, Technology — Zach Quinn
Aggregating my data science and technology content.
data-science
May 24, 2022
Collection: SQL — Zach Quinn
Aggregation of my SQL content.
programming
May 24, 2022
Collection: Python — Zach Quinn
Aggregating my Python content.
data-science
programming
May 24, 2022
Welcome! Scroll down for latest work.
data-science
programming
May 24, 2022
How to Prepare for Your First Day as a Data Engineer
How to effectively refine skills and reduce the possibility of burning out before you even begin a data engineering role.
data-science
programming
May 23, 2022
The Ultimate Guide to GCP's Logging Query Language
How to build queries that analyze Cloud Logging data.
programming
May 20, 2022
Planning to Learn SQL from Scratch
Steps you must take to prepare to learn and apply SQL.
programming
May 18, 2022
Unglamorous Data Engineering Projects That Can Make An Impact
Although unassuming tasks, revising code and periodically rethinking infrastructure can make a big impact.
data-science
programming
May 16, 2022
Data Over-Engineering: The Pitfall of Tweaking
The subtle ways data engineering can become over engineering.
data-science
programming
May 12, 2022
Why I, A Full-Time Data Engineer Write, And Why All Data Professionals Should Too
Why data professionals should consistently write, publish and connect.
data-science
Apr 21, 2022
A Lack of Institutionalized Education Fuels the Data Engineering Shortage
As the demand for data science degrees grows, very few data engineering degree programs exist, perpetuating a vicious cycle of...
data-science
Apr 12, 2022
Ingesting Malformed Text Files in Python: Common Errors and Fixes
How data engineers can identify, reconfigure and address malformed CSV files in batch pipelines.
programming
Apr 07, 2022
How That Customer Service Job Actually Prepared You For a Data Career
Why cultivating relationships is just as important as mining data.
data-science
work
programming
Apr 01, 2022
Multi-Column Transformation Using Config Files in Python
How to optimize multi-column transformation operations using Python's config library.
programming
Mar 28, 2022
Career Advice (First Edition)
Unsolicited but valuable career advice for data newbies.
data-science
work
Mar 25, 2022
Data Science Must-Reads That Aren't Textbooks
Books to help you understand data science concepts — without feeling like assigned reading.
data-science
Mar 21, 2022
Updating Your Data Resume: Tips from a Former Resume Writer
Examples to help improve your data resume.
data-science
work
Mar 17, 2022
BigQuery Data Engineering Tricks
Optimize BigQuery processes with some helpful data engineering tricks.
data-science
programming
Mar 11, 2022
Simple Fixes for BigQuery Data Engineering Worst-Case Scenarios
How knowing a few SQL and Google Cloud Console tricks can save your mental health and maybe even your job.
programming
Mar 07, 2022
Tutorials to Build Batch ETL Pipelines
Free tutorials and examples for data engineers to build batch pipelines.
data-science
programming
Mar 04, 2022
The Right Way to Cold Message Data Professionals
Why making a genuine effort to professionally connect gets you further than immediately asking for a job.
data-science
work
Mar 02, 2022
Why Data Engineering is the Perfect First Job if You Don't Know Which Data Role to Pursue
How a data engineering job can help you identify strengths, interests and skill gaps.
data-science
Mar 01, 2022
The Data Vice No One Talks About: Data Hoarding.
How long-term data retention could violate the law... and not even yield business results.
cybersecurity
Feb 27, 2022
Resources to Practice Data Engineering
Free and accessible resources for those seeking to learn or sharpen data engineering skills.
data-science
programming
Feb 25, 2022
Should Data Scientists Have Agents?
Why representing data scientists would be a low-risk, high-reward investment for both talent agents and data professionals.
data-science
Feb 24, 2022
The Data Science Student Discounts That Will Save You Thousands
A comprehensive list of student discounts for aspiring data professionals.
data-science
Feb 23, 2022
Why Cloud Composer Should Be The Only Way You Run AirFlow
Why Google Cloud Composer is the easiest way to run AirFlow.
programming
Feb 21, 2022
What Data Engineers Need To Know About Privacy Regulations
Which pieces of legislation could impact your data engineering work.
cybersecurity
Feb 18, 2022
Why Data Engineers Must Have Domain Knowledge — And How To Gain It
Why developing business knowledge is as important as developing technical skills.
data-science
programming
Feb 17, 2022
How You, The New Data Professional, Can Handle Your First Code Review
Receiving feedback on your work can feel harsh and demoralizing; here's how to incorporate the helpful comments.
data-science
programming
Feb 16, 2022
How I, A Journalist, Survived Grad School & Earned A Data Science M.S.
How a liberal arts student became a data engineer in under 2 years.
education
data-science
work
programming
Feb 15, 2022
An Even Easier Way for Data Engineers to Append/Truncate in BigQuery
How creative Pandas filtering can update BigQuery data incrementally without writing a single SQL query.
data-science
programming
Feb 14, 2022
Why It's Important To Own Your Pipelines As a Data Engineer — Even After They're in Production
Your data pipelines should be like your children; you should know everything about them and be proud of your creations.
programming
Feb 11, 2022
The One Place You Can't Learn SQL? A University
SQL knowledge is imperative for any professional who interacts with data on a daily basis — but don't expect to learn it in school.
data-science
programming
Feb 10, 2022
How Data Engineers Can Take Advantage of 'Slow Weeks'
How you can provide value to your organization and refine competitive skill sets even when you don't have much to do.
data-science
programming
Feb 09, 2022
How Many Hours Per Week Should Data Professionals Really Dedicate to Learning?
Here's how much time you should dedicate to learning new skills both at work and off-the-clock, according to experts.
data-science
work
Feb 08, 2022
Yes, Even Data Science Will Be Automated. Here's How You Can Stay Relevant.
How rapidly advancing AI solutions and emerging low-code platforms could impact the once-bulletproof data workforce.
data-science
Feb 08, 2022
Despite Having The Most Olympic Medals, The U.S. Isn't The Winningest Winter Olympic Contender
The biggest threat to the U.S. in the 2022 Winter Olympics is a snow-covered European country — but it isn't Russia.
sports
Feb 04, 2022
How I Used Python and SQL to Find The Most Expensive Watches in the World
How to Build an End-to-End Data Analysis Project Using Python/SQL
data-science
programming
Feb 02, 2022
How to Use Python & SQL to Append New Rows to a BigQuery Table Without Overwriting Your Data
How to dynamically update rows in BigQuery using python and SQL without losing your historical data.
data-science
programming
Feb 01, 2022
TickTock: The Most Expensive Watches in the World-A Data Story
What the most expensive watches in the world are, according to auction data.
business
Jan 27, 2022
Cron-ological Order: How to Write Cron for Scheduling Pipelines
How to write cron expressions and why data engineers need to know them.
programming
Jan 25, 2022
A Resume Hack for Data Newcomers
How adding three bullet points to the top of your resume can move you to the top of the pile — even with little experience.
data-science
work
Jan 24, 2022
Memory Unit Conversions with Python and SQL
A guide on how to convert bytes to everything from bits to petabytes using Python and SQL.
programming
Jan 21, 2022
DeDuplicating: SQL vs. Python
Both SQL and Python offer powerful functions to help data engineers clean data and eliminate dreaded 'dupes' in datasets.
programming
Jan 20, 2022
BigQuery Hack: How to Quickly Populate a Table Without INSERT()
How to use BigQuery's UI and a bit of SQL to populate a newly created table.
data-science
programming
Jan 19, 2022
How to Restore Deleted BigQuery Tables
How to leverage BigQuery snapshots for data restoration.
programming
Jan 14, 2022
Nailing the Data Presentation: A Guide for Job Seekers
How taking the time to prepare a compelling, business-relevant and polished project could land you at the top of the offer list.
data-science
work
programming
Jan 13, 2022
A Data-What? How and Why You Should Explain Your Data Job to Everyone
Concisely summarizing your role can help avoid ambiguity at both the dinner table and the negotiation table.
data-science
Jan 12, 2022
Why I Chose Data Engineering Over Data Science
Despite holding an M.S. in data science, I became a data engineer.
data-science
Jan 11, 2022
JSON in Google BigQuery — Finally
Still in preview, the feature is promising but has limitations when it comes to data engineering production use cases.
programming
Jan 10, 2022
How To Create Nested Schemas in Python Using the Google BigQuery API
How data engineers can use Google's BigQuery API in Python to specify nested schemas.
programming
Jan 07, 2022
No Whiteboard: Hiring Companies That Don't Require a Coding Test
Test-averse data science candidates now have a resource to apply to companies that forgo the dreaded whiteboard test.
work
programming
Jan 06, 2022
How to Use Python to Access Data in Multiple URLs with Rick and Morty
The Rick and Morty REST API presents an interesting challenge: How to access data from multiple URLs at once using Python.
programming
Jan 05, 2022
Meta Queries with Cloud Audit Logs
Google Cloud's audit logs data provides metadata-driven insights to help you optimize your organization's data warehouse.
data-science
programming
Jan 03, 2022
Free Offbeat APIs for Data Engineers to Practice Building ETL Pipelines
Website API list helps aspiring data engineers practice ETL to build portfolio-worthy pipelines.
data-science
programming
Dec 23, 2021
The Rise of the Data Influencer — And Why You Need To Follow One
Data influencers are a thing — and following one might help you land your next job.
data-science
Dec 22, 2021
I Got The Same Question in 12 Data Analyst Interviews — How To Answer
Despite being non-technical, it was a simple but critical question to test how candidates interact with and source data.
data-science
Dec 21, 2021
Data Engineering IRL: How to Use SQL to Track Your Spending
How to write optimized SQL to track monthly spending in BigQuery.
data-science
programming
Dec 20, 2021
Clear Storage: The Ethics of Deletion Policies for Stored Facial Images
The main issue with facial recognition storage isn't security; it's duration.
artificial-intelligence
data-science
Dec 17, 2021
Data Engineering Hack: Find and Replace SQL in Google BigQuery
Google BigQuery includes a subtle feature to save data engineers, scientists and analysts hours of manual work.
programming
Dec 14, 2021
Humans Aren't Natural Data Storytellers — But You Can Be
Why every data scientist needs to master the craft of data storytelling.
machine-learning
data-science
Dec 13, 2021
Google Provides the Best Data Journalism School — And It's Free
How to Explore a Data Journalism Career with Google News Initiative
media
data-science
Dec 10, 2021
How Data Engineers Can Use SQL to Estimate BigQuery Storage Costs
For data engineers, SQL's applications go beyond analysis; it can be a powerful tool for determining resource allocations.
data-science
programming
Dec 07, 2021
5 Free Resources to Take Your SQL Skills Beyond SELECT Star
A wise data engineer once said 70% of SQL knowledge is easy to acquire; it's the last 30% that proves the most challenging.
programming
Dec 06, 2021
How to Generate Realistic (Fake) Data for Your Projects Using Mockaroo
Mockaroo, a beginner-friendly UI for creating randomized datasets, enables aspiring professionals to simulate authentic data for analysis.
data-science
Dec 04, 2021
How Data Engineers can Scrape Wikipedia Tables for use in a Christmas-Themed Pipeline
Learn how to use Python to scrape Wikipedia tables to create a pipeline with data about the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree!
data-science
programming
Dec 03, 2021
How Data Engineers Can Use Python to Schedule BigQuery Queries
Learn how using Python to schedule BigQuery queries from a service account can save time and frustration for data engineers...
programming
Dec 03, 2021
Use the Reddit API and BigQuery to build a Daily News Pipeline
Thanks to a well-documented API, we can use Python's request library to derive the top news stories as well as associated user data...
programming
Nov 30, 2021
A Python Data Pipeline to Track Holiday Spending with Mint API, BigQuery and Tableau
2021 holiday spending is projected to reach over $1400 per household, meaning that understanding your personal finance data through an app...
data-science
programming
Nov 24, 2021
The Legend of Diamond Joe
From 2009 to 2019 The Onion satirized then-Vice President Joe Biden by recasting him as the shady character Diamond Joe, taking readers on...
media
politics
data-science
Aug 23, 2021
Tragedy Porn
In 2018 5 adult film stars died within 3 months. Though most of the deaths were underreported, the suicide of porn star August Ames, 23...
data-science
sexuality
Aug 05, 2021
The K-Word: The Rise and fall of the name "Karen" from 1920 — present
Earlier this summer, the Social Security Administration revealed that negative press associated with the name "Karen" caused the name to...
culture
equality
Jul 21, 2021