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What data management in 2024 and beyond will look like hangs on one question. Can open data formats lead to a best-of-breed data management platform? It will take Interoperability across clouds and formats, as well as on the semantics and governance layer. Sixth Platform. Atlas. Debezium. DCAT. Egeria. Nessie. Mesh. Paimon. Transmogrification. This veritable word soup sounds like something that jumped out of a role-playing game. In reality, these are all terms related to data management. These terms may tell us something about the mindscape of people involved in data management tools and nomenclature, but that’s a different story. Data management is a long-standing and ever-evolving practice. The days of “Big Data” have long faded and data has now taken a back seat in terms of hype and attention. is the new toy people are excited about, shining a light on AI and machine learning for the masses. Generative AI Data management may seem dull in comparison. However, there is something people who have been into AI before it was cool understand well, and people who are new to this eventually realize too: AI is only as good as the data it operates on. There is an evolutionary chain leading from . Some organizations were well aware of this a decade ago. Others will have to learn the hard way today. data to analytics to AI Exploring and understanding how, where, and when data is stored, managed, integrated and used as well as related aspects of data formats, interoperability, semantics, and governance may be hard and unglamorous work. But it is what generates value for organizations, along with -like word soups. RPG Peter Corless and Alex Merced understand this. Their engagement with data goes back to way before their current roles as Director of Product Marketing at and Developer Advocate at , respectively. We caught up to talk about the state of data management in 2024, and where it may be headed. StarTree Dremio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Meq247f31-A&embedable=true The sixth data platform For many organizations today, data management comes down to handing over their data to one of the “Big 5” data vendors: , Azure, and , plus Snowflake and Databricks. However, analysts David Vellante and George Gilbert believe that the need of modern data applications coupled with the evolution of open storage management may lead to the emergence of a “sixth data platform”. Amazon Microsoft Google The notion of the “sixth data platform” was the starting point for this conversation with Corless and Merced. is that open data formats may enable interoperability, leading the transition away from vertically integrated vendor-controlled platforms towards independent management of data storage and permissions. The sixth data platform hypothesis It’s an interesting scenario and one that would benefit users by forcing vendors to compete for every workload based on the business value delivered, irrespective of lock-in. But how close are we to realizing this? To answer this question, we need to examine open data formats and their properties. In turn, to understand data formats a brief historical overview is needed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7s8xSTxkYk&embedable=true We might call this table stakes, and it’s not just a pun. Historically, organizations would resort to using data warehouses for their analytics needs. These were databases specifically designed for analytics, as opposed to transactional applications. Traditional data warehouses worked, but scaling them was an issue as Merced pointed out. Scaling traditional data warehouses was expensive and cumbersome because it meant buying new hardware with storage and computing bundled. This was the problem Hadoop was meant to solve when introduced in the early 2010s, by separating storage and compute. Hadoop made scaling easier, but it was cumbersome to use. This is why an SQL interface was eventually created for Hadoop via , making it more accessible. Hive used metadata and introduced a protocol for mapping files, which was what Hadoop operated on, to tables, which is what SQL operates on. That was the beginning of open data formats. Apache Hive Data lakes, data lakehouses, and open data formats Hadoop also signified the emergence of the data lake. Since storage was now cheap and easy to add, that opened up the possibility of storing all data in one big Hadoop store: the data lake. Eventually, however, , which is the realm the “Big 5” operate on. Hadoop and on-premise compute and storage gave way to the cloud “The idea of a data lakehouse was, hey, you know what? We love this decoupling of compute and storage. We love the cloud. But wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to duplicate the data and we could just operate over the data store you already have, your data lake, and then just take all that data warehouse functionality and start trying to move it on there?”, as Merced put it. However, as he added, that turned out to be a tall order, because there were elements of traditional data management missing. Other cloud-based data management platforms introduced notions like automated sharding, partitioning, distribution, and replication. That came as part of the move away from data centers and file systems towards the cloud and APIs to access data. But for data lakehouses, these things are not a given. This is where open data formats such as and come in. They all have some things in common, such as the use of metadata to abstract and optimize file operations and being agnostic about storage. However, Hudi and Delta Lake both continued to build on what Hive started, while Iceberg departed from that. Apache Iceberg, Apache Hudi, Delta Lake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=043GGYTZCbk&embedable=true A detailed open data format comparison is a nuanced exercise, but perhaps the most important question is: Does interoperability exist between open data formats, and if yes, on what level? For the sixth data platform vision to become a reality, Interoperability should exist among clouds and formats, as well as on the semantics and governance level. Interoperability of the same format between different cloud storage vendors is possible, but not easy. It can be done, but it’s not an inherent feature of the data formats themselves. It’s done on the application level, either via custom integration or by using something like Dremio. And there will be egress and network costs from transferring files outside the cloud where they reside. Interoperability of different formats is also possible, but not perfect. It can be done by using a third-party application, but there are also a couple of other options like or . Neither works 100%, as Delta Uniform batches transactions and OneTable is for migration purposes. Delta Uniform OneTable As Merced noted, creating a solution that works 100% would probably incur a lot of overhead and complexity as metadata would have to be synchronized across formats. Merced thinks these solutions are motivated at least partially by Iceberg’s growth and the desire to ensure third-party tools can work with the Iceberg ecosystem. To federate or not to federate? What’s certain is that there’s always gonna be sprinkles of data in other systems or multiple clouds. That’s why federation and virtualization that can work at scale is needed, as Corless noted. Schema management is complicated enough on one system, and trying to manage changes across three different systems would not make things easier. Whether data is left where it originally resides and used via federated queries, or ingested in one storage location is a key architectural question. As such, there are tradeoffs involved that need to be understood. Even within federation, there are different ways to go about it – Dremio, GraphQL, Pinot, Trino, and more. “How do data consumers want to size up these problems? How can we give them predictive ways to plan for these trade-offs? They could use federated queries, or a hybrid table of real time and batch data. We don’t even have a grammar to describe those kinds of hybrid or complex data products these days”, Corless said. Corless has a slightly different point of view, focusing on real-time data and processing. This is what StarTree does, as it builds on t. Pinot is a real-time distributed OLAP datastore, designed to answer OLAP queries with low latency. Apache Pino Corless also noted that the choice of data format depends on several parameters. Some formats are optimized for in-memory use, like Others like are optimized for disk storage. Apache Arrow. Apache Parquet There are attempts to have common representations of data both in-memory and on storage, motivated by the need to leverage tiered storage. Tiered storage may utilize different media, ranging from in-memory to SSD to some sort of blob storage. “People want flexibility in where and how they store their data. If they have to do transmogrification in real time, that largely defeats the purpose of what they’re trying to do with tiered storage. Is there something like the best, most universal format? Whenever you’re optimizing for something, you’re optimizing away from something else. But I’m very eager to see where that kind of universal representation of data is taking us right now.”, Corless said. Semantics and governance Regardless of where or how data is stored, however, true interoperability should also include semantics and governance. This is where the current state of affairs leaves a lot to be desired. As Merced shared, the way all table formats work is that the metadata has information about the table, but not about the overall catalog of tables. That means they are not able to document the semantics of tables and how they relate to each other. A standard format of doing that doesn’t exist yet. Merced also noted that there is something that addresses this gap, but it only works for Iceberg tables. is an open-source platform that creates a catalog, thus making tracking and versioning Iceberg tables and views possible. Project Nessie Nessie also incorporates elements of governance, and Merced noted that Nessie will eventually have Delta Lake support too. Databricks on its part offers which works with Delta Lake, but it’s a proprietary product. There is no lack of data catalog products in the market, but none of that can really be considered the solution to semantics and data interoperability. Unity Catalog Corless on his part noted that there a standard called DCAT. DCAT, which stands for Data Catalog Vocabulary, is an RDF vocabulary designed to facilitate interoperability between data catalogs published on the Web. DCAT was recently updated to v.3, it’s been around for over a decade, and it’s precisely aimed at interoperability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb53L77_nS8&embedable=true The fact that DCAT is not used widely has probably more to do with vendors reinventing the wheel and/or aiming for lock-in, as well as clients not being more proactive in requiring interoperability standards than with DCAT itself, as per Corless. Unfortunately, it seems like what data is to AI, governance is to data for most organizations: a distant second at best. Forty-two percent of data and analytics leaders do not assess, measure or monitor their data and analytics governance, according to a . Those who said they measured their governance activity mainly focused on achieving compliance-oriented goals. 2020 Gartner survey The onset of . was an effort to standardize governance for data lakes leveraging DCAT and other metadata vocabularies. Today, however, both Data Lakes and Atlas seem to have fallen out of fashion. GDPR in 2018 marked the opportunity for governance to leverage metadata and semantics to rise up Apache Atlas A new project called was spun out of Atlas, aiming to address more than data lakes. Furthermore, there is another open standard for metadata and data lineage called and several lineage platforms that support it, including Egeria. Egeria OpenLineage Conclusion So, what is the verdict? Is the sixth data platform possible for data management in 2024 or is it a pipedream? Merced thinks that we’re already starting to see it. In his view, using open formats like Apache Iceberg, Apache Arrow, and Apache Parquet can create a greater level of interoperability. This interoperability is still imperfect, he noted, but it’s a much better state of things than in the past. Dremio’s thesis is to be an open data lakehouse, not just operating on the data lake, but across tools and data sources. Corless thinks that we’re going to see a drive toward clusters of clusters, or systems of systems. There’s going to be a reinforced drive towards the automation of integration. More like Lego bricks that snap together easily, rather than Ikea furniture that comes with a hex wrench. But for that to happen, he noted, we’ll need a language and a grammar so that systems and people can both understand each other. The ingredients for a sixth data platform are either there, or close enough. As complexity and fragmentation explode, a language and grammar for interoperability sounds like a good place to start. Admittedly, interoperability and semantics are hard. Even that, however, may be more of a people and market issue than a technical one. DCAT and OpenLineage are just some of the vocabularies out there. Even things as infamously hard to define as data mesh and data products have a vocabulary of their own – the . Data Product Descriptor Specification Perhaps then the right stance here would be cautious optimism. Also published . here

Data Management in 2024: Will Open Data Formats Shape a “Sixth Platform”?

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . Chapter XVII here Chapter XVII Day had returned. No ray of light penetrated into the profundity of the cavern. It being high-water, the entrance was closed by the sea. But the artificial light, which escaped in long streams from the skylights of the “Nautilus” was as vivid as before, and the sheet of water shone around the floating vessel. An extreme exhaustion now overcame Captain Nemo, who had fallen back upon the divan. It was useless to contemplate removing him to Granite House, for he had expressed his wish to remain in the midst of those marvels of the “Nautilus” which millions could not have purchased, and to wait there for that death which was swiftly approaching. During a long interval of prostration, which rendered him almost unconscious, Cyrus Harding and Gideon Spilett attentively observed the condition of the dying man. It was apparent that his strength was gradually diminishing. That frame, once so robust, was now but the fragile tenement of a departing soul. All of life was concentrated in the heart and head. The engineer and reporter consulted in whispers. Was it possible to render any aid to the dying man? Might his life, if not saved, be prolonged for some days? He himself had said that no remedy could avail, and he awaited with tranquillity that death which had for him no terrors. “We can do nothing,” said Gideon Spilett. “But of what is he dying?” asked Pencroft. “Life is simply fading out,” replied the reporter. “Nevertheless,” said the sailor, “if we move him into the open air, and the light of the sun, he might perhaps recover.” “No, Pencroft,” answered the engineer, “it is useless to attempt it. Besides, Captain Nemo would never consent to leave his vessel. He has lived for a dozen years on board the ‘Nautilus,’ and on board the ‘Nautilus’ he desires to die.” Without doubt Captain Nemo heard Cyrus Harding’s reply, for he raised himself slightly, and in a voice more feeble, but always intelligible,— “You are right, sir,” he said. “I shall die here—it is my wish; and therefore I have a request to make of you.” Cyrus Harding and his companions had drawn near the divan, and now arranged the cushions in such a manner as to better support the dying man. They saw his eyes wander over all the marvels of this saloon, lighted by the electric rays which fell from the arabesques of the luminous ceiling. He surveyed, one after the other, the pictures hanging from the splendid tapestries of the partitions, the chef-d’oeuvres of the Italian, Flemish, French, and Spanish masters; the statues of marble and bronze on their pedestals; the magnificent organ, leaning against the after-partition; the aquarium, in which bloomed the most wonderful productions of the sea—marine plants, zoophytes, chaplets of pearls of inestimable value; and, finally, his eyes rested on this device, inscribed over the pediment of the museum—the motto of the “Nautilus”— “Mobilis in mobile.” His glance seemed to rest fondly for the last time on these masterpieces of art and of nature, to which he had limited his horizon during a sojourn of so many years in the abysses of the seas. Cyrus Harding respected the captain’s silence, and waited till he should speak. After some minutes, during which, doubtless, he passed in review his whole life, Captain Nemo turned to the colonists and said, “You consider yourselves, gentlemen, under some obligations to me?” “Captain, believe us that we would give our lives to prolong yours.” “Promise, then,” continued Captain Nemo, “to carry out my last wishes, and I shall be repaid for all I have done for you.” “We promise,” said Cyrus Harding. And by this promise he bound both himself and his companions. “Gentlemen,” resumed the captain, “to-morrow I shall be dead.” Herbert was about to utter an exclamation, but a sign from the captain arrested him. “To-morrow I shall die, and I desire no other tomb than the ‘Nautilus.’ It is my grave! All my friends repose in the depths of the ocean; their resting-place shall be mine.” These words were received with profound silence. “Pay attention to my wishes,” he continued. “The ‘Nautilus’ is imprisoned in this grotto, the entrance of which is blocked up; but, although egress is impossible, the vessel may at least sink in the abyss, and there bury my remains.” The colonists listened reverently to the words of the dying man. “To-morrow, after my death, Mr. Harding,” continued the captain, “yourself and companions will leave the ‘Nautilus,’ for all the treasures it contains must perish with me. One token alone will remain with you of Prince Dakkar, with whose history you are now acquainted. That coffer yonder contains diamonds of the value of many millions, most of them mementoes of the time when, husband and father, I thought happiness possible for me, and a collection of pearls gathered by my friends and myself in the depths of the ocean. Of this treasure at a future day, you may make good use. In the hands of such men as yourself and your comrades, Captain Harding, money will never be a source of danger. From on high I shall still participate in your enterprises, and I fear not but that they will prosper.” After a few moments’ repose, necessitated by his extreme weakness, Captain Nemo continued,— “To-morrow you will take the coffer, you will leave the saloon, of which you will close the door; then you will ascend on to the deck of the ‘Nautilus,’ and you will lower the mainhatch so as entirely to close the vessel.” “It shall be done, captain,” answered Cyrus Harding. “Good. You will then embark in the canoe which brought you hither; but, before leaving the ‘Nautilus,’ go to the stern and there open two large stop-cocks which you will find upon the water-line. The water will penetrate into the reservoirs, and the ‘Nautilus’ will gradually sink beneath the water to repose at the bottom of the abyss.” And comprehending a gesture of Cyrus Harding, the captain added,— “Fear nothing! You will but bury a corpse!” Neither Cyrus Harding nor his companions ventured to offer any observation to Captain Nemo. He had expressed his last wishes, and they had nothing to do but to conform to them. “I have your promise, gentlemen?” added Captain Nemo. “You have, captain,” replied the engineer. The captain thanked the colonists by a sign, and requested them to leave him for some hours. Gideon Spilett wished to remain near him, in the event of a crisis coming on, but the dying man refused, saying, “I shall live until to-morrow, sir.” All left the saloon, passed through the library and the dining-room, and arrived forward, in the machine-room where the electrical apparatus was established, which supplied not only heat and light, but the mechanical power of the “Nautilus.” The “Nautilus” was a masterpiece containing masterpieces within itself, and the engineer was struck with astonishment. The colonists mounted the platform, which rose seven or eight feet above the water. There they beheld a thick glass lenticular covering, which protected a kind of large eye, from which flashed forth light. Behind this eye was apparently a cabin containing the wheels of the rudder, and in which was stationed the helmsman, when he navigated the “Nautilus” over the bed of the ocean, which the electric rays would evidently light up to a considerable distance. Cyrus Harding and his companions remained for a time silent, for they were vividly impressed by what they had just seen and heard, and their hearts were deeply touched by the thought that he whose arm had so often aided them, the protector whom they had known but a few hours, was at the point of death. Whatever might be the judgment pronounced by posterity upon the events of this, so to speak, extra-human existence, the character of Prince Dakkar would ever remain as one of those whose memory time can never efface. “What a man!” said Pencroft. “Is it possible that he can have lived at the bottom of the sea? And it seems to me that perhaps he has not found peace there any more than elsewhere!” “The ‘Nautilus,’” observed Ayrton, “might have enabled us to leave Lincoln Island and reach some inhabited country.” “Good Heavens!” exclaimed Pencroft, “I for one would never risk myself in such a craft. To sail on the seas, good, but under the seas, never!” “I believe, Pencroft,” answered the reporter, “that the navigation of a submarine vessel such as the ‘Nautilus’ ought to be very easy, and that we should soon become accustomed to it. There would be no storms, no lee-shore to fear. At some feet beneath the surface the waters of the ocean are as calm as those of a lake.” “That may be,” replied the sailor, “but I prefer a gale of wind on board a well-found craft. A vessel is built to sail on the sea, and not beneath it.” “My friends,” said the engineer, “it is useless, at any rate as regards the ‘Nautilus,’ to discuss the question of submarine vessels. The ‘Nautilus’ is not ours, and we have not the right to dispose of it. Moreover, we could in no case avail ourselves of it. Independently of the fact that it would be impossible to get it out of this cavern, whose entrance is now closed by the uprising of the basaltic rocks, Captain Nemo’s wish is that it shall be buried with him. His wish is our law, and we will fulfil it.” After a somewhat prolonged conversation, Cyrus Harding and his companions again descended to the interior of the “Nautilus.” There they took some refreshment and returned to the saloon. Captain Nemo had somewhat rallied from the prostration which had overcome him, and his eyes shone with their wonted fire. A faint smile even curled his lips. The colonists drew around him. “Gentlemen,” said the captain, “you are brave and honest men. You have devoted yourselves to the common weal. Often have I observed your conduct. I have esteemed you—I esteem you still! Your hand, Mr. Harding.” Cyrus Harding gave his hand to the captain, who clasped it affectionately. “It is well!” he murmured. He resumed,— “But enough of myself. I have to speak concerning yourselves, and this Lincoln Island, upon which you have taken refuge. You now desire to leave it?” “To return, captain!” answered Pencroft quickly. “To return, Pencroft?” said the captain, with a smile. “I know, it is true, your love for this island. You have helped to make it what it now is, and it seems to you a paradise!” “Our project, captain,” interposed Cyrus Harding, “is to annex it to the United States, and to establish for our shipping a port so fortunately situated in this part of the Pacific.” “Your thoughts are with your country, gentlemen,” continued the captain; “your toils are for her prosperity and glory. You are right. One’s native land!—there should one live! there die! And I die far from all I loved!” “You have some last wish to transmit,” said the engineer with emotion, “some souvenir to send to those friends you have left in the mountains of India?” “No, Captain Harding; no friends remain to me! I am the last of my race, and to all whom I have known I have long been as are the dead.—But to return to yourselves. Solitude, isolation, are painful things, and beyond human endurance. I die of having thought it possible to live alone! You should, therefore, dare all in the attempt to leave Lincoln Island, and see once more the land of your birth. I am aware that those wretches have destroyed the vessel you have built.” “We propose to construct a vessel,” said Gideon Spilett, “sufficiently large to convey us to the nearest land; but if we should succeed, sooner or later we shall return to Lincoln Island. We are attached to it by too many recollections ever to forget it.” “It is here that we have known Captain Nemo,” said Cyrus Harding. “It is here only that we can make our home!” added Herbert. “And here shall I sleep the sleep of eternity, if—” replied the captain. He paused for a moment, and, instead of completing the sentence, said simply,— “Mr. Harding, I wish to speak with you—alone!” The engineer’s companions, respecting the wish, retired. Cyrus Harding remained but a few minutes alone with Captain Nemo, and soon recalled his companions; but he said nothing to them of the private matters which the dying man had confided to him. Gideon Spilett now watched the captain with extreme care. It was evident that he was no longer sustained by his moral energy, which had lost the power of reaction against his physical weakness. The day closed without change. The colonists did not quit the “Nautilus” for a moment. Night arrived, although it was impossible to distinguish it from day in the cavern. Captain Nemo suffered no pain, but he was visibly sinking. His noble features, paled by the approach of death, were perfectly calm. Inaudible words escaped at intervals from his lips, bearing upon various incidents of his checkered career. Life was evidently ebbing slowly and his extremities were already cold. Once or twice more he spoke to the colonists who stood around him, and smiled on them with that last smile which continues after death. At length, shortly after midnight, Captain Nemo by a supreme effort succeeded in folding his arms across his breast, as if wishing in that attitude to compose himself for death. By one o’clock his glance alone showed signs of life. A dying light gleamed in those eyes once so brilliant. Then, murmuring the words, “God and my country!” he quietly expired. Cyrus Harding, bending low closed the eyes of him who had once been the Prince Dakkar, and was now not even Captain Nemo. Herbert and Pencroft sobbed aloud. Tears fell from Ayrton’s eyes. Neb was on his knees by the reporter’s side, motionless as a statue. Then Cyrus Harding, extending his hand over the forehead of the dead, said solemnly, “May his soul be with God!” Turning to his friends, he added, “Let us pray for him whom we have lost!” Some hours later the colonists fulfilled the promise made to the captain by carrying out his dying wishes. Cyrus Harding and his companions quitted the “Nautilus,” taking with them the only memento left them by their benefactor, the coffer which contained wealth amounting to millions. The marvelous saloon, still flooded with light, had been carefully closed. The iron door leading on deck was then securely fastened in such a manner as to prevent even a drop of water from penetrating to the interior of the “Nautilus.” The colonists then descended into the canoe, which was moored to the side of the submarine vessel. The canoe was now brought around to the stern. There, at the water-line, were two large stop-cocks communicating with the reservoirs employed in the submersion of the vessel. The stop-cocks were opened, the reservoirs filled, and the “Nautilus,” slowly sinking, disappeared beneath the surface of the lake. But the colonists were yet able to follow its descent through the waves. The powerful light it gave forth lighted up the translucent water, while the cavern became gradually obscure. At length this vast effusion of electric light faded away, and soon after the “Nautilus,” now the tomb of Captain Nemo, reposed in its ocean bed. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Jules Verne (1998). The Mysterious Island. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1268/1268-h/1268-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

No ray of light penetrated into the profundity of the cavern

The Big Four by Agatha Christie, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . WE INVESTIGATE AT CROFTLANDS X. WE INVESTIGATE AT CROFTLANDS The Scotland Yard Inspector was, indeed, waiting on the platform, and greeted us warmly. "Well, Moosior Poirot, this is good. Thought you'd like to be let in on this. Tip-top mystery, isn't it?" I read this aright as showing Japp to be completely puzzled and hoping to pick up a pointer from Poirot. Japp had a car waiting, and we drove up in it to Croftlands. It was a square, white house, quite unpretentious, and covered with creepers, including the starry yellow jasmine. Japp looked up at it as we did. "Must have been balmy to go writing that, poor old cove," he remarked. "Hallucinations, perhaps, and thought he was outside." Poirot was smiling at him. "Which was it, my good Japp?" he asked; "accident or murder?" The Inspector seemed a little embarrassed by the question. "Well, if it weren't for that curry business, I'd be for accident every time. There's no sense in holding a live man's head in the fire—why, he'd scream the house down." "Ah!" said Poirot in a low voice. "Fool that I have been. Triple imbecile! You are a cleverer man than I am, Japp." Japp was rather taken aback by the compliment—Poirot being usually given to exclusive self praise. He reddened and muttered something about there being a lot of doubt about that. He led the way through the house to the room where the tragedy had occurred—Mr. Paynter's study. It was a wide, low room, with book-lined walls and big leather arm-chairs. Poirot looked across at once to the window which gave upon a gravelled terrace. "The window, it was unlatched?" he asked. "That's the whole point, of course. When the doctor left this room, he merely closed the door behind him. The next morning it was found locked. Who locked it? Mr. Paynter? Ah Ling declares that the window was closed and bolted. Dr. Quentin, on the other hand, has an impression that it was closed, but not fastened, but he won't swear either way. If he could, it would make a great difference. If the man was murdered, some one entered the room either through the door or the window—if through the door, it was an inside job; if through the window, it might have been any one. First thing when they had broken the door down, they flung the window open, and the housemaid who did it thinks that it wasn't fastened, but she's a precious bad witness—will remember anything you ask her to!" "What about the key?" "There you are again. It was on the floor among the wreckage of the door. Might have fallen from the keyhole, might have been dropped there by one of the people who entered, might have been slipped underneath the door from the outside." "In fact everything is 'might have been'?" "You've hit it, Moosior Poirot. That's just what it is." Poirot was looking round him, frowning unhappily. "I cannot see light," he murmured. "Just now—-yes, I got a gleam, but now all is darkness once more. I have not the clue—the motive." "Young Gerald Paynter had a pretty good motive," remarked Japp grimly. "He's been wild enough in his time, I can tell you. And extravagant. You know what artists are, too—no morals at all." Poirot did not pay much attention to Japp's sweeping strictures on the artistic temperament. Instead he smiled knowingly. "My good Japp, is it possible that you throw the mud in my eyes? I know well enough that it is the Chinaman you suspect. But you are so artful. You want me to help you—and yet you drag the red kipper across the trail." Japp burst out laughing. "That's you all over, Mr. Poirot. Yes, I'd bet on the Chink, I'll admit it now. It stands to reason that it was he who doctored the curry, and if he'd try once in an evening to get his master out of the way, he'd try twice." "I wonder if he would," said Poirot softly. "But it's the motive that beats me. Some heathen revenge or other, I suppose." "I wonder," said Poirot again. "There has been no robbery? Nothing has disappeared? No jewellery, or money, or papers?" "No—that is, not exactly." I pricked up my ears; so did Poirot. "There's been no robbery, I mean," explained Japp. "But the old boy was writing a book of some sort. We only knew about it this morning when there was a letter from the publishers asking about the manuscript. It was just completed, it seems. Young Paynter and I have searched high and low, but can't find a trace of it—he must have hidden it away somewhere." Poirot's eyes were shining with the green light I knew so well. "How was it called, this book?" he asked. "The Hidden Hand in China, I think it was called." "Aha!" said Poirot, with almost a gasp. Then he said quickly, "Let me see the Chinaman, Ah Ling." The Chinaman was sent for and appeared, shuffling along, with his eyes cast down, and his pigtail swinging. His impassive face showed no trace of any kind of emotion. "Ah Ling," said Poirot, "are you sorry your master is dead?" "I welly sorry. He good master." "You know who kill him?" "I not know. I tell pleeceman if I know." The questions and answers went on. With the same impassive face, Ah Ling described how he had made the curry. The cook had had nothing to do with it, he declared, no hand had touched it but his own. I wondered if he saw where his admission was leading him. He stuck to it too, that the window to the garden was bolted that evening. If it was open in the morning, his master must have opened it himself. At last Poirot dismissed him. "That will do, Ah Ling." Just as the Chinaman had got to the door, Poirot recalled him. "And you know nothing, you say, of the Yellow Jasmine?" "No, what should I know?" "Nor yet of the sign that was written underneath it?" Poirot leant forward as he spoke, and quickly traced something on the dust of a little table. I was near enough to see it before he rubbed it out. A down stroke, a line at right angles, and then a second line down which completed a big 4. The effect on the Chinaman was electrical. For one moment his face was a mask of terror. Then, as suddenly, it was impassive again, and repeating his grave disclaimer, he withdrew. Japp departed in search of young Paynter, and Poirot and I were left alone together. "The Big Four, Hastings," cried Poirot. "Once again, the Big Four. Paynter was a great traveller. In his book there was doubtless some vital information concerning the doings of Number One, Li Chang Yen, the head and brains of the Big Four." "But who—how—" "Hush, here they come." Gerald Paynter was an amiable, rather weak-looking young man. He had a soft brown beard, and a peculiar flowing tie. He answered Poirot's questions readily enough. "I dined out with some neighbours of ours, the Wycherlys," he explained. "What time did I get home? Oh, about eleven. I had a latch-key, you know. All the servants had gone to bed, and I naturally thought my uncle had done the same. As a matter of fact, I did think I caught sight of that soft-footed Chinese beggar Ah Ling just whisking round the corner of the hall, but I fancy I was mistaken." "When did you last see your uncle, Mr. Paynter? I mean before you came to live with him." "Oh! not since I was a kid of ten. He and his brother (my father) quarrelled, you know." "But he found you again with very little trouble, did he not? In spite of all the years that had passed?" "Yes, it was quite a bit of luck my seeing the lawyer's advertisement." Poirot asked no more questions. Our next move was to visit Dr. Quentin. His story was substantially the same as he had told at the inquest, and he had little to add to it. He received us in his surgery, having just come to the end of his consulting patients. He seemed an intelligent man. A certain primness of manner went well with his pince-nez, but I fancied that he would be thoroughly modern in his methods. "I wish I could remember about the window," he said frankly. "But it's dangerous to think back, one becomes quite positive about something that never existed. That's psychology, isn't it, M. Poirot? You see, I've read all about your methods, and I may say I'm an enormous admirer of yours. No, I suppose it's pretty certain that the Chinaman put the powdered opium in the curry, but he'll never admit it, and we shall never know why. But holding a man down in a fire—that's not in keeping with our Chinese friend's character, it seems to me." I commented on this last point to Poirot as we walked down the main street of Market Handford. "Do you think he let a confederate in?" I asked. "By the way, I suppose Japp can be trusted to keep an eye on him?" (The Inspector had passed into the police station on some business or other.) "The emissaries of the Big Four are pretty spry." "Japp is keeping an eye on both of them," said Poirot grimly. "They have been closely shadowed ever since the body was discovered." "Well, at any rate we know that Gerald Paynter had nothing to do with it." "You always know so much more than I do, Hastings, that it becomes quite fatiguing." "You old fox," I laughed. "You never will commit yourself." "To be honest, Hastings, the case is now quite clear to me—all but the words, Yellow Jasmine—and I am coming to agree with you that they have no bearing on the crime. In a case of this kind, you have got to make up your mind who is lying. I have done that. And yet—" He suddenly darted from my side and entered an adjacent bookshop. He emerged a few minutes later, hugging a parcel. Then Japp rejoined us, and we all sought quarters at the inn. I slept late the next morning. When I descended to the sitting-room reserved for us, I found Poirot already there, pacing up and down, his face contorted with agony. "Do not converse with me," he cried, waving an agitated hand. "Not until I know that all is well—that the arrest is made. Ah! but my psychology has been weak. Hastings, if a man writes a dying message, it is because it is important. Every one has said—'Yellow Jasmine? There is yellow jasmine growing up the house—it means nothing.'" "Well, what does it mean? Just what it says. Listen." He held up a little book he was holding. "My friend, it struck me that it would be well to inquire into the subject. What exactly is yellow jasmine? This little book has told me. Listen." He read. "'Gelsemini Radix. Yellow Jasmine. Composition: Alkaloids gelseminine C22H26N2O3, a potent poison acting like coniine; gelsemine C12H14NO2, acting like strychnine; gelsemic acid, etc. Gelsemium is a powerful depressant to the central nervous system. At a late stage in its action it paralyses the motor nerve endings, and in large doses causes giddiness and loss of muscular power. Death is due to paralysis of the respiratory centre.' "You see, Hastings? At the beginning I had an inkling of the truth when Japp made his remark about a live man being forced into the fire. I realised then that it was a dead man who was burned." "But why? What was the point?" "My friend, if you were to shoot a man, or stab a man after he were dead, or even knock him on the head, it would be apparent that the injuries were inflicted after death. But with his head charred to a cinder, no one is going to hunt about for obscure causes of death, and a man who has apparently just escaped being poisoned at dinner, is not likely to be poisoned just afterwards. Who is lying, that is always the question? I decided to believe Ah Ling—" "What!" I exclaimed. "You are surprised, Hastings? Ah Ling knew of the existence of the Big Four, that was evident—so evident that it was clear he knew nothing of their association with the crime until that moment. Had he been the murderer, he would have been able to retain his impassive face perfectly. So I decided then, to believe Ah Ling, and I fixed my suspicions on Gerald Paynter. It seemed to me that Number Four would have found an impersonation of a long lost nephew very easy." "What!" I cried. "Number Four?" "No, Hastings, not Number Four. As soon as I had read up the subject of yellow jasmine, I saw the truth. In fact, it leapt to the eye." "As always," I said coldly, "it doesn't leap to mine." "Because you will not use your little gray cells. Who had a chance to tamper with the curry?" "Ah Ling. No one else." "No one else? What about the doctor?" "But that was afterwards." "Of course it was afterwards. There was no trace of powdered opium in the curry served to Mr. Paynter, but acting in obedience to the suspicions Dr. Quentin had aroused, the old man eats none of it, and preserves it to give to his medical attendant, whom he summons according to plan. Dr. Quentin arrives, takes charge of the curry, and gives Mr. Paynter an injection—of strychnine, he says, but really of yellow jasmine—a poisonous dose. When the drug begins to take effect, he departs, after unlatching the window. Then, in the night, he returns by the window, finds the manuscript, and shoves Mr. Paynter into the fire. He does not heed the newspaper that drops to the floor and is covered by the old man's body. Paynter knew what drug he had been given, and strove to accuse the Big Four of his murder. It is easy for Quentin to mix powdered opium with the curry before handing it over to be analysed. He gives his version of the conversation with the old man, and mentions the strychnine injection casually, in case the mark of the hypodermic needle is noticed. Suspicion at once is divided between accident and the guilt of Ah Ling owing to the poison in the curry." "But Dr. Quentin cannot be Number Four?" "I fancy he can. There is undoubtedly a real Dr. Quentin who is probably abroad somewhere. Number Four has simply masqueraded as him for a short time. The arrangements with Dr. Bolitho were all carried out by correspondence, the man who was to do locum originally having been taken ill at the last minute." At that minute, Japp burst in, very red in the face. "You have got him?" cried Poirot anxiously. Japp shook his head, very out of breath. "Bolitho came back from his holiday this morning—recalled by telegram. No one knows who sent it. The other man left last night. We'll catch him yet, though." Poirot shook his head quietly. "I think not," he said, and absent-mindedly he drew a big 4 on the table with a fork. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Agatha Christie (2023). The Big Four. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/70114/pg70114-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

WE INVESTIGATE AT CROFTLANDS

The steaks we had that night

One major change sparked by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was the trend of remote work for companies across the globe. Millions of people started working remotely, and many thought it was a temporary measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. However, it only took a few months to realize that remote work was here to stay. Some corporations implemented a permanent remote work model, while others adopted a hybrid one. Regardless of these models, one thing many employees and companies are trying to overcome is employee burnout. Innovative, tech-driven solutions may be an invaluable tool in combating remote work burnout. How Remote Work Can Lead To Burnout While remote work created myriad opportunities for companies to continue operating smoothly during the global pandemic, it's also created unprecedented challenges for the average worker. For example, working remotely means employees spend less time surrounded by colleagues working toward the same mission. There's no way for remote workers to engage in the face-to-face interactions inherent to the traditional office environment. Loneliness and isolation are of remote working and have far-reaching implications. Employees struggling with these feelings might engage in poor decision-making and have increased stress levels. two of the top concerns Remote work also makes it challenging for employees to set boundaries and separate their personal and professional lives. Depending on their employer, some workers might lack the right technology to perform well. Reports suggest that around their jobs because they lacked suitable technology to fulfill their job responsibilities. 26% of employees considered quitting Remote employees often work long hours, lack personal time to recharge, and between work and home. The "always-on" mentality also negatively impacts employees and their mental health. do not have a clear separation Signs and Symptoms of Remote Work Burnout As a result of these issues, remote employees are experiencing burnout symptoms, which can decrease their productivity, motivation, sense of fulfillment, and engagement. Here are some of the : signs and symptoms of work burnout Reduced efficacy Energy depletion Exhaustion Depersonalization Cynicism Businesses should do their best to keep an open line of communication with remote workers and implement solutions, so employees avoid experiencing burnout. But how can they accomplish this? How Technology Can Reduce Remote Work Burnout Companies might be able to leverage technology to reduce remote work burnout. Below are some ways technology can help employees reduce burnout symptoms and feel more connected and engaged while working from home. 1. Video Conferencing Meditations The rise in software like Google Meet, Zoom, and Skype helped support companies as they transitioned to remote work. While these tools are used to hold work-related meetings, performance reviews, or check-ins, they can also create a space for employees to meditate. A recent study found that mindfulness meditation effectively reduced for nurses. burnout These meditation practices can increase self-compassion, decrease burnout symptoms and stress and improve employees' mental health. 2. Mental Health Apps The pandemic has impacted virtually everyone's mental well-being, and remote workers are no exception. Trying to achieve a work-life balance, managing a schedule, and handling childcare and other responsibilities can quickly become overwhelming for an employee. Thankfully, various mental health apps on smartphones can come in handy. Some examples of include Calm, Headspace, Happify, and Moodkit. popular apps in this category 3. Wearable Devices Another tech gadget that could help employees reduce feelings of burnout is wearable devices. Take the Apple Watch, for example. The watch can monitor the user's breathing, heart rate, the times they stand up during the day, and other aspects of their daily life. It also to help employees re-center themselves if they become frustrated, stressed, or upset during the workday. has a Breathe feature 4. Virtual Health Care Lastly, virtual therapy sessions can help employees discuss their feelings of burnout and consult a licensed mental health counselor to find viable solutions. Telehealth became increasingly popular during the pandemic and will likely continue. Businesses can use these four technologies to help support their remote workers experiencing burnout symptoms. Leveraging Tech to Put Employees First Although burnout existed before the pandemic and subsequent remote work trends, business leaders are responsible for preventing and alleviating employee burnout symptoms. By leveraging available resources and technologies, organizations can assist remote workers with burnout, enabling them to maintain their productivity, feel more engaged, and contribute to the company's mission.

Can Tech Combat Remote Work Burnout?

Dbt is a wildly popular tool. When it comes to the data pipeline, companies do (and should!) use dbt tests to mitigate problems. Dbt tests are great for organizations who want to improve data quality and reliability. But sometimes, dbt might not go far enough. Testing has inherent limitations. For example - tests only provide information from the areas that are tested. But what about the areas you don’t have time to test, because of resource or time limitations? When an organization gets big enough, it might need to fold in some additional . In this post, we’ll talk about 7 ways to level up your dbt tests, and some indicators that it’s time to move beyond the test. data observability 1. Get a handle on the different dbt test types When it comes to dbt tests, you have two options: , and . data tests schema tests Data tests are specific queries that you run against a specific model. They live in the “tests” folder of your dbt project. Schema tests are generic. They can be configured and applied to multiple models. Out of the box, dbt has four schema tests that can be immediately used: unique, not_null, accepted_values, and relationships.  You can also write custom schema tests, as macros with the prefix test and stored in the folder. macros If you have one model that you want to validate in a specific way, you can simply write a data test in the tests folder. But if you find that you’re copying and pasting that query and configuring it. across multiple models - you might want to transition your data test into a schema test. 2. Use plugins and packages Level up your dbt with integrations, like: - an open platform for data lineage collection and analysis. It tracks metadata about datasets, jobs, and runs. OpenLineage consumes data produced by dbt runs. OpenLineage -  a dbt plugin that allows users to deploy GE-like tests in their data warehouse directly from dbt dbt_expectations - small test cases for Macros that verify data is working as expected Unit tests 3. For all dbt runs, schedule dbt tests For daily dbt jobs, you likely run associated tests on the same schedule. You can configure your dbt job to have multiple commands, including tests, running, freshness checks, and more. You can set up automated emails and Slack notifications in the case of failure. 4. Run dbt tests on a model change / new PR When a PR is created in your database repo with a migration, use dbt tests to verify changes won’t break your dbt models before merging the PR. You can do this by using data model blue-green deployment. Your CI/CD tool should do the and commands to target a staging database environment or a staging schema within the production environment. dbt run dbt test If the tests pass, continue on with against the production environment or production schema. dbt run Also, make sure that your staging environment is fully replicated. That way, the intitial staging results are an accurate proxy for how production will play out. dbt test 5. Run dbt tests on your source models To catch potential problems as early as possible,  run “dbt test” against your source models first: Run dbt tests against the source Run the dbt job Test the resulting outputs In other words: dbt test --models source:[sources] dbt run -m [models] dbt test -m [models] 6. Distribute dbt test results Set up an interactive way to display and visualize dbt test results. That way, you’ll always be aware when something in your dbt transformations goes wrong. Several tools on the market can help you with these displays. For example, and do these visualizations for you. Or, you can create a custom visualization. re_data elementary For example, the team at leveraged dbt artifacts and the query log to build reporting and alerts on dbt model/job runs and performance. This may also be a good point to begin considering a more generic data observability tool like . Snapcommerce Bigeye 7. Add data observability into your pipeline Testing and data observability have the same end goal - detecting problems. However, they approach this end results differently. Testing is opinionated - it originates in a human expressing a condition they think should be true. Observability is neutral - it asks, “Do we know the state of the data system at all times? How has it changed?”  Much like a dashboard on a vehicle, data observability provides insight into how fast you’re going, whether the engine light is on, and whether you’re due for an oil change. In conclusion: Optimize your dbt testing sophistication Data engineers will go to some trouble to bridge the gap between dbt tests and complete data observability. It often results in a hacked-together setup that leaves out large parts of the data stack, outside the realm of dbt. As organizations scale, there’s infinite opportunity to test. While you can only write tests for so many things, you can layer in data observability on top of your set of tests. It will help you catch the things for which you don’t want to (or can’t) write tests.

Leveling Up Your dbt Tests in 7 Steps

At some point in your , you may find yourself in a position where you are responsible not only for your own output but also for the output of other writers under you. In other words, you’ve become a manager. Some typical scenarios where you find yourself in the role of supervisor or manager: technical writing career At some point, you may be promoted to senior technical writer with the responsibility of training new junior writers. You work in a large company with a reasonably sized technical writing team. You need to convince the company to temporarily or permanently bring in another writer to help manage the content, and you’ll need to manage his output. You’re the lone technical writer in a smaller company. Regardless of how this occurs, now you need to manage the output of others, and your focus is going to change to at least some degree. You’ll need to acquire an additional awareness of the overall technical writing process in the company and how it is impacted by company politics, as well as advanced knowledge of the other departments’ personnel and processes. Of course, you’ll need to do this while continuing to deliver the documentation yesterday. Simply put, you have to figure out whether you are a leader or a manager, and come up with a method for managing the writers under you. Your choice is greatly influenced by your personality, and the personalities of the people you interact with. A lot has been written about leader vs. manager, but in essence: Managers administer, leaders innovate Managers worry about the day-to-day operations, leaders project a vision for the future Managers ask how and when leaders also consider the why Managers obsess over delivering on time, leaders commit to delivering better Managers focus on the details, leaders paint the larger picture In technical communication, managers require their writers to deliver, leaders inspire them to deliver. Technical Writing Manager Successful technical writing groups do not depend on a question of leadership versus management, but rather . Management is a basic requirement for any technical writing team. Content needs to be delivered on time to customers, and while there is always room for improvement, the actual process needs to be administered on a daily basis. leadership and management In some companies like with large documentation departments, it is possible to have both managers and also leaders, but it is impossible to get by on leadership alone. Technical writers need the how what and when questions answered. The why is an added bonus. MyPerfectWords When you find yourself managing a documentation department, ask yourself the following questions: What is the documentation that your company needs to create? What are the impending deadlines? Which SMEs need to be interviewed? Which managers do I need to talk to? What content needs to be reviewed? What has to be done? Every what requires a when. Create a task chart or a Gantt. Being aware of what needs to be done and how everything is progressing will help you keep a handle on all the tasks, and also demonstrate it to management. Keep an open line of communication with your writers, they need to know tasks and deadlines, and you need to know whether to adjust the schedule so it won’t be at the last minute. When must things be done? ? Once you know what needs to be done and when it is due, you will be able to calculate how many people you need for the task, and what skills are needed. A well-thought case for additional staff will help you convince reluctant management to provide you with the help you need. When recruiting for the technical writing staff, emphasize skills and the ability to learn quickly since content requirements may change, and you’ll not be able to hire a new person for every new task that comes along, such as tutorial videos or instructional design. Who must get things done ? Which software tools are required? Do you need special hardware? How are your outputs going to be delivered? Do you need a CMS? What processes do you need for the creation, review, and production of content? Your company likely has existing software that you are going to be expected to use (MS-Office), but to do the job effectively, your team may need more sophisticated tools like Framemaker, Robohelp or Flare. The choice of tools should be determined according to both the content requirements, as well as your writers’ abilities. Tools can be learned, and good writers are hard to replace so keep both considerations in mind. How will get things done ? You will need to interact with other teams or departments to accomplish your tasks, such as conducting SME interviews. But you also need the help of other departments, such as engineering, training, support, or even marketing, to gather information and develop content. No matter whether your department is integrated with other departments, where you are positioned determines who you can interact with so it’s important to understand the chain of command. How will the technical writing department’s place in the organization help me get things done These questions are relevant for managers of large departments and small teams. You need to be aware of all the details and the overall process in order to effectively manage tasks and writers. You also need to figure out how you are going to interact with people. As a manager, you are going to be interacting not only with the writers under you, but also with the managers above you and other departments – all of which have distinct personalities, agendas, and places in the organizational hierarchy. That means you have to adopt different management styles to successfully accommodate situations you encounter. Here’s a quick summary of five management styles, and when they are appropriate: : If your writers need micro-managing and hand holding, especially when first joining a team. While some writers don’t need close supervision or eventually grow out of it, others will always need to be told in detail what needs to be done. If you have writers needing micromanagement, always make sure to set aside time to check on them, and require daily or weekly reports. Hands-on : At the other end of the spectrum are writers who hate being interrupted and value their independence. They need a hands-off approach, and to prove they deserve it will have pretty amazing metrics. Independent writers generally need a nudge to keep them on task and for you to stay on top of the department’s output. Otherwise, stay out of their way, and so they’ll deliver their content on or ahead of schedule. Hands off : If there is only one of you, and many groups of products that require your attention, delegate to other writers and have them attend meetings. Making these writers scouts enables them to be aware not only of their own work but also the work of others. This kind of sharing is key because decisions one writer makes usually affect others, and they can become more proactive about what goes on outside their desk. Scout leader : As a manager, you need to represent your department to other managers who tell their employees how to interact with your writers. Not only will you need to represent your department’s interests, but also smooth the way for your writers, such as spotlighting a writer to demonstrate accomplishments, and encourage increased cooperation. This approach can also make it easier to support your team members when they need it. Patron : Large organizations often have complex projects and multiple writers. Some writers will attempt to do everything on their own, even as other writers have spare time on their hands. As a manager, you are going to be responsible for assigning tasks to schedules, and bringing in other writers when things get hectic. You need to communicate and coordinate with your writers to make sure that everything is getting done on time. Air Traffic Controller Keep in mind that these management approaches are not the same thing as leadership. If you are a good manager, you’ll get your writer to produce the required content, using whichever approach best suits the person and situation. If you are a good leader, you’ll get them to want to produce the content and even enjoy the task. Technical Writing Leadership A leader can get the best performance out of their writers, despite obstacles such as ever increasing workloads. Becoming a leader requires a conscious decision to do so, and involves careful thought about your own goals and willingness to change. Ask yourself the following questions: How well do I understand the role of technical writing in helping the company meet its larger goals? Can I summarize the group’s mission in one sentence? Can I articulate the kind of environment in which I want to work, and share that vision with my team? Am I willing to argue against superiors to protect the integrity of my team’s work, and will the organization tolerate such challenges? How well can I identify the strengths and weaknesses of the people with whom I work, and can I channel these into positive tasks? Am I willing to delegate assignments and provide the information others need to complete those assignments well? Am I willing to make mistakes, accept others’ mistakes, and use these as opportunities for improvement? Am I willing to empower others to make decisions and foster creative thinking? Do I believe I can make a difference? Answers to these questions don’t always provide a clear direction or specific goals, but they help reaffirm the decision to take on a leadership role. These answers lead to the awareness of improvements you need to make in your approach, or alternatively, that you’re in the wrong role or in the wrong organization. And they lay the groundwork for creating a vision. To lead effectively, you need to create a vision and communicate it to the team. The vision answers the “why” of your department’s existence and leads to the how. The Vision drives everything else. Defining a vision is mostly based on known organizational objectives and your superiors’ expectations, but there is usually room in a departmental vision to add your own touch. For example, a technical writing department may be expected to manage documentation and is necessary for process control, but you can add a commitment to best-in-class performance, which communicates significance, to your writers and others. Establishing this vision helps define goals for the group and helps create a sense of personal ownership, especially if the team collaborates to shape the vision. In a vision-building effort with your team, you should first define the core values of your organization, and the common ideals that everyone understands, such as integrity, creativity, innovation, service, and accuracy. Review with your team these values and mission statements, and decide whether the team’s performance has adhered to them. The next step is to examine what your team aspires to become, and the long-term goals needed to reach this aspirational state. One good technique involves stating what the team does and why it is important, and then asking what the company would lose if your department ceased to exist tomorrow. Repeat the question to open a free-wheeling discussion on contributions, and the value of technical writing to the company as a whole. After you create the vision, you must communicate it – using both subtle and obvious methods. Connect events to the vision to emphasize its relevance. Bring it up in internal memos, presentations, and posters. Incorporate it into performance review standards and interdepartmental projects. Constant communication of the vision helps energize your team, and also advertise your efforts to upper management. Developing a vision makes your life as a manager easier because it helps build a stronger team who feel more involved and committed, and thus are able to demonstrate more initiative. As a leader with vision, you establish a purpose for yourself and your team, and technical writing becomes more than just a job, even as you yourself become better prepared to handle the challenges of the future. Technical Writing Management Today Today technical writers are more than just paper pushers and documentation managers. Technical writing has evolved beyond creating individual documents, to become managing content and information. Users today are accessing traditional documentation less and less while using their smartphones to search Google and YouTube and to ask friends on Facebook and Twitter for the knowledge they need. The interaction between a technical writer and his target audience is now much more direct, and information is considerably more mobile. In addition to moving up the career ladder, technical writers have the option of moving beyond , to , and understanding the larger role of content within the organization – how it is used and who consumes it. See where the trends are going, and be ready to adapt as necessary, while keeping your ego in check – whether you are a manager, a leader or both. documentation management content and knowledge management Also Published . here

Technical Writing, Leadership and Management 

Having a talented, knowledgeable and well-connected recruiter aggressively working on your behalf could help you find a great, new job opportunity. A good recruiter can provide you access to some of the best jobs on the market, sell you to the company so that you can get a job offer, and negotiate a stronger total-compensation package for you. Here’s the secret to getting a recruiter to work harder for you. How do recruiters or headhunters work? Recruiters are generally paid a fee by the hiring company. They only get paid if they place a candidate with the company. Because of the recruiting industry’s financial structure, recruiters are motivated to work on your behalf. There is no second-place trophy if they don’t land you the job! A recruiter’s commission is also typically a percentage of your salary, so if you get a better offer, they will earn a larger fee. As you might imagine, recruiters are generally motivated to help you get the job. However, the recruiter needs to feel very positive about your chances of success. They need to feel that all their time and effort will be worthwhile as if you don’t get the job, they don’t get paid for any of the work they did on your behalf. After all, you don’t pay the recruiter or headhunter. How do you motivate a recruiter to work harder for you? are already motivated to work on your behalf. They will prepare, motivate and hold your hand through the rough patches and the entire job interview process. Recruiters However, these are five things that you can do to motivate a recruiter to work harder for you. Make it easy for the recruiter to sell you You want to ensure that you present yourself in a way that the recruiter becomes your biggest fan and champion. A recruiter will be your advocate, but it helps if they truly believe you are engaged in the job process and will accept a job offer if you earn one. Have a call with the recruiter so that they know you personally and professionally. Working with a recruiter is a two-way relationship, and you both need to feel confident in each other. Plus, it’s human nature to work harder for people you like and respect. Sell yourself to the recruiter Be prepared with a three to five-minute interview pitch. Be able to describe your current responsibilities clearly and concisely. The skills and responsibilities you highlight should be relevant to the types of jobs that you want to interview for and eventually accept. Again, you want to make it easy for the recruiter to pitch your experience and candidacy to different hiring managers. Maintain an open line of communication with the recruiter Be honest and direct with the recruiter throughout the job interview process. Speak candidly and transparently about your current situation and what you are seeking. You want to be on the same page as your recruiter. Provide the recruiter with a clear picture of your situation and advise them of any changes. They need to hear what you are looking for concerning title, company culture, benefits, growth opportunities, salary requirements and everything else that factors into your decision about accepting a new job. After any job interview, offer feedback. Ask the recruiter if they have constructive criticism from the company to help you fine-tune your approach for the next round. Remember: The more your recruiter knows, the better they can effectively deal with any roadblocks. Help them push the process forward for you. Approach every communication with tact It’s not just your reputation on the line during the job interview process. A recruiter is recommending you for an open position to their clients. They want to be confident that you will shine and won’t embarrass them or yourself. Demonstrate good judgment. Don’t be rude in your communications, and prepare for each job interview. Be patient Job interviews take a long time. It could take months and require meeting a handful to a dozen people before the company decides to extend a job offer. Recognize that it isn’t the recruiter’s fault. The recruiter wants you to get a job offer as soon as possible. They are motivated financially to move you along the process and share feedback and information as soon as they receive it. The bottom line Take the time to convince your recruiter that you have the right background, expertise, education, and interpersonal skills for the job. A recruiter or headhunter will be your strongest advocate and can dramatically increase your chances of landing a dream job or pay package. This article was written by Jack Kelly for Forbes and was lightly edited and published with permission on Teamblind’s blog.

How to Get a Recruiter to Work Harder for You

There are three main steps that an enterprise should take to manage employee leave. These include complying with federal and state laws, establishing clear communication with employees, and identifying and implementing a fair leave policy. Employee leave policies should also cover special government and legal holidays. As the holiday season approaches, these processes become even more challenging. But following these 3 employee leave management tips will help you ensure that everyone has a great time off from work during the holiday season. Employee leave management is a complex process The complexities of employee leave management cannot be ignored. Not only does it encourage a healthier work-life balance, but can also reduce absenteeism. Studies have shown that employees rate paid time off as one of the most important benefits of their jobs, behind health care. To ensure employee retention and satisfaction, get the process right. The biggest challenges of employee leave management include a lack of communication and a number of legal repercussions. The governing rules of leave entitlement and allocation are intricate, and often a lot of confusion results. For this reason, some public sector entities have specialized leave management units that can answer questions from employees and supervisors and ensure that leave is used fairly and appropriately. OnePoint also helps organizations minimize business risk by allowing managers to easily and quickly respond to employee requests. While investment in new technology is critical, it isn't the final step. Managers and supervisors must be trained and guided to ensure that leave policies are implemented correctly and efficiently. A self-service portal can help organizations streamline the process and eliminate human errors related to payroll. It also empowers employees by providing a single point of access for all leave management needs. Employees can check their leave balance and status from their mobile devices. A self-service portal can help employers manage employee data and make it easy to communicate with employees. This is particularly important for organizations where leave management is a key process. The management of employee leave is a complex process that can be challenging to manage manually. Even if you manage your leaves through excel sheets, the number of requests for leave can become a nightmare. With a growing number of staff, it can become impossible to keep track of every leave request. A good leave management solution will help you identify patterns and alert you when a staff member is going on leave, and this will reduce your time spent searching for replacement staff. The key to ensuring a smooth leave management process is communication. Managers must make sure that employees understand and comply with the policy. Holiday time and summertime are stressful periods for employees, and they should ensure that there is no disruption in the workday due to high levels of absences and leave requests. Internal communication and a company newsletter are a couple of methods for improving employee compliance with leave policies. Additionally, intermittent reminder messages can be pushed out to the time clock terminal. The aim is to increase compliance with leave policies, while minimizing the chances of legal problems. It requires compliance with federal and state laws Compliance with federal and state laws for employee leave management is critical for the success of your business. The rules regarding paid time off and sick leave vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and navigating the complexities of the law can seem impossible. However, with HR Works at your side, you'll be able to successfully navigate the complicated world of employee leave management and stay within the law. You can use our leave management services to help you stay within the law and keep your business functioning smoothly. Managing employee leave policies and procedures is a complex task, especially if the laws vary by state. The Massachusetts Parental Leave Act, for example, requires that employers provide employees with eight weeks of unpaid leave for maternity and paternity leave. FMLA, meanwhile, may require employers to provide paid time off for certain types of work. Further, many states have laws regulating how employees can use their unpaid time off. Employee leave management is a complex process, but a few simple tips can help you ensure compliance with federal and state laws and provide peace of mind to employees alike. The first tip is to assess your employees' leave obligations. While they may be unwilling to cooperate with the leave process, it's vital to determine their legal leave entitlement. Remember, some employees may not be clear on the reasons why they need leave, and that's OK--they are still entitled to time off. Another common challenge employers face is how to manage the needs of employees who work remotely or across many jurisdictions. The COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted the availability of paid sick leave and kin care, has amplified the importance of the decisions employers make on leave, and introduced new legal obligations for employers. These laws apply to remote employees, employers operating in multiple jurisdictions, and employers that employ workers from far-flung locations must make sure that they comply with the relevant laws. Compliance with federal and state laws for employee leave management is essential for the success of any business. Without a proper strategy, the lack of effective leave policies can lead to a toxic work environment that can cause employees to miss work and ultimately lead to increased productivity costs. Additionally, poor leave management can put employers at risk for fines and class action lawsuits. The best solution to avoid such problems is to implement a comprehensive leave management system. It requires clear communication with Employees The most important thing for an employer to remember when managing employee leave is to keep an open line of communication with all team members. The last thing any employer wants is for an employee to ask for leave the day before the holiday. Having clear communication about when and how leave is permitted is essential to a strong employee leave policy. Here are a few tips for better employee leave management. Ensure all team members understand your leave policy before making any changes. The first step to clear communication with your employees when managing employee leave is to set up an appointment to discuss the need for the leave. If the employee requests an appointment, set a meeting time and date. Make sure to pay the employee for this time. If the employee is hourly, they must be paid for any preparation time. If the employee is exempt, you should be paying them for the day. If this is not possible, consider offering an alternative schedule to ensure that the conversation goes smoothly. During the employee's leave, you should send a reminder confirming the date they are expected to return. Make sure to follow up with a monthly check-in with their direct supervisor. You should also ask them to opt-in to digital communication before the leave issue arises. This way, you can track all communication with employees. They can also receive updates on the company. If the employee requested a time off, they could request a new shift. The process of managing employee leave is a complicated one. Without a proper system, the process can be frustrating for both employees and HR personnel. Even worse, it can cause legal action. If you don't get a good system for this process, it can lead to payroll errors and employee frustration. Regardless of the method you choose, be sure to automate the process if you want your team to remain productive. Using a leave management workflow can streamline the entire process. Using an automated workflow can route the form to the correct department based on the employee's request. Leave management software solutions, like frevvo's, allow you to add steps to automate the process and create conditional leave rules. Once you have a workflow, you're well on your way to managing employee leave! And with frevvo's leave management software, you can add and edit steps, such as conditional leave rules and conditional requests. It can be stressful during the holiday season The holiday season can be very stressful for employees. Mandatory holiday parties, last-minute deadlines, and everyday responsibilities can all make it a stressful time of year for employees. Holiday stress can even exacerbate existing cultural issues within an organization, which include issues related to time, money, and relationships. To alleviate this stress, smart employers should focus on employee wellness. They should encourage employees to participate in activities they enjoy, such as volunteering, participating in charity work, and making sure to spend time with co-workers. In addition to creating a calendar with all the important deadlines and coverage plans, employers should also make clear expectations for their employees when they are out of the office. Holidays are a busy time of year for employees, and they may need to check emails a few times a day or respond to urgent emails. To minimize stress, delegate holiday management to another co-worker or team member. Stress during the holiday season is a well-known problem for employees, and most companies do not hire additional staff to cover these absences. Most companies rely on their teams to share workloads, and a survey showed that 70% of HR directors delegate their workloads during the holiday season. In addition to this, one-in-four managers take on additional responsibilities while their team members are off. To address this issue, organizations should implement cloud-based HR solutions to reduce stress and backfill resource needs. Employee stress can affect payroll management and HR teams, and a holiday schedule is especially stressful for employees. Holiday schedules and fun activities can also add to the stress level. For these reasons, workplaces should actively solicit feedback from employees and try to identify any areas for improvement. Using an employee feedback loop to help employees with holiday issues can reduce stress levels and increase productivity. But this is not the only reason why employee leave management becomes stressful during the holiday season. The holiday season is meant for fun. Employees look forward to a holiday season filled with family time but dread the stress of working during the holiday season. Year-end reporting, performance reviews, and late nights in the office can put a strain on employees and hamper their productivity. If this is not handled properly, it can lead to burnout and a loss of productivity. When employees are stressed and unable to enjoy themselves, they may start to neglect their work, which can lead to poor work performance.

3 Employee Leave Management Tips For Enterprises To Follow

Boosting visibility and performance has become paramount for retailers all around the world as they work their way towards their customer’s top of mind. Keeping the customer experience at the forefront of digital transformation, marketing strategies have shifted their focus to pop-up stores to help ease, attract, and wow new and existing customers. From carvings in giant ice blocks in Russia to a museum display of Michael Jordan’s shoes in New Orleans, pop-up stores offer retailers the possibility to go above and beyond in building a strong connection with their brand via an . As we dive deeper into the success and strategies behind pop-up stores, let’s first understand their impact and how industry giants have adopted them to build awareness and interest in their products and brands. ephemeral experience According to a recent survey conducted by , 80% of global retail companies have opened a successful pop-up store, with a 58% of the stores surveyed stating that they’ll likely use this tactic again in the future. Even industry giants such as are placing pop-up stores strategically in the right position at malls, enough to stop potential department store shoppers right in their tracks, so they don’t shop at the competition. Storefront and the University of South Carolina College of Retail Amazon The cost-effective approach helps build the bigger picture—pop-up stores offer exposure in a new channel and a chance to test-run a physical store, boosting all sorts of traffic. Whether you’re a startup or an experienced retail store owner, you can enhance the B2C experience and attract more customers to your pop-up store with the following three marketing strategies. 1. Location is Everything The success behind Amazon’s pop-up stores paying off and returning (and then some) their investment is the strategic location requiring minimum effort to attract customers and steer them away from the competition. However, you don’t have to be a retail giant to start experiencing these results. One of the biggest pain points retailers face is getting traffic to their event or venue while setting up these seasonal pop-up stores. To target a broad audience, the key is to get a solid validation through an address already known and commonly visited by consumers. Picture this, let’s say a small business is setting up a tent outside of a park. They will only target those potential customers that visit this park every day, limiting their offering and sales. Yet, if this same small business decides to leverage the flexibility of moving their pop-up store to a Wal-Mart parking lot, for instance, they can build a clear and strong promotional strategy driving potential business to a prominent location. As users already become familiar with the site, businesses can easily grow through word of mouth and referrals; building on customer engagement and loyalty. 2. Ensure a Google Listing After you’ve secured a popular location, it’s time to cement your strategy with a . Nowadays, with the digital transformation shaping up every industry, having a strong online presence is no longer a suggestion but a necessity to help businesses stay afloat and competitive. There’s no better way for small-to-medium business (SMB) owners to gain credibility and validation from customers than by having the largest search engine on their side, Google. Google Listing verification Listing your business on Google will allow your customers to share, review, and visit your store easily and at their convenience. The best thing you can do to help your customers visit your pop-up store is constantly update your information—from business hours to working days, and update pictures. 3. Leverage Social Media and CRM Is your product or service seasonal? The beauty of pop-up stores is that they offer complete flexibility in operating hours and even locations. Yet, one thing must always remain the same to ensure engagement and success—constant communication with customers. As we all know, starting a business is no easy feat, and there might be times when we need to be absent to recalibrate strategies or stock up on inventory and supplies. However, communication platforms like social media and CRMs help make this task easier for entrepreneurs. Obtaining valuable customer data is like digging for gold, and the more we have of it, the better our offering and content. One way to do this is by setting up a customer database when processing payments so you can keep an open line of communication with your users and consumers. Even if your business is away for a few months, don’t stay idle and send your customers relevant content, from blogs to general updates, to build anticipation and ensure more future sales. Need to create a catalog or extend your business online without necessarily building an e-commerce site? Platforms like offer this feature with the ability to link your google listing and consequently win more traffic to your location. Instagram In sum, there’s an instantly perceived value in pop-up stores for retailers across all industries. If there ever was a growing fear that online and e-commerce stores would take over the retail world following the pandemic’s aftermath, pop-up stores make a strong counterpart. Small businesses can scale and grow their brand through multiple store locations and don’t need to focus on finding an expensive shop location that can quickly eat up their profit. Building on resilience and focusing on your customer experience, you can literally make businesses walk up to you.

3 Tips to Running a Successful Pop-up Store to Boost Traffic

The business world is like a crowded race with high stakes. Industries are constantly evolving to compete in today’s market and satisfy customers worldwide. Current economic demands require businesses to proceed full-throttle with the best strategies to manage their employees, products, and customer experience. It’s vital that companies have access to digital project management tools because a lot of business occurs online. Successful entrepreneurs understand the importance of a shared platform with accessible resources for employees functioning in a digital workplace. Every business owner should consider using as a service platform to . Trello provides companies with software benefits, direct oversight, and analytics about employee performance. Trello help bridge the gap in communications Project reporting has never been easier. Start using Trello today, and experience the difference in productivity for yourself. Trello for Everyone and Every Department Trello is a website that will host your company’s day-to-day tasks. It’s a platform that provides project management software benefits to every department. Employees and supervisors can track projects and progress. They can view all necessary information and instructions for a given task with Trello on their dashboard. Communication is made easy with comment bars included in the project details. Users can address questions, notes, requests, and other business-related inquiries right on the Trello platform. It’s a great way to make your and keep them direct and organized. business communications grow to your company’s success, especially when your employees are working remotely. Trello establishes an open line of communication amongst company personnel. It allows you to track progress and see which projects need the most attention. Project reporting is crucial A Simple Tool With A Substantial Impact Trello is a user-friendly resource for everyone, even those who don’t consider themselves to be tech-savvy. You won’t have to spend days or dollars to train employees on how to use this platform. You don’t need to bring in a young IT expert to catch your employees up, either. Trello software is easy to understand. Employees will be able to adapt without a hair-pulling training session. Trello can easily be installed on a laptop, desktop, or mobile device. Account setup doesn’t take long. It will ultimately depend on your internet connectivity and speed, though. Explain the potential benefits and implications of installing software to employees who plan on using Trello with a personal device. Trello is a trusted service platform, but it will take up memory-space and potentially access the notification centers in a device. With Trello’s new dashboard set up, everything you need to find is easily accessible. There are no messy calendars. Everything can be enlarged, minimized, edited, and shared. The cards, boards, and checklists are well structured so that the information is easy to digest. The benefits of this software as a service to your business will propel your company into the 21st-Century. Trello will prepare your employees to tackle the demands of a modern market. in your workflow will result in faster output. It also streamlines communication within your company. Say yes to increased productivity, and start using Trello to get there. Using Trello software Future Growth Driven by Trello Project Reporting Your company must get on board with digital project reporting and management. It doesn't matter if your business is old or new. Trello will provide your company with the necessary software to succeed in a digital workplace. All of your employees should understand the importance of digital reporting. They may need a brief memo highlighting what the benefits of project management software are. Give them some time to adjust without rushing them. Allow employees to explore Trello features at their own pace. There are benefits of software testing before a permanent transition to a new platform. For instance, certain people prefer gradual adjustments. Some employees will be more open to learning a new workflow if they don’t feel stressed about adopting the methods too quickly. Don’t force people out of their comfort zone. Instead, show them how Trello will make their work-life easier. Provide an adjustment period before fully implementing the new software into the workflow. Trello for a New Era of Business Project reporting doesn’t have to be tedious or time-consuming. When your company uses Trello, you’ll find that managers and employees work faster and more effectively towards a common goal. Miscommunication lost project information, and disorganized dashboards are burdens of the past. Once you experience the project management software benefits offered by Trello, you’ll never go back. Using a project reporting system is the first step towards . It will make your business operations more streamlined. better project management Get your business on the right track with Trello’s new dashboard view, and push your company towards better performance.

Project Reporting Made Easy With Trello’s New Dashboard View

, you’ve successfully implemented data testing in your pipeline! Congratulations Whether that’s using an off-the-shelf tool or home cooked validation code, you know that securing your data through data testing is absolutely crucial to ensuring high-quality reliable data insights, and you’ve taken the necessary steps to get there. All your data problems are now solved and you can sleep soundly knowing that your data pipelines will be delivering beautiful, high-quality data to your stakeholders! . There’s just one detail you may have missed: What happens when your tests actually fail? Do you know how you’re going to be alerted? Is anyone monitoring the alerts? Who is in charge of responding to them? How would you be able to tell what went wrong? And… how do you fix any data issues that arise? But wait… not so fast As excited as data teams might be about implementing data validation in their pipelines - . In this article, we’ll talk through some of the key stages of responding to data tests, and outline some of the important things to consider when developing a data quality strategy for your team. The diagram below shows the steps we will cover: the real challenge (and art!) of data testing is not only how you detect data problems, but also how you respond to them System response to failure Logging and alerting Alert responseRoot cause identification Issue resolution Stakeholder communication (across several stages) System response The first line of response to a failed data test, before any humans are notified, are automated responses of the system to the test failure that decide whether and how to continue any pipeline runs. This could take one of the following forms: Do nothing. Continue to run the pipeline and simply log the failure or alert the team (more on that below).Isolate the “bad” data, e.g. move the rows that fail the tests to a separate table or file, but continue to run the pipeline for the remainder.Stop the pipeline. The system response can also vary depending on the level of severity of the detected issue and the downstream use case: Maybe it’s okay to keep running the pipeline and only notify stakeholders for certain “warning” level problems, but it should absolutely not proceed for other, “critical”, errors. Logging and alerting While it is absolutely possible for data validation results to be simply written to some form of log, we assume that at least some of your tests will be critical enough to require alerting. Some things to consider here are: Which errors need alerting, and which ones can be simply logged as a warning? Make sure to choose the correct level of severity for your alerts and only notify stakeholders when it’s absolutely necessary in order to avoid alert fatigue.Which medium do you choose for the alerts? Are you sending messages to a busy Slack channel or someone’s email inbox where they might go unnoticed? Do critical alerts get mixed in with daily status reports that might be less relevant to look at? Using a tool such as PagerDuty allows you to fine-tune your alerts to match the level of severity and responsiveness required.What is the timeliness of alerts? Do alerts get sent out at a certain time or do they just show up at some point during the day? This is an important factor to consider - would anyone notice? when your alerting mechanism fails Alert response Now that your alerting is nicely set up, you’re onto the next hurdle: Who will actually see and respond to those notifications? Some factors to take into account are: Who gets notified and when? Upstream data producers, downstream data consumers, the team that owns the data pipelines, anyone else? Make sure you have a clear map of who touches your data and who needs to know if there are any issues.Who is actually responsible for acknowledging and investigating the alert? This is probably one of the most crucial factors to consider when setting up data testing: Someone actually needs to own the response. This might not always be the same person or team for all types of tests, but you better have a clear plan in order to avoid issues going unnoticed or ignored, which in turn can cause frustration with stakeholders. I’m not saying you need an on-call rotation, but maybe… maybe, you need an on-call rotation. Having said that, please see the previous paragraph on fine-tuning the severity of your alerts: On-call does not necessarily mean getting a Pagerduty call in the middle of the night. It just means that someone knows they’re responsible for those alerts, and their team and stakeholders know who is responsible.Are your notifications clear enough for your stakeholders to know what they imply? In particular, do your data consumers know how to interpret an alert and know what steps to take to get more information about the problem or a potential resolution? (Hint: Having a clear point of contact, such as an on-call engineer, often helps with this, too!) Stakeholder communication While it’s easy to jump right into responding to a test failure and figure out what’s going on, you should probably stop for a moment to think about who else needs to know. Most importantly, in most cases you’ll want to let your data consumers know that “something is up with the data” before they notice. Of course, this is not specific to data pipelines, but it’s often harder for downstream data consumers to see that data is “off” compared to, say, a web app being down or buggy. Stakeholders could either already be notified through automated alerting, or through a playbook that includes notifying the right people or teams depending on the level of severity of your alerts. You’ll also want to keep an open line of communication with your stakeholders to give them updates on the issue resolution process and be available to answer any questions, or if (and only if) absolutely necessary, make some quick fixes in case there are some urgent data needs. Root cause identification At a high level, we think of root causes for data test failures as belonging to one of the following categories: The data is actually correct, but our tests need to be adjusted. This can happen, for example, when there are unusual, but correct, outliers.The data is indeed “broken”, but it can be fixed. A straightforward example for this is incorrect formatting of dates or phone numbers.The data is indeed corrupted, and it can’t be fixed, for example, when it is missing values. One very common source of data issues that arise at the data loading or ingestion stage are changes that are mostly out of the control of the data team. In my time working with third party healthcare data, I’ve seen a variety of data problems that arose seemingly out of nowhere. Some common examples include data not being up-to-date due to delayed data deliveries, table properties such as column names and types changing unexpectedly, or values and ranges digressing from what’s expected due to changes in how the data is generated. Another major cause of data ingestion issues are problems with the actual ingestion runs or orchestration, which often manifest themselves as “stale data”. This can happen when processes hang, crash, or get backed up due to long runtimes. Now, how do you approach identifying the root cause of data ingestion issues? The key here is to be methodical about Identifying the exact issue that’s actually happening andIdentifying what causes the issue. Regarding the former, my recommendation is to not take problems and test failures at face value. For example, a test for NULL values in a column could fail because some rows have actual NULL values - or because that column no longer exists. Make sure you look at all failures and identify what exactly the problem is. Once the problem is clear, it’s time to put on your detective hat and start investigating what could have caused it. Of course we can’t list all potential causes here, but some common ones you might want to check include: Recent changes to ingestion code (ask your team mates or go through your version control log)Crashed processes or interrupted connections (log files are usually helpful)Delays in data delivery (check if all your source data made it to where it’s ingested from in time)Upstream data changes (check in the source data and confirm with the data producers whether this was intentional or not) And finally, while data ingestion failures are often outside of our control, test failures on the transformed data are usually caused by changes to the transformation code. One way to counteract these kinds of unexpected side effects is to enable data pipeline testing as part of your development process and CI/CD processes. Enabling engineers and data scientists to automatically test their code, e.g. against a golden data set, will make it less likely for unwanted side effects to actually go into production. Issue resolution Now… how do I fix this? Of course, there is no single approach to fixing data issues, as the fix heavily depends on the actual cause of it - duh. Going back to our framework of the three types of root causes for test failures we laid out in the previous paragraph, we can consider the following three categories of “fixes” to make your tests go green again: If you determine that the data is indeed correct but your tests failed, you need to adjust your tests in order to take into account this new knowledge.If the data is fixable, some of the potential resolutions include re-running your pipelines, potentially with increased robustness towards disruptions such as connection timeouts or resource constraints, or fixing your pipeline code and ideally adding some mechanism to allow engineers to test their code to prevent the same issue from happening again.If the data is broken beyond your control, you might have to connect with the data producers to re-issue the data, if that’s at all possible. However, there may also be situations in which you need to isolate the “broken” records, data sets, or partitions, until the issue is resolved, or perhaps for good. Especially when you’re dealing with third party data, it sometimes happens that data is deleted, modified, or no longer updated, to the point where it’s simply no longer suitable for your use case. My data tests pass, I’m good! Ha! You wish! Not to ruin your day here, but you might also want to consider that your data tests pass because you’re simply not testing for the right thing. And trust me, given that it’s almost impossible to write data tests for every single possible data problem before you encounter it the first time, you’ll likely be missing some cases, whether that’s small and very rare edge cases, or something glaringly obvious. I am happy to admit that I once managed a daily data ingestion pipeline that would alert if record counts significantly from one day to the next, since that was usually our biggest concern. Little did I know that a bug in our pipeline would accidentally the record counts in size, which besides some “hmm, those pipelines are running very slow today” comments aroused shockingly little suspicion - until a human actually looked at the resulting dashboards and noticed that our user count had skyrocketed that day. dropped double So what do you do to make your tests more robusts against these “unknown unknowns”? Well, to be honest, this is a yet-to-be-solved problem for us, too, but here are some ideas: Use an automated profiler to generate data tests in order to increase test coverage in areas that might not be totally obvious to you. For example, you might not even consider testing for the mean of a numeric column, but an automatically generated test could make your data more robust against unexpected shifts that are not caught by simply asserting the min and max of that column. One option to consider is putting these “secondary” tests into a separate test suite and reducing the alerting level, so you only get notified about actual meaningful changes.Make sure to socialize your data tests within the team and do code reviews of the tests whenever they are added or modified, just like you would with the actual pipeline code. This will make it easier to surface all the assumptions the team working on the pipeline has about the data and highlight any shortcomings in the tests.Do manual spot checks on your data, possibly also with the help of a profiler. Automated tests are great, but I would claim that familiarity with data is always an important factor in how quickly a team can spot when something is “off”, even when there is no test in place. One last step of your data quality strategy could be to implement a periodical “audit” of your data assets to ensure things still look the way they should and that tests are complete and accurate (and actually run). Summary We really hope this post has given you a good idea of the different steps to consider when you’re implementing data validation for your pipelines. Keep in mind that developing and running tests in production is only one aspect of a data quality strategy. You’ll also need to factor in things like alerting, ownership of response, communication with stakeholders, root cause analysis, and issue resolution, which can take a considerable amount of time and effort if you want to do it well. If you want some more concrete examples, check out our case studies on how some users of Great Expectations, such as , , and integrate Great Expectations into their data workflows. Komodo Health Calm Avanade Also published here .

Data Testing: It's About Both Problem Detection and Quality of Response

In this article you’re going to learn how to work with files in python, you gonna learn various techniques on how open, , , and files in python. read manipulate save Once you finish this article you will be in a good position of in python so I suggest you read this to the end. handling files Getting started Working with files in python is straightforward, you can files and it in just line of code. open read one For instance, let’s try reading from a file which contains quotes as shown below; quotes.txt True humility thinking less yourself; thinking yourself less.
I believe Christianity I believe sun has risen: only because I see , because I see everything .
You are never too old another goal dream a new dream. is not of it is of in as that the not it but by it else to set or to Reading from file data = open( ).read() print(data) humility thinking less of yourself; it thinking of yourself less.
I believe Christianity I believe that the sun has risen: only because I see it, but because by it I see everything .
You are never too old to set another goal to dream a new dream. >>> 'quotes.txt' >>> True is not is in as not else or We used the function to a file in python in just one line of code. open () read Diving into the basics Modes of opening files in Python You can open a file in python in different modes such as , , , , and etc. reading mode writing mode appending mode binary mode , python the files in thus why in the example above we didn’t specify the mode but it doesn’t throw any error. By default opens reading mode We use the following abbreviation to specify the mode; r -> for opening file in reading mode w ->for opening file in writing mode a -> for opening file in appending mode r+ ->for opening file in reading and writing mode w+ ->for opening file in writing and reading mode rb -> for reading in binary mode wb -> for writing in binary mode Reading files in python (reading mode) You should use this mode when you're opening a file with the intention to read its content only since once you open a file in reading mode, it restricts you from making any changes to it. To open a file in reading mode you just specify the path to the file plus the reading mode which just as shown below; r file = open( , )
data = file.read()
print(data) 'quotes.txt' 'r' When you run the above code it will print the same result as the one we have seen above. When opening a file you use the builtin function it creates a with different methods that you can use to the file which can be viewed by the . open () file object manipulate dir() dir(file)
................. , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , >>> 'buffer' 'close' 'closed' 'detach' 'encoding' 'errors' 'fileno' 'flush' 'isatty' 'line_buffering' 'mode' 'name' 'newlines' 'read' 'readable' 'readline' 'readlines' 'seek' 'seekable' 'tell' 'truncate' 'writable' 'write' 'writelines' There is a way to read the and also , for instance, let’s try reading line by line and after each line, we print a line of stars. entire file line by line Reading by line by line file = open( , ) line file: print(line) print( ) humility thinking less of yourself; it thinking of yourself less.
***********************************
I believe Christianity I believe that the sun has risen: only because I see it, but because by it I see everything .
***********************************
You are never too old to set another goal to dream a new dream.
*********************************** >>> 'quotes.txt' 'r' >>> for in ... ... '***********************************' ... True is not is in as not else or Reading a specific line you can also a specific line you need, for instance, Let’s try reading the only seconds from our quotes.txt Note : Index starts with 0, from the bottom of the file to the top of the file file = open( , ) second_line = file.readlines( )[ ] print(second_line)
I believe Christianity I believe that the sun has risen only because I see it, but because by it I see everything . >>> 'quotes.txt' 'r' >>> 1 0 >>> in as not else Note : When you open a file in Python you need to close it once you finish manipulating with it because not closing it may make it inaccessible to other programs. Therefore to prevent that you’re advised to open a file using a , which will automatically close the file when the block code finished running. with statement Example of Usage >>> open( , ) file:
...     line = file.readline()
...     print(line)
... 
True humility is not thinking less yourself; it is thinking yourself less. with 'quotes.txt' 'r' as of of Working with writing mode To open a file in writing mode you need to use the abbreviation of in reading mode. w We normally use mode when a new file to write information into because if you use this mode to open an existing file, it will replace the existing file content with the one you just wrote For instance Let’s open a new file called numbers and then write a few numbers into: Example of Usage : >>> open( , ) file:
...     for number range( ):
...             file.write(str(number))
... with 'numbers.txt' 'w' as in 10 If you open your you find is written to it. number.txt 0123456789 Working with appending mode is used when we want to append new information to an existing file, to open a file in appending mode use on the file mode. Appending mode a For instance, Let’s add a new quote to our quotes.txt Example of Usage >>> open( , ) file:
...     new_quote = ...     file.write(new_quote)
... ----------reading the file again---------------------
>>> lastline = open( ).readlines()[ ]
>>> print(lastline)
The world is a tragedy to tho who feel with 'quotes.txt' 'a' as '\nThe world is tragedy to tho who feel' 36 'quotes.txt' -1 As you can in appending mode the quote we just added just saved to our file revealed when we try to open it again. I recommend also reading this; The basics of lambda function in Python Learn how to interact with OS using Python A quick guide to args and kwargs in Python How to speed up python code with memorization How to do multi-threading programming in Python An introductory guide to list comprehension in Python The can be found on original article kalebujordan.com In case of any suggestion or comment, drop it in the comment box and I will get back to you ASAP.

Python Basics: File Handling

When normal people want to learn typing, they use softwares like . But since we are programmers, we can use our knowledge to write our own typing tutor app. Python, as always will be best for this purpose as it is easy to understand and provides a lot of libraries for our specific purpose. So lets begin! Typing master In order to check our typing speed and accuracy, we need to record keystrokes. To do this, we will be using a python library known as . Since tkinter is already inbuilt from Python 3.4 and above, so you won’t need to install it using pip. tkinter How this app works? First of all, we will take a dataset of many english letters. Then we will randomly present words from this dataset to the user. The user has to type these words. If he types a word successfully, he will get the next word. Also, the user will get a specific number of lives. The user will lose a life as soon as he types a letter wrong. If his lives finish, the game gets over. Also, a score is calculated based on the time taken by user to type a particular word, and number of letters typed correctly. The dataset of English words used in this project can be found . Download this file and store it in the same location where the python file is present. This file contains about 10,000 words of English. We will be randomly selecting a given number of words from this list. For score calculation, we increment score by one each time a letter is correctly pressed by user. Also a time limit is assigned to each word, which is a multiple of the word length. If the user types the word before the time limit, the leftover time gets added to the score. here . The code tkinter tk random os system, name time name == :
        _ = system( ) :
        _ = system( )

index = list_index = list = []
word_count = f = open( , ) line f:
    list.append(line.strip())

random.shuffle(list)

list = list[:word_count]
print( )
time.sleep( )
clear()
print( , len(list))
time.sleep( )
clear()
print( +str(list_index+ )+ +str(word_count)+ +list[list_index])

start_time = time.time()
end_time = time_multiplier = lives = score = index list_index list lives score start_time end_time time_multiplier

    word = list[list_index] event.char == word[index]:
        index = index + score = score + :
        clear()
        print( + str(list_index + ) + + str(word_count) + + list[list_index])
        print( )
        lives = lives - print( , lives) lives == :
            print( )
            print( , score)
            root.destroy() index == len(word):
        clear()
        print( )
        index = list_index = list_index + end_time = time.time()
        time_taken = int(end_time - start_time)
        time_left = time_multiplier * len(word) - time_taken
        score = score + time_left
        print( + str(time_taken) + + str(time_multiplier*len(word)) + )
        print( , score)
        time.sleep( )
        start_time = end_time
        clear() list_index < len(list) index == :
        print( + str(list_index + ) + + str(word_count) + + list[list_index]) list_index == len(list):
        clear()
        print( )
        print( , score)
        root.destroy()

root = tk.Tk()
root.bind_all( , keypress)
root.withdraw()
root.mainloop() import as import from import import : def clear () if 'nt' 'cls' else 'clear' 0 0 10 'words.txt' 'r' for in "---WELCOME TO TYPING TUTOR---" 1 "Total words: " 2 "Word " 1 " out of " ": " 0 2 3 0 : def keypress (event) global global global global global global global global if 1 1 else "Word " 1 " out of " ": " "wrong letter!" 1 "Lives left: " if 0 "Game Over!" "Final Score: " return if "right!" 0 1 "time taken: " " out of " " seconds." "Current score: " 1.5 if and 0 "Word " 1 " out of " ": " elif "Congratulations! you have beaten the game!" "Final Score: " '' Copy this code to a new python file and name it as . The total number of words to be displayed in the game can be set using variable. It is currently set at 100. The variable controls the amount of time allotted to each word. Currently it is set at 2. This means for a word of length 5, the time limit is 5*2 = 10 seconds. The variable defines the number of lives a player gets. A life gets over each time player incorrectly types a letter. app.py word_count time_multiplier lives To run this code, open command prompt, change directory to the location where this python file is stored, and type: python app.py Note that after you run this code, command prompt will not remain as the active window. You don’t have to worry about it. Just start typing the letters of the word displayed. As you keep typing correctly, the score will update and next words will continue to appear. Also you won’t physically see the words being typed anywhere on screen. You just have to keep pressing the correct keys. Lives will be deducted whenever any incorrect key is pressed by you. That’s It. Hope you liked the article. Comment in case of any doubts. Also check out my articles on and follow me on . Also check out my other articles on this as well! medium twitter blog

Make Your Own Typing Tutor App using Python!

The Object-Oriented Design Principles are the core of OOP programming, but I have seen most of the Java programmers chasing design patterns like , , or , and not putting enough attention on learning . Singleton pattern Decorator pattern Observer pattern Object-oriented analysis and design It’s important to learn the basics of Object-oriented programming like , , , and . But, at the same time, it’s equally important to know object-oriented design principles. Abstraction Encapsulation Polymorphism Inheritance They will help you to create a clean and modular design, which would be easy to test, debug, and maintain in the future. I have regularly seen Java programmers and developers of various experience level, who have either never heard about these and or simply doesn’t know what benefits a particular design principle offers and how to apply these design principle in coding. OOP SOLID design principle , To do my part, I have jotted down all important object-oriented design principles and putting it here for quick reference. These will at least give you some idea about what they are and what benefit they offer. I have not put examples, just to keep the article short but you can find a lot of examples of these design principles on the internet and even on my , just use the search bar at the top of the page. Java blog If you are not able to understand a design principle, you should try to do more than one example because sometimes we connect to another example or author better but you must understand these design principles and learn how to use it in your code. Another thing you can do is to join a comprehensive object-oriented design course like by Steve Smith on Pluralsight. It has helped me a lot in my understanding and application of these principles. SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design Btw, I have shared some relevant and useful courses and books here and there, both free and paid, and I will earn some money if you buy something which is not free. They are also some of the resources I have used to learn SOLID design principles and Programming in general and nice for learning some of these principles in depth. 10 Object Oriented and SOLID Desing Principles for Programmers Though the best way of learning any design principle or pattern is a real-world example and understanding the consequences of violating that design principle, subject of this article is Introducing for Java Programmers, who are either not exposed to it or in the learning phase. Object-oriented design principles I personally think each of these and needs an article to explain them clearly, and I will definitely try to do that here, but for now, just get yourself ready for a quick bike ride on design principle town :) OOP SOLID design principles 1. DRY (Don’t repeat yourself) Our first object-oriented design principle is DRY, as the name suggests means don’t write duplicate code, instead use to abstract common things in one place. DRY (don’t repeat yourself) Abstraction If you have a block of code in more than two places consider making it a separate method, or if you use a hard-coded value more than one time make them . The benefit of this Object oriented design principle is in . public final constant maintenance It’s important not to abuse it, duplication is not for code, but for functionality. It means if you have used common code to validate OrderId and SSN it doesn’t mean they are the same or they will remain the same in future. By using common code for two different functionality or thing you closely couple them forever and when your OrderId changes its format, your SSN validation code will break. So beware of such coupling and just don’t combine anything which uses the similar code but are not related. You can further check out the in Java course on Udemy to learn more about writing good code and best practices to follow while designing a system. Basics of Software Architecture & Design Patterns 2. Encapsulate What Changes There is only one thing which is constant in the software field and that is “Change”, So, encapsulate the code you expect or suspect to be changed in future. The benefit of this OOP Design principle is that It’s easy to test and maintain proper encapsulated code. If you are coding in Java then follow the principle of by default and increasing access step by step like from a private to and not . making variable and methods private protected public Several of the uses Encapsulation, the is one example of Encapsulation which encapsulates object creation code and provides flexibility to introduce a new product later with no impact on existing code. design patterns in Java Factory design pattern Btw, if you are interested in learning more about design patterns in Java and Object Oriented Programming then you must check this course Pluralsight. It’s one of the best collection of design patterns and advice on how to use them in the real world. Design Pattern Library 3. Open Closed Design Principle According to tho this OOP design principle, “Classes, methods or functions should be Open for extension (new functionality) and Closed for modification”. This is another beautiful SOLID design principle, coined by Uncle Bob on his classic book, which prevents someone from changing already tried and tested code. Clean Code The key benefit of this design principle is that already tried and tested code is not touched which means they won’t break. Here is a Java code example which the Open Closed Design Principle of Programming: violates In this code GraphicEditor is tightly coupled with Shape, If you need a new Shape then you need to modify already tried and tested code inside thedrawShape(Shape s) method, which is both error-prone and not desirable. Ideally, if you are adding new functionality only than your code should be tested and that’s the goal of . Open Closed Design principle By the way, the Open-Closed principle is “O” from the SOLID acronym. If you want to learn more about this principle, the course on Udemy is one of the best resources to consult. SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design and Architecture 4. Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) Single Responsibility Principle is another SOLID design principle, and represent “S” on the SOLID acronym. As per SRP, there should not be more than one reason for a class to change, or a class should always handle single functionality. The key benefit of this principle is that it reduces coupling between the individual component of the software and Code. For example, If you put more than one functionality in one Class in Java it introduces between two functionality and even if you change one functionality there is a chance you broke coupled functionality, which requires another round of testing to avoid any surprise on the production environment. coupling You can further see course on Udemy to learn about patterns which are based on this principle. From 0 to 1: Design Patterns — 24 That Matter 5. Dependency Injection or Inversion principle Don’t ask for dependency it will be provided to you by the framework. This has been very well implemented in , one of the most popular Java framework for writing real-worth applications. Spring framework The beauty of this is that any class which is injected by DI framework is with the mock object and easier to maintain because object creation code is centralized in the framework and client code is not littered with that. design principle easy to test There are multiple ways to implemented like using bytecode instrumentation which some AOP (Aspect Oriented programming) framework like AspectJ does or by using proxies just like used in Spring. Dependency injection You can further see the course on Udemy to learn more about this useful principle. It also represents “D” on the SOLID acronym. SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design and Architecture Here is an example of the code which violates Dependency Inversion Principle or DIP in Java: You can see that AppManager depends upon EventLogWriter which is tightly coupled with the AppManager. If you need to use another way to notify your client like by sending push notifications, SMS, or E-mail, you need to change the AppManager class. This problem can be solved by using the Dependency Inversion Principle where instead of AppManager asking for EventLogWriter, it will be injected or provided to AppManager by the framework. You can further see on Udemy to learn more about the Dependency Inversion Principle and how to solve such problems. Using SOLID Principles to Write Better Code — A Crash Course 6. Favor Composition over Inheritance There are two general ways to reuse the code you have already written, Inheritance and Composition, both have their own advantage and disadvantages, but, in general, you should always favor composition over inheritance, if possible. Some of you may argue this, but I found that is the lot more flexible than . Composition Inheritance Composition allows changing the behavior of a class at run-time by setting property during run-time and by using Interfaces to compose a class we use which provides flexibility to replace with better implementation any time. polymorphism Even Joshua Bloch’s advise favoring composition over inheritance. If you are still not convinced then you can also read to learn more about why your Composition is better than Inheritance for reusing code and functionality. Effective Java here And, if you keep forgetting this rule, here is a nice cartoon to put in your desk :-) If you are interested in learning more about Object Oriented Programming Concepts like Composition, Inheritance, Association, Aggregation, etc, you can also take a look at the course on . Object-Oriented Programming in Java Coursera It’s free to explore and learn but you will be charged if you also want to participate in exercises, assignment, evaluation and need Certification to show in your LinkedIn profile. 7. Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP) According to the Liskov Substitution Principle, Subtypes must be substitutable for supertype I mean methods or functions which uses superclass type must be able to work with the of subclass without any issue”. object LSP is closely related and . to the Single responsibility principle Interface Segregation Principle If a class has more functionality than subclass might not support some of the functionality and does violate LSP. In order to follow , derived class or subclass must enhance functionality, but not reduce them. LSP represents “L” on the SOLID acronym. LSP SOLID design principle Here is a code example which violates the Liskov Substitution Principle in Java: Liskov Substitution Principle in Java If you have a method area(Rectangle r) which calculates the area of Rectangle then that code will break when you pass the Square because Square is not really a Rectangle. If you are interested in a more real-world example, then the course on Pluarlsight is a good course to start with. SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design Btw, you would need a Pluralsight membership to get access this course, which cost around $29 per month or $299 annually (14% discount). Even if you don’t have a membership, you can still access this course for FREE by taking advantage of their without any commitment, which is a great way to not just access this course for free but also to check the quality of courses before joining Pluralsight 10-day free trial 8. Interface Segregation Principle (ISP) Interface Segregation Principle stats that, a client should not implement an if it doesn’t use that. interface This happens mostly when one interface contains more than one functionality, and the client only needs one functionality and no other. There is no doubt that Interface design is a tricky job because once you release your interface you can not change it without breaking all implementation. Well, Java 8’s feature does provide a way for interface evolution but not all Programming language support that features. default or defender method Another benefit of this design principle in Java is, the interface has the disadvantage of implementing all method before any class can use it so having single functionality means less method to implement. If you don’t the get the benefit of the interface in coding then I suggest you read my blog post, the to learn more. real usage of an interface in Java 9. Programming for Interface not implementation A programmer should always this will lead to flexible code which can work with any new implementation of the interface. program for the interface and not for implementation In concrete words, you should use interface type on variables, return types of a method or argument type of methods in Java like using SuperClass type to store object rather using SubClass. I mean List numbers= getNumbers(); instead of ArrayList numbers = getNumbers(); This has also been advised in many Java books including in and book. Effective Java Head First design pattern Here is an example of Coding for the interface in Java: If you are interested in improving code quality of your program, I also suggest you take a look at the course on Udemy which will help you to improve the internal design with refactoring techniques and design patterns in C# Refactoring to Design Patterns 10. Delegation principles Don’t do all stuff by yourself, delegate it to the respective class. Classical example of delegation design principle is . equals() and hashCode() method in Java In order to compare two objects for equality, we ask the class itself to do comparison instead of Client class doing that check. The key benefit of this design principle is and pretty easy to modify behavior. Event delegation is another example of this principle, where an event is delegated to handlers for handling. no duplication of code Summary All these help you write flexible and better code by striving high cohesion and low coupling. object-oriented design principles The theory is the first step, but what is most important is to . develop the ability to find out when to apply these design principles Once you get hold of that, the next step is to learn Design patterns in Java, which uses these design patterns to solve common problems of application development and software engineering. If you are looking for a nice course to start with, I suggest you join the course on Udemy. It’s very comprehensive and you can get it in just $11 on their several flash sales. From 0 to 1: Design Patterns — 24 That Matter — In Java Anyway, here is a nice summary of all these OOP design principles. Find out, whether we are violating any design principle and compromising the flexibility of code, but again as nothing is perfect in this world, don’t always try to solve the problem with they are mostly for large enterprise project which has longer maintenance cycle. design patterns and design principle Bottom line is, professionals programmers should always strive for a highly cohesive and loosely couple solution, code or design. Looking open source code from Apache and Google are some good ways of learning and . Java OOP design principles They will show you, how design principles should be used in coding and Java programs. Java Development Kit follows many design principles like in BorderFactory class, in java.lang.Runtime class, on various java.io classes. Factory Pattern Singleton pattern Decorator pattern If you are interested in learning object-oriented principles and patterns, then you can look at my another personal favorite , an excellent book and probably the best material available in object-oriented analysis and design Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Not many programmers know this book because it is often shadowed by its more popular cousin by , which is more about how these principles come together to create a pattern you can use directly to solve known problems. Head First Design Pattern Eric Freeman These books help a lot to write better code, taking full advantage of various Object-oriented and SOLID design principles. Btw, if you really interested more in Java coding practices then read by Joshua Bloch, a gem by the guy who wrote Java Collection API. Effective Java 3rd Edition If you want to learn more about SOLID design Principles, here are some useful resources you can take a look: By Clean Code Robert Martin SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design SOLID Principles of Object-Oriented Design and Architecture Refactoring by Martin Fowler And, if you like this article, you may like these : Java and Programming articles as well 10 Things Java Programmer should learn in 2019 10 Books Every Programmer Must Read 10 Tips to Improve Your Programming skill 10 Tools Every Software Developer should know 5 Courses to Learn Software Architecture in Depth 20 Libraries and APIS Java Programmer Should Know Top 10 Programming languages to Learn in 2019 10 Framework and Library Java and Web Developer Should Learn Thanks for reading this article. If you find these object-oriented design principles useful then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note. Btw, if you buy any of my recommended book or course, I’ll be also be paid. If you like this article then please consider following me on medium ( ). if you’d like to be notified for every new post and don’t forget to follow on Twitter! javinpaul javarevisited If you are really passionate about your Coding and want to improve your coding skill there are no better books then by and Refactoring by . Just go and read them. P. S. — Clean Code Robert Martin Martin P. Fowler

10 OOP Design Principles Every Programmer Should Know

10 principios de diseño de programación orientada a objetos que todo programador debe conocer

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How to Contribute a Story to Hacker Noon

This post will highlight: What open-source is How you can contribute Where to start looking for projects and issues Do you like going to the park? Maybe not right now because it’s the end of October and well, winter is coming! But what if your favorite park wasn’t maintained? What if no one took responsibility or ownership of the park and peoples trash just piled up and other peoples dog poop was just scattered everywhere waiting to be stepped in? You’d probably stop going to that park. But what if there was a collective group that took it upon themselves to take ownership and pride in their favorite park and started contributing just a little bit of time each week to turn something that was either nothing to begin with or in a really bad state, into something beautiful and useful for other people to enjoy and enhance their lives with? Aside from most likely your tax dollars taking on the effort of maintaining your favorite park, this analogy is sort-of like how open-source software (OSS) works. Open-source software is software that is available to anyone. It can be downloaded and/or used on as many devices as you want. You can take the source code, manipulate it however you want and redistribute it to as many people as you want. This is so because open-source software exists on licenses like the MIT licenses for example. While this is mostly in the perspective of the end user and how open-source software relates to them, as a developer you can be a contributor to open-source projects, you can take some ownership in making the world a better place through the use of software! When contributing to open-source it will do you good to consider who the project maintainers are and try and make an open line of communication with them. I don’t mean bug them to death with questions and expect them to hold your hand through the process, you’re an adult (or maybe you’re not, all the more to you for getting started early), you don’t need someone to hold your hand, but there are a few guidelines that will help you in your effort of making your first contribution, and potentially getting your first merged PR, to an open-source project! I didn’t come up with these things on my own, I was taught them, so Ill just be relaying this advice to you. Finding a Project When looking to make a contribution to an open-source project, find a project you can be passionate about, and hopefully one that has a lot of issues to choose from. Don’t pick just any project, choose one that means something to you. This way you’ll have vested interest and will be more likely to take the issue you are attempting to tackle more seriously, plus you’ll feel much better about contributing to something you’re passionate about rather than something you could care less about. I recently worked towards making my first contribution to an open-source project with a small group of people I know from the dev school we go to together. We were given a project from our instructors so we didn’t really have the option of choosing one, though the project we were assigned is an incredible one. Our instructors also gave us a list of issues that would be good for us to attempt to solve. Finding a Good First Issue Finding a good first issue is key. Don’t take on more than you can handle and don’t try to show off your skills just yet, in fact look for the easiest thing you can find. This is a great way you can get used to how the communication will work between you and the project maintainers. Sometimes repos ( ) will have labels on issues the maintainers think are good for first time contributors. Look for something like this when going through the issues of the project you’ve chosen. like this one When you find an issue you think you want to work on, write a comment on that issue and tell the maintainers you’d like to work on it. They might not want you to work on that particular issue due to some conflicting reason, though most likely they’ll assign it to you and give you the go ahead. Don’t feel like you can’t get started while you wait for a response from the maintainers either, just be flexible in that they might ask you to stop and move to something else. For our first issue, we chose one that just needed the css tweaked a bit. It was approachable, not over whelming, and its was something we were very confident we could solve. Getting Started and Familiarized This part can be tricky. Once you’ve chosen an issue to solve, then you’ll need to get the project running on your local machine and it’s likely that the code base will be a large one, depending on the project of course. There might be a lot of dependencies you’ll need to install just to get the project running. There weren’t many for our project but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t difficult. For example, on the project our group contributed to, we needed to install a specific version of Ruby, a specific version of Rails, PostgreSQL, Phantom JS and a Gemfile with a list of Gems to install. It doesn’t seem like much but we ran into a big problem with getting the specific version of Ruby that was required for the project to run on our machines. We ended up having to use RVM to switch versions, which was one more thing we had to learn to even get the project installed and running on our local machines. Once we had the project running we realized the project was built in Angular written with Coffee Script and used Active Record for interacting with the data coming from the back-end. These were all things we had to familiarize ourselves with in order to comfortably get into the project. Filing Other Issues This may or may not be something you’ll need to do, or even something you’ll run into along the way, but for us it was. When you get things running on your machine and begin working on your issue, its likely you may notice something else that just doesn’t work quite right. If you’re working in your local environment when you notice these things, then go to the live site and see if it is the same there. You don’t want to be bringing things to attention that don’t need to be, the maintainers have enough on their plates as it is. Once you think you’ve found something that needs attention, go and thoroughly check the issues that already exist, it’s likely that the issue has already been filed and therefore you don’t need to do anything, except maybe come back to it and try to solve it yourself once you’ve finished what you’re already working on. When filing a new issue, be sure to be as thorough as possible when describing what the issue is. Use screen shots to show visually what it is you are trying to say and make it as easy as possible for someone reading the issue to go on the live site and see exactly what it is you are talking about. For us, we ended up filing two new issues to the one we were assigned. We didn’t even get our PR merged due to it relating to a security measure that wasn’t immediately noticeable. It would be easy to feel like we took two steps backwards for the project, but filing issues is still moving the project forward. Making the PR When you think you’ve finished working on the issue and everything is solved, get a second pair of eyes on it before making your pull request. It’s always a good idea to get peer review no matter what, but for your first contribution to an open-source project I’d say it’s necessary, you don’t want to potentially embarrass yourself by submitting something that’s way off base. This would also be why the maintainers will tell you you need to pass all the test before making the PR, so be sure and test your fix before submitting it. Also, while Im on this note, be sure to adhere to any naming or stylistic conventions that the project maintainers have specified. You can find these in the file that most projects will have. You’ll also find here how you should format your commit messages, how to write the description for your pull request and how to file a new issue. CONTRIBUTING.md Leaving an Issue Sometimes you might not be able to solve the issue you got assigned, or you thought you had the time to give to the project but it turns you don’t, or you did have the time but your boss dumped a load of unexpected work on you and now you have to bail. That’s ok, just un-assign yourself from the issue and leave a note letting the maintainers know you won’t be able to work on it any longer. Do not just leave it undone without un-assigning yourself and letting them know. Conclusion As far as I understand it, there are only benefits to contributing to open-source software. You get great practice coding while contributing to something meaningful and helpful for other people all while bolstering your resume. Not to mention that while you are looking at and reading through all this code, you are probably picking up some good habits and know-how from the developers that originally wrote the code. Just this past Friday I sat down with someone who got his job (which is an awesome and very interesting job doing something that will probably change world in a big way, I’m not even joking) because of his open-source contributions. FreeCodeCamp has an excellent resource of where to get started with these things, . find it here Off with you now, go and do great things.

Open-Source: What it is and why you should be involved.

UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Verizon Communications Inc., Court Filing, retrieved on January 29, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series. You can jump to any part of this filing here. This part is 1 of 11. PLAINTIFFS’ ORIGINAL COMPLAINT Plaintiffs UMG Recordings, Inc. and Capitol Records, LLC (collectively, “UMG” or the “Universal Plaintiffs”); Plaintiffs Asylum Records LLC, Atlantic Recording Corporation, Atlantic Records Group LLC, Bad Boy Records LLC, Big Beat Records Inc., Elektra Entertainment Group Inc., Elektra Entertainment LLC, Fueled by Ramen LLC, Lava Records LLC, Maverick Recording Company, Nonesuch Records Inc., Rhino Entertainment Company, Rhino Entertainment LLC, Roadrunner Records, Inc., Rykodisc, Inc., Warner Music Inc., Warner Music International Services Limited, Warner Music Latina Inc., Warner Music Nashville LLC, Warner Records Inc., Warner Records LLC, Warner Records/QRI Venture, Inc., and Warner Records/SIRE Ventures LLC (collectively, “WMG” or the “Warner Plaintiffs”); Plaintiffs Arista Music, Arista Records, LLC, LaFace Records, LLC, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC, Ultra Records, LLC, Volcano Entertainment III, LLC, and Zomba Recording LLC (collectively, “SME” or the “Sony Plaintiffs”); and ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. (“ABKCO,” and together with the Universal Plaintiffs, the Warner Plaintiffs, and the Sony Plaintiffs, the “Record Companies” or “Plaintiffs”), by and through their attorneys Oppenheim + Zebrak, LLP, for their Complaint against defendants Verizon Communications Inc., Verizon Services Corp., and Cellco Partnership (d/b/a Verizon Wireless) (collectively, “Verizon” or “Defendants”), allege, on personal knowledge as to matters relating to themselves and on information and belief as to all other matters, as follows: INTRODUCTION 1. Verizon is one of the largest Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”) in the country and knowingly provides its high-speed service to a massive community of online pirates, who it knows repeatedly use that service to infringe Plaintiffs’ copyrights. Over the past few years alone, Plaintiffs sent Verizon hundreds of thousands of copyright infringement notices. Those notices identify specific subscribers on Verizon’s network stealing Plaintiffs’ sound recordings through peer-to-peer (“P2P”) file-sharing networks that are notorious hotbeds for copyright infringement. While Verizon is famous for its “Can you hear me now?” advertising campaign, it has intentionally chosen not to listen to complaints from copyright owners. Instead of taking action in response to those infringement notices as the law requires, Verizon ignored Plaintiffs’ notices and buried its head in the sand. Undeterred, infringing subscribers identified in Plaintiffs’ notices continued to use Verizon’s services to infringe Plaintiffs’ copyrights with impunity. Meanwhile, Verizon continued to provide its high-speed service to thousands of known repeat infringers so it could continue to collect millions of dollars from them. 2. Plaintiffs bring this action against Verizon for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement. Verizon has knowingly contributed to, and reaped substantial profits from, massive copyright infringement committed by tens of thousands of its subscribers. By ignoring Plaintiffs’ notices and its own legal obligations, Verizon facilitated its subscribers’ infringement of Plaintiffs’ copyrights through the continued provision of its high-speed Internet service to known repeat infringers. 3. Plaintiffs are record companies or recorded music businesses that produce, manufacture, distribute, sell, and license commercial sound recordings both in the United States and internationally. Through their enormous investments of money, time, and exceptional creative efforts, Plaintiffs and the recording artists they represent have developed and/or distributed some of the world’s most famous music. Their investments and creative efforts have shaped the musical landscape as we know it, both in the United States and around the world. As a result, Plaintiffs own and/or control exclusive rights to many of the most popular sound recordings performed by classic artists and contemporary superstars, including The Rolling Stones, Ariana Grande, Bob Dylan, Bruno Mars, Elvis Presley, Dua Lipa, Drake, and many more. 4. Verizon markets and sells high-speed Internet services to consumers nationwide. Through the provision of those services, Verizon contributed to and profited from pervasive copyright infringement by its subscribers on P2P file-sharing networks. Verizon’s contribution to its subscribers’ infringement is both willful and extensive, and it renders Verizon equally liable for that infringement. Indeed, for years, Verizon deliberately refused to take action to prevent its customers from using its Internet services to infringe others’ copyrights, including Plaintiffs’ copyrights—even after Verizon was put on notice of particular customers engaging in specific, repeated acts of infringement. 5. Since early 2020, Plaintiffs’ representatives have sent more than 340,000 infringement notices to Verizon. Those notices clearly and unambiguously advised Verizon of its subscribers’ blatant and systematic use of Verizon’s Internet service to illegally download, copy, and distribute Plaintiffs’ copyrighted sound recordings through the P2P network known as BitTorrent. 6. The scope of repeat infringement on Verizon’s network is staggering. Thousands of Verizon subscribers were the subject of 20 or more notices from Plaintiffs, and more than 500 subscribers were the subject of 100 or more notices. One particularly egregious Verizon subscriber was single-handedly the subject of 4,450 infringement notices from Plaintiffs alone. 7. Verizon acknowledged that it received these notices of infringement sent by Plaintiffs’ representatives. Yet rather than taking any steps to address its customers’ illegal use of its network, Verizon deliberately chose to ignore Plaintiffs’ notices, willfully blinding itself to that information and prioritizing its own profits over its legal obligations. 8. It is well-established law that if a party materially assists someone it knows is engaging in copyright infringement, that party is fully liable for the infringement as if it had infringed directly. Further, when a party has a direct financial interest in the infringing activity, and the right and practical ability to stop or limit it, that party also faces liability. Flouting those basic responsibilities, Verizon deliberately turned a blind eye to its subscribers’ infringement. Verizon failed to terminate or otherwise take any meaningful action against the accounts of repeat infringers of which it was aware. Instead, Verizon routinely thumbed its nose at Plaintiffs by continuing to provide its service to subscribers it knew to be serially infringing Plaintiffs’ copyrighted sound recordings. In reality, Verizon operated its service as an attractive tool and safe haven for infringement. 9. Verizon has derived an obvious and direct financial benefit from its subscribers’ infringement. The unlimited ability to download and distribute Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works through Verizon’s service has served as a draw for Verizon to attract, retain, and charge higher fees to infringing subscribers. By failing to terminate the accounts of specific recidivist infringers known to Verizon, Verizon obtained a direct financial benefit from those subscribers’ continuing infringing activity. That financial benefit included improper revenue that Verizon would not have received had it appropriately shut down those accounts as well as the costs that Verizon saved by failing to implement an effective repeat infringer program. In other words, Verizon decided not to terminate repeat infringers because it wanted to maintain the revenue generated from those subscribers’ accounts. 10. To be clear, the infringing activity of Verizon’s subscribers that is the subject of Plaintiffs’ claims, and for which Verizon is secondarily liable, all occurred after Verizon received multiple notices of each subscriber’s infringing activity. Plaintiffs seek damages for infringement of their sound recordings by Verizon subscribers after those particular subscribers were identified to Verizon in multiple infringement notices. Continue Reading Here. About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings.
This court case retrieved on July 12, 2024, storage.courtlistener is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Verizon Communications Inc., Court Filing, retrieved on January 29, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series. You can jump to any part of this filing here. This part is 1 of 11. UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Verizon Communications Inc., Court Filing, retrieved on January 29, 2024, is part of HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series . You can jump to any part of this filing here . This part is 1 of 11. HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series HackerNoon’s Legal PDF Series here here . PLAINTIFFS’ ORIGINAL COMPLAINT Plaintiffs UMG Recordings, Inc. and Capitol Records, LLC (collectively, “UMG” or the “Universal Plaintiffs”); Plaintiffs Asylum Records LLC, Atlantic Recording Corporation, Atlantic Records Group LLC, Bad Boy Records LLC, Big Beat Records Inc., Elektra Entertainment Group Inc., Elektra Entertainment LLC, Fueled by Ramen LLC, Lava Records LLC, Maverick Recording Company, Nonesuch Records Inc., Rhino Entertainment Company, Rhino Entertainment LLC, Roadrunner Records, Inc., Rykodisc, Inc., Warner Music Inc., Warner Music International Services Limited, Warner Music Latina Inc., Warner Music Nashville LLC, Warner Records Inc., Warner Records LLC, Warner Records/QRI Venture, Inc., and Warner Records/SIRE Ventures LLC (collectively, “WMG” or the “Warner Plaintiffs”); Plaintiffs Arista Music, Arista Records, LLC, LaFace Records, LLC, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment US Latin LLC, Ultra Records, LLC, Volcano Entertainment III, LLC, and Zomba Recording LLC (collectively, “SME” or the “Sony Plaintiffs”); and ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. (“ABKCO,” and together with the Universal Plaintiffs, the Warner Plaintiffs, and the Sony Plaintiffs, the “Record Companies” or “Plaintiffs”), by and through their attorneys Oppenheim + Zebrak, LLP, for their Complaint against defendants Verizon Communications Inc., Verizon Services Corp., and Cellco Partnership (d/b/a Verizon Wireless) (collectively, “Verizon” or “Defendants”), allege, on personal knowledge as to matters relating to themselves and on information and belief as to all other matters, as follows: INTRODUCTION 1. Verizon is one of the largest Internet Service Providers (“ISPs”) in the country and knowingly provides its high-speed service to a massive community of online pirates, who it knows repeatedly use that service to infringe Plaintiffs’ copyrights. Over the past few years alone, Plaintiffs sent Verizon hundreds of thousands of copyright infringement notices. Those notices identify specific subscribers on Verizon’s network stealing Plaintiffs’ sound recordings through peer-to-peer (“P2P”) file-sharing networks that are notorious hotbeds for copyright infringement. While Verizon is famous for its “Can you hear me now?” advertising campaign, it has intentionally chosen not to listen to complaints from copyright owners. Instead of taking action in response to those infringement notices as the law requires, Verizon ignored Plaintiffs’ notices and buried its head in the sand. Undeterred, infringing subscribers identified in Plaintiffs’ notices continued to use Verizon’s services to infringe Plaintiffs’ copyrights with impunity. Meanwhile, Verizon continued to provide its high-speed service to thousands of known repeat infringers so it could continue to collect millions of dollars from them. 2. Plaintiffs bring this action against Verizon for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement. Verizon has knowingly contributed to, and reaped substantial profits from, massive copyright infringement committed by tens of thousands of its subscribers. By ignoring Plaintiffs’ notices and its own legal obligations, Verizon facilitated its subscribers’ infringement of Plaintiffs’ copyrights through the continued provision of its high-speed Internet service to known repeat infringers. 3. Plaintiffs are record companies or recorded music businesses that produce, manufacture, distribute, sell, and license commercial sound recordings both in the United States and internationally. Through their enormous investments of money, time, and exceptional creative efforts, Plaintiffs and the recording artists they represent have developed and/or distributed some of the world’s most famous music. Their investments and creative efforts have shaped the musical landscape as we know it, both in the United States and around the world. As a result, Plaintiffs own and/or control exclusive rights to many of the most popular sound recordings performed by classic artists and contemporary superstars, including The Rolling Stones, Ariana Grande, Bob Dylan, Bruno Mars, Elvis Presley, Dua Lipa, Drake, and many more. 4. Verizon markets and sells high-speed Internet services to consumers nationwide. Through the provision of those services, Verizon contributed to and profited from pervasive copyright infringement by its subscribers on P2P file-sharing networks. Verizon’s contribution to its subscribers’ infringement is both willful and extensive, and it renders Verizon equally liable for that infringement. Indeed, for years, Verizon deliberately refused to take action to prevent its customers from using its Internet services to infringe others’ copyrights, including Plaintiffs’ copyrights—even after Verizon was put on notice of particular customers engaging in specific, repeated acts of infringement. 5. Since early 2020, Plaintiffs’ representatives have sent more than 340,000 infringement notices to Verizon. Those notices clearly and unambiguously advised Verizon of its subscribers’ blatant and systematic use of Verizon’s Internet service to illegally download, copy, and distribute Plaintiffs’ copyrighted sound recordings through the P2P network known as BitTorrent. 6. The scope of repeat infringement on Verizon’s network is staggering. Thousands of Verizon subscribers were the subject of 20 or more notices from Plaintiffs, and more than 500 subscribers were the subject of 100 or more notices. One particularly egregious Verizon subscriber was single-handedly the subject of 4,450 infringement notices from Plaintiffs alone. 7. Verizon acknowledged that it received these notices of infringement sent by Plaintiffs’ representatives. Yet rather than taking any steps to address its customers’ illegal use of its network, Verizon deliberately chose to ignore Plaintiffs’ notices, willfully blinding itself to that information and prioritizing its own profits over its legal obligations. 8. It is well-established law that if a party materially assists someone it knows is engaging in copyright infringement, that party is fully liable for the infringement as if it had infringed directly. Further, when a party has a direct financial interest in the infringing activity, and the right and practical ability to stop or limit it, that party also faces liability. Flouting those basic responsibilities, Verizon deliberately turned a blind eye to its subscribers’ infringement. Verizon failed to terminate or otherwise take any meaningful action against the accounts of repeat infringers of which it was aware. Instead, Verizon routinely thumbed its nose at Plaintiffs by continuing to provide its service to subscribers it knew to be serially infringing Plaintiffs’ copyrighted sound recordings. In reality, Verizon operated its service as an attractive tool and safe haven for infringement. 9. Verizon has derived an obvious and direct financial benefit from its subscribers’ infringement. The unlimited ability to download and distribute Plaintiffs’ copyrighted works through Verizon’s service has served as a draw for Verizon to attract, retain, and charge higher fees to infringing subscribers. By failing to terminate the accounts of specific recidivist infringers known to Verizon, Verizon obtained a direct financial benefit from those subscribers’ continuing infringing activity. That financial benefit included improper revenue that Verizon would not have received had it appropriately shut down those accounts as well as the costs that Verizon saved by failing to implement an effective repeat infringer program. In other words, Verizon decided not to terminate repeat infringers because it wanted to maintain the revenue generated from those subscribers’ accounts. 10. To be clear, the infringing activity of Verizon’s subscribers that is the subject of Plaintiffs’ claims, and for which Verizon is secondarily liable, all occurred after Verizon received multiple notices of each subscriber’s infringing activity. Plaintiffs seek damages for infringement of their sound recordings by Verizon subscribers after those particular subscribers were identified to Verizon in multiple infringement notices. Continue Reading Here. Continue Reading Here . Here About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on July 12, 2024, storage.courtlistener is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. About HackerNoon Legal PDF Series: We bring you the most important technical and insightful public domain court case filings. This court case retrieved on July 12, 2024, storage.courtlistener is part of the public domain. The court-created documents are works of the federal government, and under copyright law, are automatically placed in the public domain and may be shared without legal restriction. storage.courtlistener

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