Learn T-SQL Querying. A guide to developing efficient and elegant T-SQL code

Pedro Lopes, Pam Lahoud

Transact-SQL (T-SQL) is Microsoft's proprietary extension to the SQL language used with Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL Database. This book will be a usefu to learning the art of writing efficient T-SQL code in modern SQL Server versions as well as the Azure SQL Database.The book will get you started with query processing fundamentals to help you write powerful, performant T-SQL queries. You will then focus on query execution plans and leverage them for troubleshooting. In later chapters, you will explain how to identify various T-SQL patterns and anti-patterns. This will help you analyze execution plans to gain insights into current performance, and determine whether or not a query is scalable. You will also build diagnostic queries using dynamic management views (DMVs) and dynamic management functions (DMFs) to address various challenges in T-SQL execution. Next, you will work with the built-in tools of SQL Server to shorten the time taken to address query performance and scalability issues. In the concluding chapters, this will guide you through implementing various features, such as Extended Events, Query Store, and Query Tuning Assistant, using hands-on examples.By the end of the book, you will have developed the skills to determine query performance bottlenecks, avoid pitfalls, and discover the anti-patterns in use.

Decoding Large Language Models. An exhaustive guide to understanding, implementing, and optimizing LLMs for NLP applications

Irena Cronin

Ever wondered how large language models (LLMs) work and how they're shaping the future of artificial intelligence? Written by a renowned author and AI, AR, and data expert, Decoding Large Language Models is a combination of deep technical insights and practical use cases that not only demystifies complex AI concepts, but also guides you through the implementation and optimization of LLMs for real-world applications.You’ll learn about the structure of LLMs, how they're developed, and how to utilize them in various ways. The chapters will help you explore strategies for improving these models and testing them to ensure effective deployment. Packed with real-life examples, this book covers ethical considerations, offering a balanced perspective on their societal impact. You’ll be able to leverage and fine-tune LLMs for optimal performance with the help of detailed explanations. You’ll also master techniques for training, deploying, and scaling models to be able to overcome complex data challenges with confidence and precision. This book will prepare you for future challenges in the ever-evolving fields of AI and NLP.By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a solid understanding of the architecture, development, applications, and ethical use of LLMs and be up to date with emerging trends, such as GPT-5.

Practical Game Design. Learn the art of game design through applicable skills and cutting-edge insights

Adam Kramarzewski, Ennio De Nucci

If you are looking for an up-to-date and highly applicable guide to game design, then you have come to the right place! Immerse yourself in the fundamentals of game design with this book, written by two highly experienced industry professionals to share their profound insights as well as give valuable advice on creating games across genres and development platforms.This book covers the basics of game design one piece at a time. Starting with learning how to conceptualize a game idea and present it to the development team, you will gradually move on to devising a design plan for the whole project and adapting solutions from other games. You will also discover how to produce original game mechanics without relying on existing reference material, and test and eliminate anticipated design risks. You will then design elements that compose the playtime of a game, followed by making game mechanics, content, and interface accessible to all players. You will also find out how to simultaneously ensure that the gameplay mechanics and content are working as intended.As the book reaches its final chapters, you will learn to wrap up a game ahead of its release date, work through the different challenges of designing free-to-play games, and understand how to significantly improve their quality through iteration, polishing and playtesting.

Instant OSSEC Host-based Intrusion Detection System. A hands-on guide exploring OSSEC HIDS for operational and security awareness

Brad Lhotsky

Security software is often expensive, restricting, burdensome, and noisy. OSSEC-HIDS was designed to avoid getting in your way and to allow you to take control of and extract real value from industry security requirements. OSSEC-HIDS is a comprehensive, robust solution to many common security problems faced in organizations of all sizes.Instant OSSEC-HIDS is a practical guide to take you from beginner to power user through recipes designed based on real- world experiences. Recipes are designed to provide instant impact while containing enough detail to allow the reader to further explore the possibilities. Using real world examples, this book will take you from installing a simple, local OSSEC-HIDS service to commanding a network of servers running OSSEC-HIDS with customized checks, alerts, and automatic responses.You will learn how to maximise the accuracy, effectiveness, and performance of OSSEC-HIDS' analyser, file integrity monitor, and malware detection module. You will flip the table on security software and put OSSEC-HIDS to work validating its own alerts before escalating them. You will also learn how to write your own rules, decoders, and active responses. You will rest easy knowing your servers can protect themselves from most attacks while being intelligent enough to notify you when they need help!You will learn how to use OSSEC-HIDS to save time, meet security requirements, provide insight into your network, and protect your assets.

Mastering Spring Boot 3.0. A comprehensive guide to building scalable and efficient backend systems with Java and Spring

Ahmet Meric

Mastering Spring Boot 3.0 is your gateway to building scalable and robust backend systems using the latest techniques. Penned by a seasoned software developer with 20+ years of experience in the tech industry, this book follows a hands-on, step-by-step approach to helping you understand Spring Boot concepts and apply them to real-world projects.You’ll start by exploring key architectural patterns such as DDD, CQRS, and event sourcing. Next, you’ll focus on the nuances of reactive REST development, delve into advanced testing strategies, and fortify your applications' security. You’ll also discover the power of containerization and orchestration with Spring Boot 3.0 and unlock its potential for smooth deployments. Additionally, by integrating Kafka, you’ll be able to build robust event-driven systems.By the end of this book, you’ll have become proficient in architectural patterns, testing strategies, and application security. Whether you’re an architect, backend developer, or DevOps engineer, this book will help you leverage the advanced features of Spring Boot 3.0 for secure and efficient backend development.

Learning Veeam Backup & Replication for VMware vSphere. Learn how to protect your data in your VMware vSphere infrastructure with Veeam Backup & Replication

Christian Mohn

CompTIA Security+: SY0-601 Certification Guide. Complete coverage of the new CompTIA Security+ (SY0-601) exam to help you pass on the first attempt - Second Edition

Ian Neil

The CompTIA Security+ certification validates the fundamental knowledge required to perform core security functions and pursue a career in IT security. Authored by Ian Neil, a world-class CompTIA certification trainer, this book is a best-in-class study guide that fully covers the CompTIA Security+ 601 exam objectives.Complete with chapter review questions, realistic mock exams, and worked solutions, this guide will help you master the core concepts to pass the exam the first time you take it. With the help of relevant examples, you'll learn fundamental security concepts from certificates and encryption to identity and access management (IAM). As you progress, you'll delve into the important domains of the exam, including cloud security, threats, attacks and vulnerabilities, technologies and tools, architecture and design, risk management, cryptography, and public key infrastructure (PKI).You can access extra practice materials, including flashcards, performance-based questions, practical labs, mock exams, key terms glossary, and exam tips on the author's website at securityplus.training.By the end of this Security+ book, you'll have gained the knowledge and understanding to take the CompTIA exam with confidence.

Mastering Linux Shell Scripting. Master the complexities of Bash shell scripting and unlock the power of shell for your enterprise

Andrew Mallett

Shell scripting is a quick method to prototype a complex application or a problem by automating tasks when working on Linux-based systems. Using both simple one-line commands and command sequences complex problems can be solved with ease, from text processing to backing up sysadmin tools.In this book, you’ll discover everything you need to know to master shell scripting and make informed choices about the elements you employ. Get to grips with the fundamentals of creating and running a script in normal mode, and in debug mode. Learn about various conditional statements' code snippets, and realize the power of repetition and loops in your shell script. Implement functions and edit files using the Stream Editor, script in Perl, program in Python – as well as complete coverage of other scripting languages to ensure you can choose the best tool for your project.

Interpretable Machine Learning with Python. Learn to build interpretable high-performance models with hands-on real-world examples

Serg Masís

Do you want to gain a deeper understanding of your models and better mitigate poor prediction risks associated with machine learning interpretation? If so, then Interpretable Machine Learning with Python deserves a place on your bookshelf.We’ll be starting off with the fundamentals of interpretability, its relevance in business, and exploring its key aspects and challenges. As you progress through the chapters, you'll then focus on how white-box models work, compare them to black-box and glass-box models, and examine their trade-off. You’ll also get you up to speed with a vast array of interpretation methods, also known as Explainable AI (XAI) methods, and how to apply them to different use cases, be it for classification or regression, for tabular, time-series, image or text. In addition to the step-by-step code, this book will also help you interpret model outcomes using examples. You’ll get hands-on with tuning models and training data for interpretability by reducing complexity, mitigating bias, placing guardrails, and enhancing reliability. The methods you’ll explore here range from state-of-the-art feature selection and dataset debiasing methods to monotonic constraints and adversarial retraining.By the end of this book, you'll be able to understand ML models better and enhance them through interpretability tuning.

Data Exploration and Preparation with BigQuery. A practical guide to cleaning, transforming, and analyzing data for business insights

Mike Kahn

Data professionals encounter a multitude of challenges such as handling large volumes of data, dealing with data silos, and the lack of appropriate tools. Datasets often arrive in different conditions and formats, demanding considerable time from analysts, engineers, and scientists to process and uncover insights. The complexity of the data life cycle often hinders teams and organizations from extracting the desired value from their data assets. Data Exploration and Preparation with BigQuery offers a holistic solution to these challenges.The book begins with the basics of BigQuery while covering the fundamentals of data exploration and preparation. It then progresses to demonstrate how to use BigQuery for these tasks and explores the array of big data tools at your disposal within the Google Cloud ecosystem.The book doesn’t merely offer theoretical insights; it’s a hands-on companion that walks you through properly structuring your tables for query efficiency and ensures adherence to data preparation best practices. You’ll also learn when to use Dataflow, BigQuery, and Dataprep for ETL and ELT workflows. The book will skillfully guide you through various case studies, demonstrating how BigQuery can be used to solve real-world data problems.By the end of this book, you’ll have mastered the use of SQL to explore and prepare datasets in BigQuery, unlocking deeper insights from data.

SAP HANA Cookbook. Your all-inclusive guide to understanding SAP HANA with practical recipes with over 50 recipes

Chandrasekhar Mankala (USD), Ganesh Mahadevan V., Ganesh Mahadevan (USD)

SAP HANA is a real-time applications platform that provides a multi-purpose, in-memory appliance. Decision makers in the organization can gain instant insight into business operations. Thus all the data available can be analysed and you can react to the changing business conditions rapidly to make decisions. The real-time platform not only empowers business users and top management to make decisions but also provides the capability to make decisions in real-time.A practical and comprehensive guide that helps you understand the power of SAP HANA’s real-time and in-memory capabilities. It also provides step-by-step instructions to exploit all the possible features of the SAP HANA database, enabling users to harness the full potential of this technology and its features.You will gain an understanding of real-time replications, effective data loading from various sources, how to load data, and how to create re-usable objects such as models and reports.Use this practical guide to enable or transform your business landscape by implementing SAP HANA to meet your business requirements. The book shows you how to load data from different types of systems, create models in SAP HANA, and consume data for decision-making. The book covers various tools at different stages creating models using SAP HANA Studio, and consuming data using reporting tools such as SAP BusinessObjects, SAP Lumira, and so on . This book also explains the in-depth architecture of SAP HANA to help you understand SAP HANA as an appliance, that is, a combination of hardware and software.The book covers the best practices to leverage SAP HANA’s in-memory technology to transform data into insightful information. It also covers technology landscaping, solution architecture, connectivity, data loading, and setting up the environment for modeling purpose (including setup of SAP HANA Studio).If you have an intention to start your career as SAP HANA Modeler, this book is the perfect start. 

Before Machine Learning Volume 1 - Linear Algebra for A.I. The Fundamental Mathematics for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

Jorge Brasil

In this book, you'll embark on a comprehensive journey through the fundamentals of linear algebra, a critical component for any aspiring machine learning expert. Starting with an introductory overview, the course explains why linear algebra is indispensable for machine learning, setting the stage for deeper exploration. You'll then dive into the concepts of vectors and matrices, understanding their definitions, properties, and practical applications in the field.As you progress, the course takes a closer look at matrix decomposition, breaking down complex matrices into simpler, more manageable forms. This section emphasizes the importance of decomposition techniques in simplifying computations and enhancing data analysis. The final chapter focuses on principal component analysis, a powerful technique for dimensionality reduction that is widely used in machine learning and data science. By the end of the course, you will have a solid grasp of how PCA can be applied to streamline data and improve model performance.This course is designed to provide technical professionals with a thorough understanding of linear algebra's role in machine learning. By the end, you'll be well-equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to apply linear algebra in practical machine learning scenarios.

Data Engineering with AWS. Acquire the skills to design and build AWS-based data transformation pipelines like a pro - Second Edition

Gareth Eagar

This book, authored by a seasoned Senior Data Architect with 25 years of experience, aims to help you achieve proficiency in using the AWS ecosystem for data engineering. This revised edition provides updates in every chapter to cover the latest AWS services and features, takes a refreshed look at data governance, and includes a brand-new section on building modern data platforms which covers; implementing a data mesh approach, open-table formats (such as Apache Iceberg), and using DataOps for automation and observability.You'll begin by reviewing the key concepts and essential AWS tools in a data engineer's toolkit and getting acquainted with modern data management approaches. You'll then architect a data pipeline, review raw data sources, transform the data, and learn how that transformed data is used by various data consumers. You’ll learn how to ensure strong data governance, and about populating data marts and data warehouses along with how a data lakehouse fits into the picture. After that, you'll be introduced to AWS tools for analyzing data, including those for ad-hoc SQL queries and creating visualizations. Then, you'll explore how the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence can be used to draw new insights from data. In the final chapters, you'll discover transactional data lakes, data meshes, and how to build a cutting-edge data platform on AWS.By the end of this AWS book, you'll be able to execute data engineering tasks and implement a data pipeline on AWS like a pro!

Rapid BeagleBoard Prototyping with MATLAB and Simulink. Leverage the power of Beagleboard to develop and deploy practical embedded projects

Fei Qin, Xuewu Dai

As an open source embedded single-board computer with many standard interfaces, Beagleboard is ideal for building embedded audio/video systems to realize your practical ideas. The challenge is how to design and implement a good digital processing algorithm on Beagleboard quickly and easily without intensive low-level coding.Rapid BeagleBoard Prototyping with MATLAB and Simulink is a practical, hands-on guide providing you with a number of clear, step-by-step exercises which will help you take advantage of the power of Beagleboard and give you a good grounding in rapid prototyping techniques for your audio/video applications.Rapid BeagleBoard Prototyping with MATLAB and Simulink looks at rapid prototyping and how to apply these techniques to your audio/video applications with Beagleboard quickly and painlessly without intensive manual low-level coding. It will take you through a number of clear, practical recipes that will help you to take advantage of both the Beagleboard hardware platform and Matlab/Simulink signal processing. We will also take a look at building S-function blocks that work as hardware drivers and interfaces for Matlab/Simulink. This gives you more freedom to explore the full range of advantages provided by Beagleboard.By the end of this book, you will have a clear idea about Beagleboard and Matlab/Simulink rapid prototyping as well as how to develop voice recognition systems, motion detection systems with I/O access, and serial communication for your own applications such as a smart home.

Data-Centric Machine Learning with Python. The ultimate guide to engineering and deploying high-quality models based on good data

Jonas Christensen, Nakul Bajaj, Manmohan Gosada, Kirk D. Borne

In the rapidly advancing data-driven world where data quality is pivotal to the success of machine learning and artificial intelligence projects, this critically timed guide provides a rare, end-to-end overview of data-centric machine learning (DCML), along with hands-on applications of technical and non-technical approaches to generating deeper and more accurate datasets.This book will help you understand what data-centric ML/AI is and how it can help you to realize the potential of ‘small data’. Delving into the building blocks of data-centric ML/AI, you’ll explore the human aspects of data labeling, tackle ambiguity in labeling, and understand the role of synthetic data. From strategies to improve data collection to techniques for refining and augmenting datasets, you’ll learn everything you need to elevate your data-centric practices. Through applied examples and insights for overcoming challenges, you’ll get a roadmap for implementing data-centric ML/AI in diverse applications in Python.By the end of this book, you’ll have developed a profound understanding of data-centric ML/AI and the proficiency to seamlessly integrate common data-centric approaches in the model development lifecycle to unlock the full potential of your machine learning projects by prioritizing data quality and reliability.

OPNsense Beginner to Professional. Protect networks and build next-generation firewalls easily with OPNsense

Julio Cesar Bueno de Camargo

OPNsense is one of the most powerful open source firewalls and routing platforms available. With OPNsense, you can now protect networks using features that were only previously available to closed source commercial firewalls.This book is a practical guide to building a comprehensive network defense strategy using OPNsense. You’ll start with the basics, understanding how to install, configure, and protect network resources using native features and additional OPNsense plugins. Next, you’ll explore real-world examples to gain in-depth knowledge of firewalls and network defense. You’ll then focus on boosting your network defense, preventing cyber threats, and improving your knowledge of firewalling using this open source security platform.By the end of this OPNsense book, you’ll be able to install, configure, and manage the OPNsense firewall by making the most of its features.