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.

QlikView Server and Publisher. Written for server administrators, this book guides you step by step through installing, managing, and maintaining QlikView Server and Publisher for your enterprise. It’s the foolproof route to turning information into knowledge

Stephen Redmond

Mastering Linux Shell Scripting. A practical guide to Linux command-line, Bash scripting, and Shell programming - Second Edition

Mokhtar Ebrahim, Andrew Mallett

In this book, you’ll discover everything you need to know to master shell scripting and make informed choices about the elements you employ.Grab your favorite editor and start writing your best Bash scripts step by step. 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. You will also learn to write complex shell scripts. This book will also deep dive into file system administration, directories, and system administration like networking, process management, user authentications, and package installation and regular expressions. Towards the end of the book, you will learn how to use Python as a BASH Scripting alternative. By the end of this book, you will know shell scripts at the snap of your fingers and will be able to automate and communicate with your system with keyboard expressions.

AI and Business Rule Engines for Excel Power Users. Capture and scale your business knowledge into the cloud – with Microsoft 365, Decision Models, and AI tools from IBM and Red Hat

Paul Browne, Alex Porcelli

Microsoft Excel is widely adopted across diverse industries, but Excel Power Users often encounter limitations such as complex formulas, obscure business knowledge, and errors from using outdated sheets. They need a better enterprise-level solution, and this book introduces Business rules combined with the power of AI to tackle the limitations of Excel.This guide will give you a roadmap to link KIE (an industry-standard open-source application) to Microsoft’s business process automation tools, such as Power Automate, Power Query, Office Script, Forms, VBA, Script Lab, and GitHub. You’ll dive into the graphical Decision Modeling standard including decision tables, FEEL expressions, and advanced business rule editing and testing.By the end of the book, you’ll be able to share your business knowledge as graphical models, deploy and execute these models in the cloud (with Azure and OpenShift), link them back to Excel, and then execute them as an end-to-end solution removing human intervention. You’ll be equipped to solve your Excel queries and start using the next generation of Microsoft Office tools.

Hands-On Machine Learning with TensorFlow.js. A guide to building ML applications integrated with web technology using the TensorFlow.js library

Kai Sasaki

TensorFlow.js is a framework that enables you to create performant machine learning (ML) applications that run smoothly in a web browser. With this book, you will learn how to use TensorFlow.js to implement various ML models through an example-based approach.Starting with the basics, you'll understand how ML models can be built on the web. Moving on, you will get to grips with the TensorFlow.js ecosystem to develop applications more efficiently. The book will then guide you through implementing ML techniques and algorithms such as regression, clustering, fast Fourier transform (FFT), and dimensionality reduction. You will later cover the Bellman equation to solve Markov decision process (MDP) problems and understand how it is related to reinforcement learning. Finally, you will explore techniques for deploying ML-based web applications and training models with TensorFlow Core. Throughout this ML book, you'll discover useful tips and tricks that will build on your knowledge.By the end of this book, you will be equipped with the skills you need to create your own web-based ML applications and fine-tune models to achieve high performance.

Inkscape 0.48 Essentials for Web Designers: LITE

Bethany Hiitola

Architecting Cloud Native Applications. Design high-performing and cost-effective applications for the cloud

Kamal Arora, Erik Farr, John Gilbert, Piyum Zonooz

Cloud computing has proven to be the most revolutionary IT development since virtualization. Cloud native architectures give you the benefit of more flexibility over legacy systems.This Learning Path teaches you everything you need to know for designing industry-grade cloud applications and efficiently migrating your business to the cloud. It begins by exploring the basic patterns that turn your database inside out to achieve massive scalability. You’ll learn how to develop cloud native architectures using microservices and serverless computing as your design principles. Then, you’ll explore ways to continuously deliver production code by implementing continuous observability in production. In the concluding chapters, you’ll learn about various public cloud architectures ranging from AWS and Azure to the Google Cloud Platform, and understand the future trends and expectations of cloud providers.By the end of this Learning Path, you’ll have learned the techniques to adopt cloud native architectures that meet your business requirements. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products:• Cloud Native Development Patterns and Best Practices by John Gilbert• Cloud Native Architectures by Erik Farr et al.

Instant Testing with CasperJS. Create advanced and efficient CasperJS tests for your web development projects

Eric Brehault

Professional web development implies systematic testing. While JavaScript unit tests will validate your JavaScript library’s quality, web functional testing is the only way to guarantee the expected behavior of your web pages. CasperJS is a fast and simple JavaScript testing API that can run on any platform, and it is currently one of the best and easiest ways to write your functional tests.Instant Testing with CasperJS will teach you how to write efficient and accurate tests for your professional web developments. This practical guide explains the various different CasperJS principles through clear and detailed examples, covering a large set of common use cases. This book will progressively cover everything you need to know from CasperJS basic principles to the most advanced testing practices.This book starts off by introducing you to the different testing assertions that you can perform with the CasperJS API. We will then move on to cover why bad timing between event triggering can ruin tests and learn strategies to avoid it. Finally, you will learn how to test efficient and complex web interactions like drag and drop, authentication, and file uploading. With Instant Testing with CasperJS, you will be able to set up an advanced and functional test suite for your web development projects quickly and efficiently.

XGBoost for Regression Predictive Modeling and Time Series Analysis. Learn how to build, evaluate, and deploy predictive models with expert guidance

Partha Pritam Deka, Joyce Weiner, Prof. Roberto V. Zicari

XGBoost offers a powerful solution for regression and time series analysis, enabling you to build accurate and efficient predictive models. In this book, the authors draw on their combined experience of 40+ years in the semiconductor industry to help you harness the full potential of XGBoost, from understanding its core concepts to implementing real-world applications.As you progress, you'll get to grips with the XGBoost algorithm, including its mathematical underpinnings and its advantages over other ensemble methods. You'll learn when to choose XGBoost over other predictive modeling techniques, and get hands-on guidance on implementing XGBoost using both the Python API and scikit-learn API. You'll also get to grips with essential techniques for time series data, including feature engineering, handling lag features, encoding techniques, and evaluating model performance. A unique aspect of this book is the chapter on model interpretability, where you'll use tools such as SHAP, LIME, ELI5, and Partial Dependence Plots (PDP) to understand your XGBoost models. Throughout the book, you’ll work through several hands-on exercises and real-world datasets.By the end of this book, you'll not only be building accurate models but will also be able to deploy and maintain them effectively, ensuring your solutions deliver real-world impact.

iCloud Standard Guide. Making the most of Apple's iCloud to store, backup, manage, and share your content across all your devices is made beautifully clear in this practical guide. It even tells you how to use it on a Windows PC

Andri Yadi, Fauzan Alfi

iCloud is a cloud storage and cloud computing service from Apple Inc. iCloud is a hub in a multi-devices environment, that allows your iPads, iPhones, iPod Touches, and Macs sync with each other and always have the same content. The service allows users to store data, such as music files, on remote computer servers that can be downloaded to multiple devices such as iOS-based devices, and personal computers running OS X or Microsoft Windows.This practical guide provides easy, step-by-step guidance to using the numerous features offered by iCloud, for first time users You will be guided through everything that you need to know about using iCloud on multiple platforms, as well as how to use it on a Windows PC.Learn about what iCloud can offer you with this practical guide, and what makes it better than other cloud services. It will take you through all of the iCloud services available, and help you to manage your contents easily across devices.You will also learn how to use Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and other iCloud services on Mac, PC, iOS devices or in the web browser. This book will also let you explore more on using iPhone and iTunes with iCloud, sync all contents without any hassle, and even back them up with iCloud. If you want to take full advantage of iCloud, then this is the right book for you.

Docker Deep Dive. Zero to Docker in a Single Book - Second Edition

Nigel Poulton

Most applications, even the funky cloud-native microservices ones, need high-performance, production-grade infrastructure to run on. Having impeccable knowledge of Docker will help you thrive in the modern cloud-first world. With this book, you will gain the skills you need in order to work with Docker and its containers.The book begins with an introduction to containers and explains their functionality and application in the real world. You will then get an overview of VMware, Kubernetes, and Docker and learn to install Docker on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Once you have understood the Ops and Dev perspective of Docker, you will be able to see the big picture and understand what Docker exactly does. The book then turns its attention to the more technical aspects, guiding you through practical exercises covering Docker engine, Docker images, and Docker containers. You will learn techniques for containerizing an app, deploying apps with Docker Compose, and managing cloud-native applications with Swarm. You will also build Docker networks and Docker overlay networks and handle applications that write persistent data. Finally, you will deploy apps with Docker stacks and secure your Docker environment.By the end of this book, you will be well-versed in Docker and containers and have developed the skills to create, deploy, and run applications on the cloud.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Administration Cookbook. Over 70 practical recipes for administering a high-performance SQL Server 2008 R2 system with this book and

Satya Shyam K Jayanty

Creating Cross-Platform C# Applications with Uno Platform. Build apps with C# and XAML that run on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and WebAssembly

Matt Lacey, Marcel Alexander Wagner

Developers are increasingly being asked to build native applications that run on multiple operating systems and in the browser. In the past, this would have meant learning new technologies and making multiple copies of an application. But the Uno Platform allows you to use tools, languages, and APIs you already know from building Windows apps to develop apps that can also run on other platforms. This book will help you to create customer-facing as well as line-of-business apps that can be used on the device, browser, or operating system of your choice.This practical guide enables developers to put their C# and XAML knowledge to work by writing cross-platform apps using the Uno Platform. Packed with tips and practical examples, this book will help you to build applications for common scenarios. You'll begin by learning about the Uno Platform through step-by-step explanations of essential concepts, before moving on to creating cross-platform apps for different lines of business. Throughout this book, you'll work with examples that will teach you how to combine your existing knowledge to manage common development environments and implement frequently needed functionality.By the end of this Uno development book, you will have learned how to write your own cross-platform apps with the Uno Platform and use additional tools and libraries to speed up your app development process.

Spring Essentials. Build mission-critical enterprise applications using Spring Framework and Aspect Oriented Programming

Shameer Kunjumohamed, Hamidreza Sattari

Spring is an open source Java application development framework to build and deploy systems and applications that run on the JVM. It is the industry standard and the most popular framework among Java developers with over two-thirds of developers using it.Spring Essentials makes learning Spring so much quicker and easier with the help of illustrations and practical examples. Starting from the core concepts of features such as inversion of Control Container and BeanFactory, we move on to a detailed look at aspect-oriented programming. We cover the breadth and depth of Spring MVC, the WebSocket technology, Spring Data, and Spring Security with various authentication and authorization mechanisms. Packed with real-world examples, you’ll get an insight into utilizing the power of Spring Expression Language in your applications for higher maintainability. You’ll also develop full-duplex real-time communication channels using WebSocket and integrate Spring with web technologies such as JSF, Struts 2, and Tapestry. At the tail end, you will build a modern SPA using EmberJS at the front end and a Spring MVC-based API at the back end.By the end of the book, you will be able to develop your own dull-fledged applications with Spring.

MySQL Admin Cookbook LITE: Replication and Indexing. Make your database quicker, more efficient, and better organized with replication and indexing

Udo Schwedt, Daniel Schneller

Azure Security Cookbook. Practical recipes for securing Azure resources and operations

Steve Miles

With evolving threats, securing your cloud workloads and resources is of utmost importance. Azure Security Cookbook is your comprehensive guide to understanding specific problems related to Azure security and finding the solutions to these problems.This book starts by introducing you to recipes on securing and protecting Azure Active Directory (AD) identities. After learning how to secure and protect Azure networks, you’ll explore ways of securing Azure remote access and securing Azure virtual machines, Azure databases, and Azure storage. As you advance, you’ll also discover how to secure and protect Azure environments using the Azure Advisor recommendations engine and utilize the Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel tools. Finally, you’ll be able to implement traffic analytics; visualize traffic; and identify cyber threats as well as suspicious and malicious activity.By the end of this Azure security book, you will have an arsenal of solutions that will help you secure your Azure workload and resources.

Mastering PostgreSQL 12. Advanced techniques to build and administer scalable and reliable PostgreSQL database applications - Third Edition

Hans-Jürgen Schönig

Thanks to its reliability, robustness, and high performance, PostgreSQL has become the most advanced open source database on the market. This third edition of Mastering PostgreSQL helps you build dynamic database solutions for enterprise applications using the latest release of PostgreSQL, which enables database analysts to design both physical and technical aspects of system architecture with ease.Starting with an introduction to the newly released features in PostgreSQL 12, this book will help you build efficient and fault-tolerant PostgreSQL applications. You’ll thoroughly examine the advanced features of PostgreSQL, including logical replication, database clusters, performance tuning, monitoring, and user management. You’ll also work with the PostgreSQL optimizer, configure PostgreSQL for high speed, and understand how to move from Oracle to PostgreSQL. As you progress through the chapters, you’ll cover transactions, locking, indexes, and how to optimize queries for improved performance. Additionally, you’ll learn how to manage network security and explore backups and replications while understanding useful PostgreSQL extensions to help you in optimizing the performance of large databases.By the end of this PostgreSQL book, you’ll be able to get the most out of your database by implementing advanced administrative tasks effortlessly.

Python: Journey from Novice to Expert. Journey from Novice to Expert

Fabrizio Romano, Dusty Phillips, Rick van Hattem

Python is a dynamic and powerful programming language, having its application in a wide range of domains. It has an easy-to-use, simple syntax, and a powerful library, which includes hundreds of modules to provide routines for a wide range of applications, thus making it a popular language among programing enthusiasts.This course will take you on a journey from basic programming practices to high-end tools and techniques giving you an edge over your peers. It follows an interesting learning path, divided into three modules. As you complete each one, you’ll have gained key skills and get ready for the material in the next module.The first module will begin with exploring all the essentials of Python programming in an easy-to-understand way. This will lay a good foundation for those who are interested in digging deeper. It has a practical and example-oriented approach through which both the introductory and the advanced topics are explained. Starting with the fundamentals of programming and Python, it ends by exploring topics, like GUIs, web apps, and data science.In the second module you will learn about object oriented programming techniques in Python. Starting with a detailed analysis of object-oriented technique and design, you will use the Python programming language to clearly grasp key concepts from the object-oriented paradigm. This module fully explains classes, data encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, and exceptions with an emphasis on when you can use each principle to develop well-designed software.With a good foundation of Python you will move onto the third module which is a comprehensive tutorial covering advanced features of the Python language. Start by creating a project-specific environment using venv. This will introduce you to various Pythonic syntax and common pitfalls before moving onto functional features and advanced concepts, thereby gaining an expert level knowledge in programming and teaching how to script highest quality Python programs.