Unlocking Data with Generative AI and RAG. Enhance generative AI systems by integrating internal data with large language models using RAG

Keith Bourne, Shahul Es

Generative AI is helping organizations tap into their data in new ways, with retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) combining the strengths of large language models (LLMs) with internal data for more intelligent and relevant AI applications. The author harnesses his decade of ML experience in this book to equip you with the strategic insights and technical expertise needed when using RAG to drive transformative outcomes.The book explores RAG’s role in enhancing organizational operations by blending theoretical foundations with practical techniques. You’ll work with detailed coding examples using tools such as LangChain and Chroma’s vector database to gain hands-on experience in integrating RAG into AI systems. The chapters contain real-world case studies and sample applications that highlight RAG’s diverse use cases, from search engines to chatbots. You’ll learn proven methods for managing vector databases, optimizing data retrieval, effective prompt engineering, and quantitatively evaluating performance. The book also takes you through advanced integrations of RAG with cutting-edge AI agents and emerging non-LLM technologies.By the end of this book, you’ll be able to successfully deploy RAG in business settings, address common challenges, and push the boundaries of what’s possible with this revolutionary AI technique.

Instant Edmodo How-to. Implement a learning management system in your classroom environment seamlessly and engage students in their own learning with Edmodo

Dayna Laur

As classrooms make the push toward a paperless environment, Edmodo provides you with an easy-to-use system to manage your classes, and creates an opportunity for you to participate in and create a space for your own personal learning network.A practical, guided instructional set to implement the full capabilities of Edmodo in a more engaging and connected online classroom environment. Whether you are a new or veteran Edmodo user, this guide will provide the instructions necessary to navigate the simplest and most advanced features of this system.You will learn how to turn your classroom into a paperless environment that can be managed from anywhere and at anytime. The space that you create for your students on Edmodo will provide you and your students with the ability to access class content and engage in online discussions long after the bell rings.Instant Edmodo How-to will help you establish a more connected classroom that links your face-to-face environment with a more global personal learning network that challenges you to grow as an educator.

Learning Nagios 4. For system administrators who want a fast, easily understood introduction to Nagios 4, this is the perfect book. Get to grips with the latest version of this powerful monitoring tool and transform the stability of your whole system

Wojciech Kocjan

Building CLI Applications with C# and .NET. A step-by-step guide to developing cross-platform CLI apps—from coding and testing to deployment

Tidjani Belmansour, Damian Brady

Developers and system administrators often face challenges like inefficient workflows, complex system operations, and the growing demand for robust automation tools. CLI applications provide a powerful solution by enhancing flexibility, efficiency, and productivity in various environments. This book will guide you through mastering the development of robust command-line tools using .NET.Written by a Microsoft Azure MVP, the book’s hands-on approach ensures practical experience with real-world projects. You’ll start with an overview of foundational principles, essential concepts, and best practices for CLI application development. From there, you’ll advance to creating interactive interfaces, integrating with external APIs and services, and implementing security measures to safeguard your applications. Each chapter will build progressively from basic to advanced topics.Beyond development, you’ll learn how to enhance application quality through testing, package for efficient distribution, and deploy effectively. The book also teaches strategies to optimize performance to ensure your applications run efficiently under heavy usage.By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a deep understanding of CLI application development with .NET to build modular, extensible, and easy-to-maintain applications.

Nginx HTTP Server. Harness the power of Nginx to make the most of your infrastructure and serve pages faster than ever

Clement Nedelcu

Nginx is a lightweight HTTP server designed for high-traffic websites, with network scalability as the primary objective. With the advent of high speed Internet access, short loading times and fast transfer rates have become a necessity. This free, open source solution will either come as a full replacement of other software such as Apache, or stand in front of your existing infrastructure to improve its overall speed.This book is a detailed guide to setting up Nginx in different ways that correspond to actual production situations: as a standalone server, as a reverse proxy, interacting with applications via FastCGI, and more. In addition, this complete directive reference will be your best friend at all stages of the configuration and maintenance processes.This book is the perfect companion for both Nginx beginners and experienced administrators. For beginners, it will take you through the complete process of setting up this lightweight HTTP server on your system and configuring its various modules so it does exactly what you need quickly and securely. For more experienced administrators, this book provides different approaches that can help you make the most of your current infrastructure. Nginx can be employed in many situations, whether you are looking to construct an entirely new web-serving architecture or simply want to integrate an efficient tool to optimize your site loading speeds.

CompTIA Data+: DAO-001 Certification Guide. Complete coverage of the new CompTIA Data+ (DAO-001) exam to help you pass on the first attempt

Cameron Dodd

The CompTIA Data+ certification exam not only helps validate a skill set required to enter one of the fastest-growing fields in the world, but also is starting to standardize the language and concepts within the field. However, there’s a lot of conflicting information and a lack of existing resources about the topics covered in this exam, and even professionals working in data analytics may need a study guide to help them pass on their first attempt.The CompTIA Data + (DAO-001) Certification Guide will give you a solid understanding of how to prepare, analyze, and report data for better insights.You’ll get an introduction to Data+ certification exam format to begin with, and then quickly dive into preparing data. You'll learn about collecting, cleaning, and processing data along with data wrangling and manipulation. As you progress, you’ll cover data analysis topics such as types of analysis, common techniques, hypothesis techniques, and statistical analysis, before tackling data reporting, common visualizations, and data governance. All the knowledge you've gained throughout the book will be tested with the mock tests that appear in the final chapters.By the end of this book, you’ll be ready to pass the Data+ exam with confidence and take the next step in your career.

Functional Programming with C#. Unlock coding brilliance with the power of functional magic

Alex Yagur

In an era where software complexity is increasing by the day, functional programming offers a paradigm that simplifies code maintenance and enhances reliability. Functional Programming with C# takes you on an exhaustive journey into functional programming within C#. The book familiarizes you with the core principles and benefits of functional programming, juxtaposing it with imperative and object-oriented paradigms. You’ll get to grips with the functional features of C# and learn to write expressive, modular code through expressions, pure functions, and higher-order functions. As you advance, you’ll explore advanced concepts such as error handling and asynchronous programming, which will equip you with the practical skills that you need to tackle real-world challenges. By comparing functional programming in C# with other languages and providing additional resources, this book ensures that you’re well-equipped to continue your journey toward mastery in functional programming. By the end of this book, you’ll have gained a thorough understanding of functional programming techniques, such as recursion, memoization, and composition, empowering you to write robust, maintainable code.

CMake Best Practices. Discover proven techniques for creating and maintaining programming projects with CMake

Dominik Berner, Mustafa Kemal Gilor

CMake is a powerful tool used to perform a wide variety of tasks, so finding a good starting point for learning CMake is difficult. This book cuts to the core and covers the most common tasks that can be accomplished with CMake without taking an academic approach. While the CMake documentation is comprehensive, it is often hard to find good examples of how things fit together, especially since there are lots of dirty hacks and obsolete solutions available on the internet. This book focuses on helping you to tie things together and create clean and maintainable projects with CMake.You'll not only get to grips with the basics but also work through real-world examples of structuring large and complex maintainable projects and creating builds that run in any programming environment. You'll understand the steps to integrate and automate various tools for improving the overall software quality, such as testing frameworks, fuzzers, and automatic generation of documentation. And since writing code is only half of the work, the book also guides you in creating installers and packaging and distributing your software. All this is tailored to modern development workflows that make heavy use of CI/CD infrastructure.By the end of this CMake book, you'll be able to set up and maintain complex software projects using CMake in the best way possible.