Blog – Chengzhi Zhao

The Essential Reading List for Data Engineers: 10 Classic Books You Can’t Miss

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / February 20, 2023

Discover the Essential Reading List for Data Engineers: 10 Classic Books You Can’t Miss. While many free online resources are available, they often lack the depth and context needed to truly master the field. In this article, I will share ten classic books that cover everything from fundamental technical skills like Python and SQL, to more advanced topics like Apache Spark, Apache Flink, Apache Beam, Apache Airflow, Kubernetes, distributed systems, and dimensional modeling.

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Mastering Gantt Charts: Learn How to Build Them Using Code Alone

Productivity / By Chengzhi Zhao / February 20, 2023

Learn how to master Gantt charts using code alone in project management tracking. Many UI-based tools for Gantt chart creation can take a lot of work to manage. Discover the elegant and practical approach of building Gantt charts with code to reflect fast-paced project changes in this insightful story.

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Think In SQL – Window Function Demisify

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / February 16, 2023

Understanding window function is critical for anyone that writes SQL daily. In this story, let’s think in SQL and demystify the window function with examples and diagrams.

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I Built a Game By Using Streaming Data: A Fun Way for Data Visualization

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / February 9, 2023

Data visualization has always been a delightful area for me to work as a data professional. Visualizing data is like an art. Can I visualize streaming data in another way? I built a game by using streaming data, and this is a fun way for data visualization.

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4 Faster Pandas Alternatives for Data Analysis

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / February 8, 2023

Pandas is no doubt one of the most popular libraries in Python. However, Pandas doesn’t shine in the land of data processing with a large dataset. We will compare 4 faster pandas alternatives for data analysis: Polars, Dask, Vaex, Modin

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Think in SQL — Avoid Writing SQL in a Top to Bottom Approach

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / February 2, 2023

SQL logical query processing order can help you understand why to change writing SQL in the top to bottom approach. It can also help you think in SQL clearly and develop your query more effectively

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5 Fantastic Data Pipeline Orchestration Tools For R

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / January 28, 2023

Many modern data orchestration projects like Apache Airflow and Luigi are Python-based. Let’s explore the popular data pipeline orchestration options for R.

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Get Fluent in Python Decorators by Visualizing It

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / January 21, 2023

Python decorator is syntactic sugar. You can achieve everything without explicitly using the decorator. However, Using the decorator can help your code be more concise and readable. Ultimately, you write fewer lines of code by leveraging Python decorators.

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How to Build Data Animation in R

Data Engineering / By Chengzhi Zhao / January 17, 2023

Have you seen any beautiful racing bar chart data animation on Youtube and wondered how it was built? I will show you how to use gganimate in R to animate data by creating a racing bar chart as an example.

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How I Found Peace of Mind After Timeboxing

Productivity / By Chengzhi Zhao / January 16, 2023

I am tired of continuous rapid context switching and keep being distracted. Interruption kept occurring and continued the next day. Timeboxing helped me find peace of mind in an isolated environment to concentrate on my task.

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