Archive | Geek RSS feed for this section

17 February 2012 2 Comments

Some Metallica Setlist Analysis using Tableau Public Visualization Software and some Python Hacking

I’ve been messing around with Tableau Public for a few nights, and I must say that it is damned impressive, and I’ve used a LOT of Reporting / Analysis / Business Intelligence tools in my day.

I needed to do a proper test / POC; the question was – what kind of data do I use to give it a proper test drive?

Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a huge Metallica fan, hell for as long as I can remember, that’s just been “one of my things” (as many current, ex-girlfriends, and ex-wives can attest to)…

2 June 2011 1 Comment

Cross Post: SQL Server, Business Intelligence, Data Mining, & Major League Baseball (I)

Just a recent article I wrote for the C&C Computer Solutions site / blog. Great stuff. Here’s a bit of the intro, but for the MEAT of it, you’ll have to go to the C&C site and read it yourself…

19 August 2010 1 Comment

Developers, IT Nerds, Useless Tech People – stop wielding “knowledge” like it was Geek Bravado weaponry

I’m sorry – but who the fuck cares that you can recite X, Y, and Z off the top of your head. Is its relevant and useful? Generally, no. Are you helping the situation, project or issue? No. There is a word for out-of-context over-information like that… Banal Minutiae. Google search makes glorified know-it-alls obsolete. […]

17 August 2010 25 Comments

Running Python script(s) as a Windows Service – Keep your Python Mojo Engines Running while you Sleep!

Now any Python duct-taper integrate-anything junkie like me has a need to schedule their things (in production) every once in awhile. Usually this is not a problem – Unix / Linux cron jobs handle this nicely – but for a client or job that runs on a Windows server – the built-in “Scheduled Tasks” just […]

10 August 2010 0 Comments

Business Intelligence, Tools, Dirty Caveman Sex, Open-Source – Part 1

Business Intelligence. I hate the term as an IT buzzword. So sick of hearing Business Intelligence-this, Business Intelligence-that, Business Intelligence-expert-my-ass. But, hate it or not “Business Intelligence” shiz isn’t going anywhere – in fact, its been here in one way, shape, or form since the first caveman traded a sharp rock for some unsanctioned cave-nookie.

4 August 2010 1 Comment

What Sookie Stackhouse can teach you about being a better blogger

TrueBlood. Killer show. Let’s face it. It really is a weird-ass perfect storm of timing, promotion, and just straight up quality storytelling. Don’t even dare to compare it with those Justin-Beiber-esque-Saved-by-the-Bell-type-Vampire-Twilight-Movies that are currently sweeping the minds and loins of young teens these days. They are an inferior product – vamprires (fictional or not) do […]

8 December 2009 5 Comments

Using XLWT and Python to export an Oracle dataset to Excel (Python Simple ETL Part 2)

A few months ago, I showed how you can do simple back and forth ETL task with python scripts – this time I’m going to take it one step further and show how with an extra python module we can actually export data to a usable Excel format as well. I often use this method […]

1 December 2009 1 Comment

Cut-N-Paste Corner: Microsoft SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008 Simple Loop Template

I think that ‘data wrangling’ takes a special kind of problem solving mentality. Keeping data current, cleaning it, merging it, aggregating it, and creating summary (or data warehouse) tables for reporting purposes… For MANY years I used Express installations of SQL Server 2000 as my ultimate data Swiss Army knife. It was like a secret […]

29 July 2009 20 Comments

Using a simple Python script for End-to-End Data Transformation and ETL (Part 1)

In the Data Transformation Services (DTS) / Extract Transform and Load (ETL) world these days we’ve got a LOT of expensive ass products. Some are good, some are marginal, and some are pieces of over-complicated (and poorly performing) java-based shit. But, hey, enough with the negativity – I digress, I just want to show you […]