MySQL
Running MySQL in Docker With a Data Volume That Persists
Run MySQL 8.4 in Docker with a named volume, environment variables, a custom config, health checks, initialization scripts and safe upgrades.
6 min read
Tag
beginner
54 posts
JSON
Why JSON Has No Comments and What People Do Instead
JSON has no comment syntax by design, so a // note fails in every parser tested. What people do instead: _comment keys, $comment, JSONC, JSON5 and YAML.
6 min read
PostgreSQL
Creating Your First Database User and Schema in PostgreSQL
Create your first PostgreSQL role, database and schema: CREATE ROLE with LOGIN, a database with an owner, search_path, and the public schema change.
7 min read
XML
Well Formed Versus Valid XML and the Difference in Practice
Well formed means the syntax parses, valid means it follows a DTD or XSD. Ten broken files and two schemas run through xmllint show what each catches.
6 min read
Excel
XLS Versus XLSX Versus XLSB and Which to Hand Over
Compare the XLS, XLSX and XLSB Excel formats on limits, size, macros and library support, detect which one a file really is, and pick one to hand over.
8 min read
MySQL
Installing MySQL 8.4 on macOS Linux and Windows Step by Step
Install MySQL 8.4 LTS on macOS, Ubuntu and Windows: package sources, first start, the root account, secure setup and checks that the server works.
6 min read
JSON
JSON Data Types and What Is Missing From Them Entirely
JSON has six value types and no date, binary, integer, decimal, set or undefined. See what Python and JavaScript do to each missing type when they serialize.
6 min read
PostgreSQL
Running PostgreSQL in Docker With a Persistent Volume
Run PostgreSQL in Docker with a named volume so data survives restarts, set the password and database on first start, publish the port safely and use Compose.
7 min read
XMLGuide
What XML Is Good At and Why It Still Shows Up in Your Data
A tested beginner guide to XML: where you will meet it in data work, what it does better than JSON, how it is structured, and the first checks to run.
17 min read
ExcelGuide
What Is Inside an Excel File and What It Means for Data
See what an XLSX workbook really contains, from cell types and shared strings to dates, formulas, styles and limits, and what each part means for your data.
17 min read
MySQLGuide
Getting a MySQL Server Running and Usable From Scratch
A beginner guide to getting a MySQL server running: choose a version, install, secure, connect, create users and fix the first errors.
16 min read
JSONGuide
What JSON Allows and What Parsers Quietly Accept in Practice
The JSON grammar fits on a page, and parsers still disagree on trailing commas, NaN, duplicate keys, big numbers and more. A 26-case test across five parsers.
17 min read