🛠️ Tracker Mirror — TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
All current statuses are Not Started.
| Block | Technology / Skill | Target Depth | Core Competencies | Practice Proof | Unlocks / Supports | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T0 | VS Code, PowerShell & Environment Literacy | Practical working literacy | Folders/paths; terminal; PATH; environment variables; virtual environments; file organization | Create/rebuild a clean local project environment without a tutorial | All technical labs | |
| T1 | SQL Foundations I | Strong working fluency | SELECT; WHERE; ORDER BY; aliases; DISTINCT; NULL; CASE; basic functions | Answer 20 business questions from Meridian tables | Ch. 5–13 | |
| T2 | SQL Foundations II | Strong working fluency | JOINs; GROUP BY; HAVING; subqueries; CTEs; set operations; window awareness | Build multi-table analyses without supplied query text | Ch. 5–13 | |
| T3 | SQL for Data Management | Strong analyst depth | profiling; reconciliation; duplicates; referential integrity; DQ rules; lineage queries | Create a reusable SQL trust-check pack | Ch. 7–13, 15 | |
| T4 | PostgreSQL | Practical builder / user | schemas; tables; data types; PK/FK; constraints; views; transactions; roles; import/export; backup/recovery awareness | Build Meridian database from scripts and validate it | Ch. 5–8, 10–13 | |
| T5 | DBeaver | Strong workbench proficiency | connections; navigator; metadata inspection; SQL editor; result sets; export; ERD/navigation | Inspect an unfamiliar schema and explain it before querying | All DB labs | |
| T6 | Python Foundations | Practical scripting | variables; types; control flow; functions; modules; files; exceptions; environments | Write a small reusable script from a requirement | Ch. 8, 13, 14 | |
| T7 | Python + pandas | Strong Data Management depth | DataFrames; read/write CSV/JSON/SQL/Parquet; filter; merge; group; missing data; duplicates; validation | Profile and transform Meridian data independently | Ch. 8, 10–14 | |
| T8 | Python ↔ PostgreSQL | Working integration literacy | database connection concepts; query results; load/validate data; parameter awareness | Move a synthetic dataset through Python into PostgreSQL and validate counts | Ch. 8, 11–13 | |
| T9 | Git & Version Control | Strong basics | repo; status; add/commit; diff; branch; merge; ignore; versioned SQL/Python/docs | Reconstruct why a lab changed by reading Git history | All labs / portfolio | |
| T10 | Data Files: CSV, JSON, Parquet | Strong working literacy | shape; schema; delimiters; encoding; nested JSON; columnar format awareness; provenance | Classify and inspect multiple Meridian source formats | Ch. 8, 9, 12, 14 | |
| T11 | Later Tools: DuckDB, Metabase, OpenMetadata & APIs | Targeted, chapter-driven | direct analytical SQL; dashboards; catalog/lineage; REST/JSON concepts | Complete tool-specific mini-project only when chapter need is clear | Ch. 8, 11, 12, 14 | |
| T12 | Microsoft Purview Data Governance — Career Specialization | Strong governance-platform working fluency | Data Map; Unified Catalog; governance domains; data products; business concepts/glossary; owners/stewards; metadata curation/discovery; classification at governance depth; lineage; Data Quality/health; governed access/right-use concepts | Map a Meridian governance problem into Purview without click-by-click instructions; explain each configuration in DAMA/DMBOK terms | Ch. 3, 12, 13 + career portfolio | Data Governance scope only. Stop before production pipelines, Fabric analytics engineering, Spark, infrastructure/platform engineering, or deep security operations. |
| T13 | Collibra Governance & Stewardship — Secondary Portability | Working governance-platform literacy | Stewardship; communities/domains; glossary; ownership; policies; workflows; metadata; classification; lineage; governance operating practices | Explain how the same Meridian governance design transfers from Purview to Collibra; hands-on when access or employer need justifies it | Ch. 3, 12 + career portability | Do not become a Collibra developer/admin unless a target job explicitly requires that depth. |
| T14 | Employer-Specific Governance Platforms — Informatica, Alation, Atlan | Recognition / role-driven | Recognize equivalents for catalog, glossary, ownership/stewardship, lineage, classification, Data Quality, workflow; deepen the employer's platform only when required | Compare one Meridian governance use case across at least two alternative platforms using official documentation, screenshots, or real access | Job targeting / platform portability | Informatica CDGC certification is employer-driven; Alation and Atlan stay awareness-first unless a role makes them relevant. |