Analytics Optimization with Columnstore Indexes in Microsoft SQL ServerMeet the challenge of storing and accessing analytic data in SQL Server in a fast and performant manner. This book illustrates how columnstore indexes can provide an ideal solution for storing analytic data that leads to faster performing analytic queries and the ability to ask and answer business intelligence questions with alacrity. The book provides a complete walk through of columnstore indexing that encompasses an introduction, best practices, hands-on demonstrations, explanations of common mistakes, and presents a detailed architecture that is suitable for professionals of all skill levels.
With little or no knowledge of columnstore indexing you can become proficient with columnstore indexes as used in SQL Server, and apply that knowledge in development, test, and production environments. This book serves as a comprehensive guide to the use of columnstore indexes and provides definitive guidelines. You will learn when columnstore indexes should be used, and the performance ga ...
Modern Data Engineering with Apache SparkLeverage Apache Spark within a modern data engineering ecosystem. This hands-on guide will teach you how to write fully functional applications, follow industry best practices, and learn the rationale behind these decisions. With Apache Spark as the foundation, you will follow a step-by-step journey beginning with the basics of data ingestion, processing, and transformation, and ending up with an entire local data platform running Apache Spark, Apache Zeppelin, Apache Kafka, Redis, MySQL, Minio (S3), and Apache Airflow.
Apache Spark applications solve a wide range of data problems from traditional data loading and processing to rich SQL-based analysis as well as complex machine learning workloads and even near real-time processing of streaming data. Spark fits well as a central foundation for any data engineering workload. This book will teach you to write interactive Spark applications using Apache Zeppelin notebooks, write and compile reusable applications and modules, and fully t ...
Introduction to Blender 3.0Master the basics of 3D modeling for art, architecture, and design by exploring Blender 3.0. This book explains modeling, materials, lighting, painting, and more with Blender and other external tools.
You will configure a 3D architectural environment and set up the workflow of an art and design project within Blender. You will use Blender's main tools - mesh modeling and sculpting - to create virtual objects and environments. And, you will explore building materials and light scenes, followed by drawing and virtual painting. Chapters cover rendering scenes and transforming them into 2D images or videos. You will learn to use Blender 3.0 for video editing as a compositor and video sequence editor (VSE or sequencer) with a wide range of effects available through the nodal system.
On completing this book, you will have the knowledge to create art, design, and architecture with this 3D modeler. ...
Mastering Excel Through ProjectsMaster Excel in less than two weeks with this unique project-based book! Let's face it, we all master skills in our own way, but building a soup-to-nuts project is one of the best ways to make learning stick and get up to speed quickly. Whether you are just getting started with Excel or are an experienced user, this book will elevate your knowledge and skills. For a beginner, the micro examples in each chapter will warm you up before you dive into the projects. For experienced users, the projects, especially those with table setup considerations, will help you become more creative in your interactions with Excel.
Readers will benefit from building eight unique projects, each covering a different topic, including a word game, a food nutrition ranking, a payroll (tax withholding) calculation, an encryption, a two-way table, a Kaplan-Meier analysis, a data analysis via a pivot table and the K-means Clustering data mining method. Through these projects, you will experience firsthand how ...
Human-Computer Interaction in Game Development with PythonDeepen your understanding of human-computer interaction (HCI) in game development and learn how to develop video games that grab players and don't let them go. This book explores HCI design in computer games to maximize collaborative and interactive functions.
You'll first gain a basic introduction to fundamental concepts and practices of HCI before diving into the fundamental concepts of game interface design and technology. You'll learn how to design a gaming interface through practical examples using Python. This is followed by a brief look at how HCI can offer immersive gaming experiences for players and a review of key elements such as interface, usability, user-centered design, and user interface in terms of efficacy. You will also learn how to implement usability aspects in gaming interfaces with examples using Python.
Additionally, the book discusses major challenges that game publishers and developers face, and how they can be resolved using HCI techniques. The questio ...
Adaptive Machine Learning Algorithms with PythonLearn to use adaptive algorithms to solve real-world streaming data problems. This book covers a multitude of data processing challenges, ranging from the simple to the complex. At each step, you will gain insight into real-world use cases, find solutions, explore code used to solve these problems, and create new algorithms for your own use.
Authors Chanchal Chatterjee and Vwani P. Roychowdhury begin by introducing a common framework for creating adaptive algorithms, and demonstrating how to use it to address various streaming data issues. Examples range from using matrix functions to solve machine learning and data analysis problems to more critical edge computation problems. They handle time-varying, non-stationary data with minimal compute, memory, latency, and bandwidth.
Upon finishing this book, you will have a solid understanding of how to solve adaptive machine learning and data analytics problems and be able to derive new algorithms for your own use cases. You will also c ...
Building Real-World Cloud Apps with Windows AzureThis book walks you through a patterns-based approach to building real-world cloud solutions. The patterns apply to the development process as well as to architecture and coding practices.
Developers who are curious about developing for the cloud, considering a move to the cloud, or are new to cloud development will find here a concise overview of the most important concepts and practices they need to know. The concepts are illustrated with concrete examples, and each chapter links to other resources for more in-depth information. The examples and the links to additional resources are for Microsoft frameworks and services, but the principles illustrated apply to other web development frameworks and cloud environments as well.
Developers who are already developing for the cloud may find ideas here that will help make them more successful. Each chapter in the series can be read independently, so you can pick and choose topics that you're interested in. ...
Game Design ResearchDesign research, or design studies as it is also called, has been gaining momentum as a field of academic inquiry since the beginning of 20th century. Originally, design research focused on design methods and processes but it has moved to cover more varied research questions related to design. Current research topics include, for example, how to study design and what methods can be used to study design along with the more fundamental questions such as what is design in the first place and what kinds of knowledge design research produces. The topics of design research have also become more wide and varied with active research on architecture, information systems, product, service, graphic, and interaction design to name a few. Game design research, however, has received surprisingly little attention regardless of the large body of work in the more general design research.
The main aim of this book is to situate game design research within and alongside general design research. ...
Essential Math for Data ScienceMaster the math needed to excel in data science, machine learning, and statistics. In this book author Thomas Nield guides you through areas like calculus, probability, linear algebra, and statistics and how they apply to techniques like linear regression, logistic regression, and neural networks. Along the way you'll also gain practical insights into the state of data science and how to use those insights to maximize your career.
Learn how to: Use Python code and libraries like SymPy, NumPy, and scikit-learn to explore essential mathematical concepts like calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and machine learning; Understand techniques like linear regression, logistic regression, and neural networks in plain English, with minimal mathematical notation and jargon; Perform descriptive statistics and hypothesis testing on a dataset to interpret p-values and statistical significance; Manipulate vectors and matrices and perform matrix decomposition; Integrate and build upon incremental ...
Functional Programming in C#, 2nd EditionFunctional Programming in C# has helped thousands of developers apply functional thinking to C# code. Its practical examples and spot-on treatment of FP concepts makes it the perfect guide for proficient C# programmers. This second edition is fully revised to cover new functional-inspired features in the most recent releases of C#, including tuples, async streams, pattern matching, and records. Each chapter is packed with awesome perspectives and epiphany moments on how functional programming can change the way you code.
Turbocharge your C# code. Good functional techniques will improve concurrency, state management, event handling, and maintainability of your software. This book gives you practical answers to why, how, and where to add functional programing into your C# coding practice.
Functional Programming in C#, Second Edition teaches functional thinking for real-world problems. It reviews the C# language features that allow you to program functionally and through many practi ...