Digital Transformation

Still working on the College Scorecard dataset. Previously I explored the dataset in a real-world application, talked about how to clean the data, and worked with the data API.

Now I’ve decided I want to put this in a web application so others can use the dataset in the same flexible way that I have been using it. (Reminder that several popular college-search websites exist, but they are limited in the ways you can filter the data. Also they tend to gather personal data for I suppose ad generation.)

As YugabyteDB continues to evolve, its extensive API ecosystem offers powerful capabilities for database management and automation. However, with hundreds of API endpoints across overlapping categories, locating exactly the right API endpoint can be challenging. In this guide, I’ll walk you through several proven strategies for efficiently finding the API endpoints you need, along with real-world examples and pro tips I’ve learned from working with YugabyteDB’s API ecosystem.

Method 1: Navigating Categories in the API Documentation

The API documentation (api-docs.yugabyte.com) provides a well-organized categorical view of available endpoints. Understanding how to navigate these categories effectively will significantly speed up your API discovery process:

Migrating to YugabyteDB offers significant advantages in terms of high availability, global distribution, and horizontal scalability—features essential for managing modern database workloads. However, data migration can be a complex process, particularly when transforming your schema definition. Differences in datatype support, query syntax, and core features across systems can complicate the transformation.

One of the challenges is dealing with reserved keywords in the source schema that cannot be directly used in the target system. This can require changes not only in the database schema during transformation but also in application code and related tooling.

I’m an open-source database consultant. But which open-source database? Well, several of them.

I made the decision several years ago to take every opportunity to work with multiple databases. Why?

1. Learning a new language teaches you more about your own. For example, taking time to understand sstables in Cassandra gave me more insight into how storage works in MySQL. Having these experiences across multiple databases forced me to question what I knew about internals, therefore deepening my understanding overall.

I’ve been pretty quiet recently, I know. My youngest has been going through the college application phase, which has taken a lot of time for both of us. I wouldn’t give up all the lovely college visits and overnights, but I might easily part ways with the paperwork.

I do have something fun to share from the experience. I didn’t like the limitations of common college search websites. In particular, we were looking for a college in a subset of surrounding states. Most college search forms allow you to enter only a region, and the Southeastern region was too broad for her search. I also didn’t like that signing up for the sites subjected you to a lot of marketing.

One of my favorite interview questions is, “How do you keep up with technology?” The answer to this question shows a lot about a candidate. Do they use down time at work to read up on the recent blogs? Are they asking for new assignments to stretch their skillsets? What about the thought leaders are in the space – are they connected?

But we do have to face that there are more new technologies and news about technology than anyone could possibly read about in a day. In my chosen slice of technology, what is a small slice of open source databases, there seems to be a new major database every 6 months. That’s not even counting feature updates, security bugs, and the broad ecosystem around databases. My inbox has been full to overflowing of invitations to review, attend conferences, notice this hot new feature in a top technology, etc.

Audit logging is essential for tracking the “who, what, when, and where” of database access and changes, supporting both security and compliance requirements. It helps organizations know who accessed or modified data, schemas, roles, or grants.

YugabyteDB offers both session-level and object-level audit logging. The system builds upon standard PostgreSQL logging (including the pg-audit extension) but adds distributed system-specific details, such as cloud, region, availability zone, and host information, to distinguish actions across nodes in a distributed environment.

The founder of YugabyteDB and I discussed Kroger’s multi-year journey modernizing its technology infrastructure using distributed SQL to support its large-scale retail operations with the Kroger VP of Customer Technology at DSS 2021.

Key points:

Kroger, the largest independent grocery chain in the US, operates over 2,800 stores under various banners. The company is focused on digitizing its operations, expanding e-commerce, and using technology to enhance customer experience, particularly around fresh food and sustainability.

Automation tools can streamline the planning, registration, and management of Girl Scout events, saving time for troop leaders. Practical examples might include automating communications, scheduling, or badge tracking. This approach helps modernize event management and reduce administrative overhead, making it ideal for volunteers looking to simplify their workflows.

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Migrating Oracle workloads to Google Cloud’s Bare Metal Solution (BMS) offers benefits like reduced rewrites, familiar hardware, and simplified licensing. Challenges include server sizing, OS changes, and database upgrades. Careful planning and consolidation are key for large databases, and BMS is well-suited for organizations aiming to minimize downtime and risk during migration.

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