Playbook
Guides
Practice-facility hub for analysts and operators who need repeatable NBA data workflows.
Guides
Use this section like the practice facility for nbadb: pick the workflow that matches the job in front of you, run the opening drill, and then branch into deeper schema, lineage, or troubleshooting pages only when the possession demands it.
Start with the guide that matches the question you need answered today. The best route is usually the shortest one that gets you to a working query, a clean rerun, or a confident handoff.
Run one first possession
| If today you need to… | Start here | First useful action | Branch next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warm up in a browser before touching local data | SQL Playground | Run one sample query and change one filter, sort, or aggregate | Analytics Quickstart |
| Answer a live basketball question with the published dataset | Analytics Quickstart | Connect to nba.duckdb and stop once SHOW TABLES returns the surfaces you expect | DuckDB Query Examples |
| Get a contributor onto the right build or docs lane | Role-Based Onboarding Hub | Run uv sync --extra dev and keep the next page open before editing anything | CLI Reference |
| Run or recover the pipeline without reading the whole playbook | Role-Based Onboarding Hub | Check the current floor state, then choose the exact recurring or recovery command | Daily Updates |
Pick your first drill
Warm up without local setup
Open SQL Playground first when you want browser-only reps, a teaching surface, or a fast way to reduce query-shape anxiety before you touch the warehouse.
Answer a basketball question fast
Start on Analytics Quickstart when you already have the file or want the shortest route to one live query, one dataframe, or one standings read you can reuse.
Get a contributor onto the floor
Open
Role-Based Onboarding Hub
first when the job is build setup, docs work, or choosing the right entry page before a code change.
Run or recover the pipeline
Use Daily Updates for recurring work, then move to Troubleshooting Playbook only when you need the exact artifact, report, or failed command that explains the miss.
If you only remember one flow, use this one.
flowchart LR
Need["Today's job"] --> Drill["Opening drill"]
Drill --> Skill["Skill work"]
Drill --> Ops["Game-day ops"]
Drill --> Recovery["Film room & recovery"]
Skill --> Exact["Schema / lineage when the query gets exact"]
Ops --> Recover["Troubleshooting when a run misses"]
style Drill fill:#e1f5fe
style Skill fill:#e8f5e9
style Ops fill:#fff3e0
style Recovery fill:#fce4ecText fallback: start on an opening-drill page, then branch into one of three lanes. Skill work is for reusable analysis patterns, game-day ops is for recurring runs and delivery, and film room and recovery is for troubleshooting once a run misses.
Choose the practice lane
Opening drill
Use
Role-Based Onboarding Hub
, Analytics Quickstart, or SQL Playground when the first win matters more than broad orientation.
Skill work
Use DuckDB Query Examples, Player Comparison, Shot Chart Analysis, and Parquet Usage once the possession has narrowed to a specific analytical move.
Game-day operations
Keep Daily Updates open for recurring refresh work, then switch to Kaggle Setup when the conversation shifts from local correctness to packaging and delivery.
Film room & recovery
Use Troubleshooting Playbook when the artifact is broken and you need the narrowest recovery loop before widening back out to schema, lineage, or architecture docs.
Guide tracks
Opening drill
Role-Based Onboarding Hub
Best for choosing the right first page and command by role. Typical next stop: Installation, CLI Reference, or Schema Reference.
Analytics Quickstart
Best for getting from download to first answer. Typical next stop: DuckDB Query Examples or Player Comparison.
SQL Playground
Best for DuckDB-WASM practice with self-contained NBA-flavored sample data. Typical next stop: Analytics Quickstart or DuckDB Query Examples.
Skill work
DuckDB Query Examples
Use this when you want copy-ready query patterns. Typical next stop: Schema Reference or Table Lineage.
Player Comparison
Use this when the question is player-versus-player framing. Typical next stop: Shot Chart Analysis.
Shot Chart Analysis
Use this when location and shot-zone patterns matter. Typical next stop: Column Lineage.
Parquet Usage
Use this when the workflow lives in Polars, Pandas, or Arrow. Typical next stop: Schema Reference.
Game-day operations
Daily Updates
Keep this open for recurring pipeline runs and operational checks. Typical next stop: Troubleshooting Playbook .
Kaggle Setup
Use this when the task shifts from local shape to packaging and publish flow. Typical next stop: Architecture.
Film room and recovery
Troubleshooting Playbook
Use this when you need a narrow recovery loop for a broken artifact, failing command, or quality miss. Typical next stop: the exact health artifact, coverage report, or docs-autogen command that explains the issue.
How to use this section well
- Start on the guide that matches the current job, not the whole platform.
- Borrow a working pattern before you invent a new one.
- Drop into Schema Reference or Lineage only when the workflow turns into a contract or dependency question.
- End on the narrowest reusable artifact: a query, command, report, or checklist you can rerun on the next possession.
Keep moving
Stay in the same possession
Keep the mental model warm with adjacent pages, section hubs, and search-friendly routes into the same topic cluster.
Analytics Quickstart
Land quick wins fast and move from setup to analysis with intent.
SQL Playground
Rehearse DuckDB syntax and query structure in the browser before touching the full warehouse.
DuckDB Query Examples
Move from the browser sandbox into real warehouse query patterns and analyst-ready examples.
