Week 1 - Python Foundations

Welcome to the Data Track! This first week lays the foundation for building reliable data pipelines with Python. You'll learn how to write well-structured Python code with proper typing, handle errors gracefully, implement logging for observability, and work with common data formats like CSV and JSON.

By the end of this week, you'll have built your first mini data pipeline that reads a CSV file and outputs clean JSON data - the fundamental pattern you'll use throughout the track.

Learning goals

Set up a Python 3.11 development environment with virtual environments and VS Code
Understand Python's core data types: strings, numbers, booleans, lists, and dictionaries
Write functions with type hints and organize code into reusable modules
Run Python scripts from the command line with arguments
Read and understand Python error messages and stack traces
Use the logging module to add observability to your scripts
Read CSV files and write JSON output using Python's standard library
Use an LLM to help debug Python errors
Log into your Azure account and understand which services you'll use later

Chapters

Supplementary

Glossary: every Python and data-engineering term you meet this week, grouped by theme. Keep it open in a side tab while you read.
Going Further: Optional Deep Dives: longer-form videos, books, courses, and tooling that go beyond Week 1's tightly-scoped chapter Extra reading. All optional.
Slides (PDF): the in-class slide deck for the Week 1 kickoff session. Useful as a recap, especially the agenda and the assignment-launch walk-through.