Level path

Data Practitioner

Own features and services with solid implementation judgment across neighboring layers.

Total concepts204

Curated for this specific career level.

Specific to this level27

Concepts explicitly listed in this level.

Knowledge tracks6

Concepts span multiple tracks and layers.

Job description signalsTypical responsibilities

Build data ingestion, transformation, orchestration, storage, quality, lineage, and serving pipelines.
Model analytical and operational data for correctness, scalability, privacy, and downstream usability.
Support analytics, BI, ML, compliance, and product teams with reliable data platforms.
Own features end to end from design through implementation, testing, release, and support.
Make local technical tradeoffs and explain them clearly to teammates.
Improve reliability, maintainability, and observability of the systems you touch.
Collaborate with product, design, QA, operations, and adjacent engineering teams.

Cumulative view includes

Dev / Junior DevSE / Junior SEDE / Junior DEDev / DevSE / Mid SE

Specific to this level 27Cumulative 204

Track / layer masteryConcept coverage by layer

DATA

Data

21 concepts

Data Platforms14 Data Engineering5 Data Foundations2

{}

Software

4 concepts

System Design2 Databases1 Security1

OPS

Operations

2 concepts

Observability2

{}

Software

128 concepts

Software Design32 Programming23 Programming Languages14 Algorithms & Data Structures12 System Design12 Databases11 Computer Networks9 Security5 Software Architecture3 Distributed Systems3 Quality Assurance3 Operating Systems1

DATA

Data

34 concepts

Data Platforms17 Data Foundations9 Data Engineering8

MGT

Management

17 concepts

Business Foundations10 Requirements & Planning5 Delivery Methodologies1 Team Leadership1

OPS

Operations

14 concepts

Observability6 Build & Packaging5 Local Development1 Continuous Integration1 Deployment1

Product

8 concepts

Developer Tools4 API Products3 Web Applications1

Theory

3 concepts

Algorithmic Analysis3

Learning scopeConcepts by learning area

Specific to this level

Concepts introduced by this level

Level concepts

Data foundations

Understand datasets, schemas, quality, SQL, and analytical storage basics.

ETLData · Data Engineeringnew ELTData · Data Engineeringnew Data WarehouseData · Data Platformsnew Data LakeData · Data Platformsnew Materialized ViewData · Data Platformsnew

Level concepts

Pipeline orchestration

Build and operate data movement and transformation workflows at scale.

AirflowData · Data Engineeringnew Workflow OrchestrationData · Data Engineeringnew Data MigrationData · Data Engineeringnew TTLSoftware · System Designnew

Level concepts

Data platform production

Make data platforms reliable, discoverable, observable, and ready for analytics and ML consumers.

MetricsOperations · Observabilitynew ThroughputSoftware · System Designnew Data LineageData · Data Platformsnew Data EncryptionSoftware · Securitynew

Level concepts

Data Platforms

Build the capabilities needed for this area.

Cumulative level expectation

All concepts expected at this level

Inherited path

Coding Foundations

Developers begin by learning to translate requirements into working, readable code.

Inherited path

Developer Tooling

Daily development depends on version control, language tooling, static checks, and repeatable local workflows.

GitProduct · Developer Toolsawareness CompilerSoftware · Programming Languagesawareness InterpreterSoftware · Programming Languages Package ManagerOperations · Build & Packaging LintingOperations · Build & Packaging Code EditorProduct · Developer Tools CLISoftware · Operating Systems Version ControlProduct · Developer Tools DependencyOperations · Build & Packaging ArtifactOperations · Build & Packaging Development EnvironmentOperations · Local Development Software EcosystemSoftware · Programming

Inherited path

Testing & Debugging

A developer owns not only writing code, but proving that it behaves as intended.

Unit TestSoftware · quality-assuranceawareness DebuggerProduct · Developer Toolsawareness Error HandlingSoftware · Programming Code DocumentationSoftware · Software Design

Inherited path

Employment Basics

Technical candidates benefit from understanding who employs them, how they are paid, and which terms govern the working relationship.

EmployeeManagement · business-foundationsawareness ContractorManagement · business-foundationsawareness EORManagement · business-foundations Offer LetterManagement · business-foundations Employment ContractManagement · business-foundations CompensationManagement · business-foundations Employee BenefitsManagement · business-foundations Equity CompensationManagement · business-foundations PayrollManagement · business-foundations Statement of WorkManagement · business-foundations

Inherited path

Programming Foundations

Learn the basic building blocks used to express behavior in code.

Graph Data StructureSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structuresawareness Big O NotationTheory · Algorithmic Analysisawareness Requirements EngineeringManagement · Requirements & Planning Time ComplexityTheory · Algorithmic Analysis Space ComplexityTheory · Algorithmic Analysis TreeSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures HeapSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures Breadth-First SearchSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures Depth-First SearchSoftware · Algorithms & Data Structures ConcurrencySoftware · Programmingworking

Inherited path

Software Design

Structure code so it remains readable, testable, and maintainable as it grows.

Inherited path

Data & Persistence

Understand how applications store, retrieve, and protect durable state.

Relational DatabaseSoftware · Databasesawareness SQLSoftware · Databasesawareness Database IndexSoftware · Databases TransactionSoftware · Databases ACIDSoftware · Databases QueryData · Data Foundations Data ModelData · Data Foundations B-TreeSoftware · Databasesworking Database NormalizationSoftware · Databasesworking NoSQLSoftware · Databases

Inherited path

Architecture & Systems

Design systems that handle growth, latency, failure, and multiple communicating components.

Clean ArchitectureSoftware · Software Architectureawareness Client-Server ArchitectureProduct · Web Applicationsawareness Functional RequirementSoftware · System Design APIProduct · API Productsworking HTTPSoftware · Computer Networksworking RESTProduct · API Products OpenAPIProduct · API Products HTTPSSoftware · Security AuthenticationSoftware · Security AuthorizationSoftware · Security Network ProtocolSoftware · Computer Networks DDDSoftware · Software Design Event-Driven ArchitectureSoftware · Distributed Systems Message QueueSoftware · System Design CacheSoftware · System Design Load BalancerSoftware · System Design OSI ModelSoftware · Computer Networks TCP/IP ModelSoftware · Computer Networks DNSSoftware · Computer Networks IPSoftware · Computer Networks TCPSoftware · Computer Networks UDPSoftware · Computer Networks SocketSoftware · Computer Networks ProxySoftware · System Design Reverse ProxySoftware · System Design Publish-SubscribeSoftware · Distributed Systems Layered ArchitectureSoftware · Software Architecture Monolithic ArchitectureSoftware · Software Architecture

Inherited path

Production Awareness

Know how software is built, deployed, observed, and recovered in production.

CI/CD PipelineOperations · Continuous Integrationawareness Integration TestSoftware · quality-assuranceawareness System ObservabilityOperations · Observability MonitoringOperations · Observabilityworking Input ValidationSoftware · Securityworking RetrySoftware · System Design Circuit BreakerSoftware · System Design Rate LimitingSoftware · System Design TracingOperations · Observability

Inherited path

Data foundations

Understand datasets, schemas, quality, SQL, and analytical storage basics.

DatasetData · Data Foundations Data PipelineData · Data Engineering Data StorageData · Data Platforms AnalyticsData · Data Foundations Data QualityData · Data Foundations BIData · Data Platforms Data VisualizationData · Data Platforms KPIManagement · Requirements & Planning OLTPData · Data Foundations JoinSoftware · Databases Write-Ahead LogSoftware · Databases ETLData · Data Engineeringnew ELTData · Data Engineeringnew Data WarehouseData · Data Platformsnew Data LakeData · Data Platformsnew Materialized ViewData · Data Platformsnew

Inherited path

Pipeline orchestration

Build and operate data movement and transformation workflows at scale.

PythonSoftware · Programming Languages Data IngestionData · Data Engineering Data TransformationData · Data Engineering Batch ProcessingSoftware · System Design Stream ProcessingSoftware · Distributed Systems AirflowData · Data Engineeringnew Workflow OrchestrationData · Data Engineeringnew Data MigrationData · Data Engineeringnew TTLSoftware · System Designnew

Inherited path

Data platform production

Make data platforms reliable, discoverable, observable, and ready for analytics and ML consumers.

LoggingOperations · Observability ERDData · Data Foundations MetricsOperations · Observabilitynew ThroughputSoftware · System Designnew Data LineageData · Data Platformsnew Data EncryptionSoftware · Securitynew

Inherited path

Application Design

Mid-level developers own complete features and make local design choices inside an established architecture.

AbstractionSoftware · Software Design EncapsulationSoftware · Software Design InheritanceSoftware · Software Design PolymorphismSoftware · Software Design ClosureSoftware · Programming ImmutabilitySoftware · Programming Side EffectSoftware · Programming Higher-Order FunctionSoftware · Programming Generic ProgrammingSoftware · Programming Inversion of ControlSoftware · Software Design YAGNISoftware · Software Design Code ComplexitySoftware · Software Design Cyclomatic ComplexitySoftware · Software Design Cognitive ComplexitySoftware · Software Design

Inherited path

Runtime & Data

Feature ownership requires practical knowledge of runtimes, memory management, and relational persistence.

RuntimeSoftware · Programming Languagesworking Garbage CollectionSoftware · Programming Languagesworking Call StackSoftware · Programming Heap MemorySoftware · Programming Event LoopSoftware · Programming SerializationSoftware · Programming Abstract Syntax TreeSoftware · Programming Languages LexerSoftware · Programming Languages ParserSoftware · Programming Languages BytecodeSoftware · Programming Languages

Inherited path

Delivery & Collaboration

Professional development includes the complete implementation loop, not only editing source files.

Code ReviewManagement · Team Leadershipworking Contract TestingSoftware · quality-assuranceworking Software DeploymentOperations · Deployment MockSoftware · Software Design Semantic VersioningOperations · Build & Packaging PRDManagement · Requirements & Planning TSDSoftware · Software Design Product BacklogManagement · Requirements & Planning Backlog RefinementManagement · Requirements & Planning SprintManagement · Delivery Methodologies

Path concepts

Data Platforms

Build the capabilities needed for this area.