SWQL Study Group for the complete novice - thoughts?

Sounds interesting. I do most everything in swql (reports and alerts) now, but nothing complex like some of the reports i see here. API programming with powershell and python - total noob. Trying to crack those nuts and look at them as modularized scripts. API auth, then Call #1 etc. The idea is reusable bits that those of us with limited skills can rinse/repeat. So count me in as interested.

Thank you marcrobinson - I like the reply from routermonkey and hoping he or someone else can suggest a means to tale that up.

A forum or similar, where we could create a private channel/room - Teams maybe, but I don't know how that would work across company boundaries, etc...  

routermonkey said:

As someone who has never been a programmer of any sort, I'm slowly learning my way around, but if you are starting from square one learning SWQL, it's a long, steep learning path.

Absolutely with you on this one. And I'll add to it by saying my actual day job distracts from the learning as some ideas, I have to re-learn each time as I don't use them frequently enough.

That said, sme good suggestions in your message. To add to (clarify?) on the learning styles I do get that live classes may not be the best approach but I was also being very general when using that term. So, what methods work for me... well live class encompasses it all, but by that I predominantly mean there are other folks around me that I can call on and say "what did he mean by X" or "did you get that" - so that the students interact with each other rather than necessarily the teacher - although that is a viable option as well.

The point I'm trying to badly make is it is the interaction that helps me learn, not necessarily the live class per se. So the study group idea is what I have come up with. But a section of THWACK for n00b SWQL coders and challenges, lessons, etc would probably work for me IF there was a commitment from those 'in the know' to answer / respond in as real time as feasible at certain hours / times of a week (month, or whatever timescale is agreed upon).

An alternative might be to as you say, hand out the challenges, but once a month (again, negotiable) have a live Teams / Zoom session to discuss what folks found out or not, how they overcame a particular hurdle if there's a better way to do something, etc ... in-between times, the n00bs could get together as oft as they like to discuss ideas, etc.

I like the idea of having Team/Zoom study sessions.

Having online live 'classes' might not work as well for many, as we are spread across the globe in different time zones and have many things that keep us from attending when we'd like to, so I like the idea of on-your-own-pace learning because of that.  But the idea of live study sessions is a great idea.  

I think there is a workable solution that would work for most people somewhere in the mix of these ideas.

I'm with you Stu, your suggestion would be great for me also.

Love the handle / nick name / tag :)

Years ago, in BBS days I used to sign off my messages with "Stu...D" - and someone took umbrage. that I was calling them stupid. When I pointed out what my actual visible name was, they quickly backtracked and apologised.

Anyway - welcome to the gang, I hope we can get something worked out.

Team or Zoom meetings would be great. They can both be recorded for anyone that couldn't attend live.

I'm not sure what you're looking for from SolarWinds to provide. We could start a new thread for each Team/Zoom meeting for discussion.

Personally speaking I wasn't putting any expectations on SolarWinds but it was they (via KMSigma.SWI) that started adding in suggestions or querying what I was after.

If they can host it, then I can see that it also benefits them but then it also (in my eyes) puts an onus on them to be actively involved.

Ah. Got it.

Is there something in particular you are looking for, for a first class topic? What do you need/want help with? If it's something I'm familiar with, maybe I can try to host a session or record a video. We can make up the rest as we go along.

Ok, in all honesty I don't know that there is an easy answer to that, and this thread started originally as a means to potentially help me, but in the process would help others.

As I've said upthread, I learn best by doing and interacting with others.

The idea being (purely as an example) one of the group would say I need to create a report to do X, but I can't fathom out how to do JOINs. Then either one of the others steps up and talks us through that, or we all indulge in research and bouncing ideas back at each other.

Another example might be - is there a way to extract an aspect from the DB (let's say a serial number), and auto populate it into a custom property for a node so it appears on the node properties page. Or is there a way I can automate bulk imports or ...

I guess I saw it as more of a mailing list of "helpful noobs in the same boat as me" where we interacted through helping, research, questioning, etc. Then on an ad hoc every now and then basis someone like yourself comes along and talks about (again for eg) CASE statements [which I don't get - or more accurately, I don't get when to use and how to implement] - and then the group can query, interact, etc - and just maybe, the host sets a homework type challenge if folks fancy that.

To me, and this is not a criticism, Thwack is not the most responsive place to come to get help when the boss says 'can you do....'

Now to your specific...

>> Is there something in particular you are looking for, for a first class topic?

Not knowing where everybody is at, this is a tough one, and for myself I'm in the "not quite a beginner now group"... but I'd say let's start at the beginning. Talk us through the basic construct of a SWQL query, the requirements, etc. For those that know a bit of SQL do a side bit on "you can't use * in SWQL" and the like.  But more to the point, don't just talk, show. My early struggles was in how to navigate the DB (from a SWQL Studio side), finding what was where, and why I couldn't JOIN a view (once I'd partially got my head around JOINs). Now I need to start to understand more complex aspects - CASE, using Date and Time functions, do a query that checks current state and alerting if it changes from the last known, how to start to automate checks, fixes, and so on.

TLDR: initially I just wanted to find if there was a market for others in the same or similar boat to me; gather names and then discuss amongst ourselves how to move forward. But it morphed from a couple saying yes, count me in, to what do I want - and a precise answer to that eludes me, but it would cover off "what I need to know right now to get the boss off my back" 

I'm in a similar situation as StuartD in that whilst I used to be a Developer in the late nineties and early 2000's, I haven't coded in anger for two decades and it's not like riding a bike!
A particular problem I'm struggling with at the moment is a Volume alert based upon capacity forecasting.
E.g IF Volume:A has less than 5GB remaining AND has less than 48 hours forecasted capacity THEN trigger an action.

Stu_pid said:

coded in anger

I don't think I've read anything that speaks to me quite as much as this single phrase.

As a general response, I'm currently working on something that I'm hoping will help - basically a "primer" on the SolarWinds Query Language Syntax with examples.  It's still rough (really just a list of bullet points and query snippets), but I'd love some external reviewers when I get it to something more fleshed out.

Stu_pid said:

coded in anger

I don't think I've read anything that speaks to me quite as much as this single phrase.

As a general response, I'm currently working on something that I'm hoping will help - basically a "primer" on the SolarWinds Query Language Syntax with examples.  It's still rough (really just a list of bullet points and query snippets), but I'd love some external reviewers when I get it to something more fleshed out.

Haha, I hadn't considered that it could mean different things to different people. On reflection, I can now recall coding in a highly strung state most of the time, especially when the usual battle between the Sales and Production departments was ongoing! :-)