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12 - Screenshot Checkpoints and Reflection Prompts

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Use this file to support visual learners and to build a clean troubleshooting history.

How to use this file

  • At each checkpoint, capture a screenshot and store it in your notes/work log folder.
  • Use naming format:
  • phase-<n>_checkpoint-<n>_YYYYMMDD_HHMM.png
  • Add a short reflection after each screenshot.

Phase checkpoint map

Phase 0 - Setup

Capture screenshots of: 1. Python version output. 2. Active .venv prompt. 3. First passing pytest output.

Reflection prompts: - What command worked immediately? - What command failed first? - How did you fix it?

Phase 1 - Foundations

Capture screenshots of: 1. A working loop output. 2. A traceback you diagnosed. 3. Passing tests for a small function module.

Reflection prompts: - What bug pattern repeated this week? - Which debugging method helped most? - What would you teach a beginner from this lab?

Phase 2 - Quality and workflow

Capture screenshots of: 1. Ruff clean output. 2. Black format run. 3. pytest test summary.

Reflection prompts: - Which quality check catches your most common mistakes? - Which check feels confusing and why? - What did you standardize in your template?

Phase 3 - Excel automation

Capture screenshots of: 1. Input folder with sample files. 2. Master_Report output. 3. rejects.csv with reason codes.

Reflection prompts: - What invalid data patterns appeared? - Which validation rule prevented bad output? - What is still fragile in your pipeline?

Phase 4 - SQL ETL

Capture screenshots of: 1. Staging table row sample. 2. Reporting table row sample. 3. Summary query result.

Reflection prompts: - Where can duplicate data still sneak in? - How did you verify idempotency? - What index or query improvement did you add?

Phase 5 - Monitoring API integration

Capture screenshots of: 1. Primary API ingestion result snapshot. 2. Secondary API ingestion result snapshot. 3. Cache table freshness timestamps.

Reflection prompts: - Which source failed first and why? - How did you prove read-only safety? - Which fields required transformation mapping?

Phase 6 - Dashboard delivery

Capture screenshots of: 1. Dashboard home view. 2. Filtered view with date + severity. 3. Export action/result.

Reflection prompts: - Which dashboard view helps non-technical users most? - What confuses users today? - What is your fallback when data is stale?

Phase 7 - Shipping and governance

Capture screenshots of: 1. Release checklist completion. 2. Runbook ownership section. 3. Final capstone demo screen.

Reflection prompts: - What support risks remain? - What handoff gaps still exist? - Which part of your process now feels "SME-level"?

Weekly checkpoint template (copy/paste)

## Weekly Checkpoint - YYYY-MM-DD
- Goal:
- What I changed:
- What broke:
- Root cause:
- Fix applied:
- Evidence screenshots:
  - [ ] link 1
  - [ ] link 2
  - [ ] link 3
- What I will improve next session:

Primary Sources

Optional Resources

Next

Next: 13_SAMPLE_DATABASE_SCHEMAS.md →