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Level 6 / Project 14 - SQL Runbook Generator

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Focus

  • operational runbook artifact creation

Why this project exists

This project gives you level-appropriate practice in a realistic operations context. Goal: run the baseline, alter behavior, break one assumption, recover safely, and explain the fix.

Run (copy/paste)

Use <repo-root> as the folder containing this repository's README.md.

cd <repo-root>/projects/level-6/14-sql-runbook-generator
python project.py --input data/sample_input.txt --output data/output_summary.json
pytest -q

Expected terminal output

{
  "runbooks_generated": 2,
  "runbooks": [{"name": "table_maintenance", "steps": 3, ...}, ...],
  "history": [...]
}

Expected artifacts

  • data/output_summary.json — generated runbook details with history
  • Passing tests (pytest -q → 6+ passed)
  • Updated notes.md

Alter it (required)

  1. Add a custom template: "backup_restore" with steps for backing up and restoring a table.
  2. Add a --execute flag that actually runs each SQL step against the database (with confirmation prompts in a real CLI).
  3. Add step numbering and estimated execution time to the formatted output.
  4. Re-run script and tests after each change.

Break it (required)

  1. Request a non-existent template name and observe the error.
  2. Use a template parameter that contains SQL injection ('; DROP TABLE users; --) and observe what happens.
  3. Leave a required template parameter unset and observe the KeyError.

Fix it (required)

  1. Validate template names against available templates before generation.
  2. Add SQL injection detection in validate_sql for common patterns.
  3. Catch missing parameter errors and report which parameters are required.

Explain it (teach-back)

  1. Why is template-based SQL generation safer than string concatenation?
  2. What is the difference between string.Template substitution and parameterized queries?
  3. Why store runbook history in a database instead of just generating text files?
  4. What is an operational runbook and why do teams maintain them?

Mastery check

You can move on when you can: - run baseline without docs, - explain one core function line-by-line, - break and recover in one session, - keep tests passing after your change.

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