What is Data Code Helper?

Data Code Helper is a pragmatic assistant for data analysts and engineers. It focuses on delivering working code, repeatable workflows, and clear reasoning across Python (pandas/NumPy), SQL (Postgres, BigQuery, Snowflake, etc.), JavaScript (including Google Apps Script), Jupyter, Google Sheets, shell scripting on macOS, and Airflow. The design purpose is simple: turn a plain-English analytics or automation request into reliable, production-friendly steps and code you can run today. Design principles: - Actionable first: short explanation + complete, runnable code; deeper theory on request. - Opinionated best practices: vectorized pandas, SQL CTEs, idempotent jobs, small pure functions, Google-style docstrings, and secrets kept out of code. - Reproducibility: deterministic outputs, fixed schemas, and explicit dependencies. - Fit-for-purpose: lightweight where possible (Sheets/App Script), robust where needed (Airflow/dbt). Illustrative scenarios: 1) You have 24 CSV/TSV exports dropped into a folder. Data Code Helper: provides a Python script to load, concatenate, add 'src_file' and 'src_prefix', and write a clean Parquet for BI, plus notes on schema and dtype handling. 2) YourData Code Helper overview growth team lives in Google Sheets but needs daily de-duplication and an API pull. Data Code Helper: supplies an Apps Script to clean rows, normalize emails, and fetch fresh data into a 'Leads' tab at 7:00 AM daily. 3) You must schedule a nightly pipeline: ingest from S3, transform with dbt, load to BigQuery, and notify Slack on success/failure. Data Code Helper: crafts an Airflow DAG with retries, SLA alerts, and idempotent loads.

Core Functions and Real-World Applications

  • Data ingestion, cleaning, and transformation (Python + SQL)

    Example

    Python (pandas) script to open all CSV/TSV files in a directory, concatenate, and add 'src_file' and 'src_prefix': ```python from pathlib import Path import pandas as pd def load_concat(dir_path: str) -> pd.DataFrame: '''Load all CSV/TSV files, concatenate, and add lineage columns. Args: dir_path: Directory containing .csv and .tsv files. Returns: pandas.DataFrame with columns 'src_file' and 'src_prefix' added. ''' files = list(Path(dir_path).glob('*.csv')) + list(Path(dir_path).glob('*.tsv')) frames = [] for f in files: sep = '\t' if f.suffix.lower() == '.tsv' else ',' df = pd.read_csv(f, sep=sep) df['src_file'] = f.name df['src_prefix'] = f.stem.split('_')[0] frames.append(df) if not frames: return pd.DataFrame() df_all = pd.concat(frames, ignore_index=True) # Optional: canonicalize column names and dtypes df_all.columns = [c.strip().lower().replace(' ', '_') for c in df_all.columns] return df_all if __name__ == '__main__': df = load_concat('/path/to/drops') df.to_parquet('combined.parquet', index=False) ``` SQL pattern for robust transformations (example in BigQuery syntax): ```sql WITH cleaned AS ( SELECT SAFE_CAST(order_id AS INT64) AS order_id, PARSE_DATE('%Y-%m-%d', order_date) AS order_date, LOWER(TRIM(email)) AS email, revenue FROM staging.orders_raw ), validated AS ( SELECT * FROM cleaned WHERE order_id IS NOT NULL AND revenue IS NOT NULL ) SELECT * FROM validated; ```

    Scenario

    A marketing analyst receives monthly exports from multiple vendors. The Python script merges everything into a single, typed table with lineage columns for debugging. The SQL snippet is then used to standardize types, filter bad records, and publish a clean model for BI. Outcome: one reliable table powering dashboards; easy backfills and clear provenance.

  • Automation & orchestration (Airflow, cron, shell on macOS)

    Example

    Airflow DAG that ingests from S3, runs dbt, loads to BigQuery, and notifies Slack: ```python from airflow import DAG from airflow.operators.bash import BashOperator from datetime import datetime, timedelta default_args = { 'owner': 'data', 'retries': 1, 'retry_delay': timedelta(minutes=5), } with DAG( 'daily_sales_pipeline', start_date=datetime(2025, 1, 1), schedule='0 2 * * *', default_args=default_args, catchup=False, ) as dag: extract = BashOperator( task_id='extract_s3', bash_command='aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/raw/{{ ds }}/ /tmp/raw/ --recursive' ) transform = BashOperator( task_id='dbt_run', bash_command='cd /opt/airflow/dbt && dbt run --select tag:daily' ) load = BashOperator( task_id='bq_load', bash_command='bq load --autodetect --replace myproj.sales /tmp/raw/*.csv' ) notify = BashOperator( task_id='slack_notify', bash_command="curl -X POST -H 'Content-type: application/json' --data '{\n \'text\': \'daily_sales_pipeline finished for {{ ds }}\'\n}' $SLACK_WEBHOOK" ) extract >> transform >> load >> notify ``` macOS cron alternative for lightweight jobs: ```bash # Edit crontab: crontab -e 0 7 * * * /usr/local/bin/python3 /Users/me/jobs/pull_api.py >> /Users/me/jobs/logs/pull_api.log 2>&1 ```

    Scenario

    An analytics engineer must guarantee a 7:30 AM dashboard SLA. Airflow provides retries, alerting, and backfills; the DAG is idempotent (replace loads), and uses templated dates. For very small tasks or personal workflows, a cron entry on macOS is sufficient. Outcome: predictable delivery times, fewer manual steps, and clear operational visibility.

  • Spreadsheet-centric automation (Google Sheets + Apps Script + JavaScript)

    Example

    Apps Script to de-duplicate form leads by email, normalize values, and publish to a clean tab: ```javascript function cleanAndSync() { const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActive(); const src = ss.getSheetByName('Form Responses 1'); const data = src.getDataRange().getValues(); const header = data.shift(); const emailIdx = header.indexOf('Email'); const seen = new Set(); const cleaned = [header]; data.forEach(row => { row[emailIdx] = String(row[emailIdx]).toLowerCase().trim(); const key = row[emailIdx]; if (key && !seen.has(key)) { seen.add(key); cleaned.push(row); } }); const out = ss.getSheetByName('Leads') || ss.insertSheet('Leads'); out.clearContents(); out.getRange(1, 1, cleaned.length, cleaned[0].length).setValues(cleaned); } ``` Install a time-driven trigger in Apps Script to run daily at 07:00, or add a simple menu to run on demand.

    Scenario

    A RevOps manager needs a no-code-ish solution to keep a 'Leads' tab clean for the sales team without learning Python. The script de-dupes by email, normalizes case, and publishes a single source of truth in Sheets. Optional: push to CRM via API or export to CSV for uploading. Outcome: clean, consistent inputs for downstream teams with minimal engineering overhead.

Who Benefits Most

  • Data analysts and analytics engineers

    Analysts who live in SQL/Sheets and engineers who own pipelines. They benefit from fast, reliable code snippets (pandas, SQL CTEs), schema design advice, and orchestration patterns (Airflow/dbt). Typical needs: consolidating messy exports, building reproducible notebooks, creating idempotent ELT jobs, writing tests/validations, and optimizing slow queries. Why it helps: reduces time from question to production, improves data quality, and standardizes patterns (naming, typing, lineage) that scale with team growth.

  • Operations/RevOps/Finance/Marketing power users and product managers

    Business-side owners with technical curiosity who need automation without a full data platform overhaul. They benefit from Google Sheets + Apps Script workflows, lightweight API pulls, scheduled jobs on macOS, and task-specific JavaScript or shell scripts. Typical needs: de-duping leads, syncing SaaS data into Sheets, generating weekly reports, and triggering notifications. Why it helps: eliminates manual drudgery, lowers engineering dependency, and produces auditable, repeatable processes suited to non-engineering contexts.

How to use Data Code Helper

  • Visit aichatonline.org for a free trial — no login required and no ChatGPT Plus needed.

    Open the site in your browser to try Data Code Helper immediately. The free trial lets you evaluate features without creating an account; ideal for quick prototyping and verifying output before adopting into workflows.

  • Prepare prerequisites

    Have a sample of your data (CSV/TSV/JSON or schema), target environment (Python version, DB dialect), and a short description of desired output. Optional but helpful: access to a test/staging environment, GitHub repo, and target library versions. Use a modern browser (Chrome/Safari) on MacOS or Linux for best UI compatibility.

  • Compose focused requests

    Include context, 3–10 sample rows or schema, input file format, desired output example, preferred language and libraries (for example Python 3.11, pandas), performance constraints, and whether you want tests and docs. Ask for unit tests (pytest), inline comments, and Google-style docstrings if desired — this yields more production-ready code.

  • Choose a workflow and get iterative results

    Use the assistant for data cleaning,How to use Data Code Helper SQL generation, ETL scripting, Airflow DAGs, Google Sheets automation, shell scripts (MacOS), code review, and test scaffolding. Work iteratively: request an MVP script, run it locally, then ask for optimizations, refactors, or production hardening (logging, retries, batching).

  • Test, deploy, and secure

    Run generated code in a staging environment, add unit/integration tests, put code under version control, and containerize with Docker where appropriate. Never include credentials in prompts; anonymize sensitive data. Ask for CI configs (GitHub Actions), Dockerfiles, and deployment steps for smoother production rollouts.

  • Code Review
  • Data Cleaning
  • Query Writing
  • ETL Automation
  • Airflow DAGs

Frequently asked questions about Data Code Helper

  • What is Data Code Helper and what can it do?

    Data Code Helper is an AI assistant that generates, explains, and optimizes code and workflows for data engineering and analytics. Typical outputs include Python/pandas scripts, SQL tuned for specific dialects (BigQuery, Postgres, Redshift, Snowflake), Airflow DAGs, shell scripts for MacOS, Google Apps Scripts, Jupyter notebooks, unit tests, docs, and deployment guidance such as Dockerfiles and CI templates.

  • How should I format a request to get the most usable code?

    Be explicit: provide a short description of the task, example input (3–10 rows or a schema), desired output sample, file formats, target runtime (Python version, DB dialect), constraints (memory, latency), and preferred libraries. Request tests, inline comments, and docstrings if you want production-ready code. Example prompt fragment: provide CSV with columns A,B,C and produce a pandas transform that groups by A and returns top-3 B values per group.

  • Which languages, databases, and tools does Data Code Helper support?

    Primary support: Python (pandas, NumPy), SQL (Postgres, MySQL, BigQuery, Redshift, Snowflake), Airflow DAG construction, JavaScript/Node, Google Apps Script, Bash/shell (MacOS-focused tips), Docker, Jupyter notebooks, and testing frameworks like pytest. It can also draft CI configs (GitHub Actions) and basic deployment steps.

  • Can Data Code Helper run my code or access my files?

    No. It cannot execute code, access your local files, or interact with your systems. It produces code, commands, and step-by-step run instructions you can execute locally or in your CI/CD. Ask for run-and-test instructions, sample commands, troubleshooting tips, and example test data to verify output in your environment.

  • How should I handle sensitive data and ownership of generated code?

    Never paste credentials or unmasked PII. Share anonymized or synthetic data when possible. Treat generated code as a starting point: review, security-scan, and test it before production. Apply your organization’s licensing and IP policies to code, perform a security review for secrets and dependency risks, and run in staging before deploying to production.

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