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Introduction to the Quantexa Academy
About the Quantexa Academy The Quantexa Academy is a modular learning experience that teaches individuals the key skills needed to successfully develop, deploy, and use the Quantexa Platform. It offers a range of courses and programs. The technical certification programs (Academies) offer assessments that allow learners to gain Quantexa Certifications. The courses and programs are made available via our Learning and Management System (LMS). It is currently available to Quantexans, Customers and Partners on demand. As part of the sign-up process, Quantexans, Customers and Partners request to be enrolled onto the Education program of interest. The following sections of the article present: Details of Quantexa programs and Academies, Skills and experience required of the candidates enrolling onto Academies, Enrolment methods, Ways of collecting Academy badges and certificates for Academy Graduates. What is the cost of Quantexa certification? For information regarding the costs of our education programs, please contact your Quantexa Alliances or Quantexa Customer Success representative. Language Requirement Whilst Quantexa is looking into extending our language support, the Quantexa Academy training programs are currently available in English only. With this being the case, participants are required to have English language skills at the level of IELTS 6.5 / CEFR B2 or higher, ideally demonstrating a solid understanding of technical terminology used in data science and computer science. Academy Support Participants in the technical certification programs (Academies) have various support methods available. You can learn more about them in this article: Academy Support for Learning Journeys. 💻💡 Non-Certification programs Quantexa User Foundations (QUF) - Release 1 Assessment: Knowledge Check Duration: 3 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 3 Months Format: eLearning Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: This program introduces the key concepts of the Quantexa Platform for end-users, such as Analysts and Investigators. Having completed the program, learners will understand the core concepts and how to use the key UI components of the Quantexa Platform - based on a Know Your Customer (KYC) use case. Modules include: Introduction - Introduces the core Platform concepts, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution. Search - Teaches end-users how to search for solution Documents and Entities. Investigations - Teaches end-users how to use the Investigations and Tasks components of the Quantexa UI. Outcome: On successful completion of the program and the Knowledge Check, learners will be awarded the Quantexa User Foundations completion badge and certificate. NOTE: 1. The Quantexa User Foundations program is part of the Quantexa Investigations Series: AML Investigator program.2. As of 1 May 2024 all new learners will be onboarded onto Release 2 of the program. Quantexa User Foundations (QUF) - Release 2 (May 2024) Assessment: None Duration: 1-2 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 3 Months Format: eLearning Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: This program introduces the key concepts of the Quantexa Platform for end-users, such as Analysts and Investigators. Having completed the program, learners will understand the core concepts and how to use the key UI components of the Quantexa Platform - based on a Know Your Customer (KYC) use case. Modules include: Introduction to Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform 🆕 - Explains the Platform’s main capabilities and the key benefits it offers to Customers/Partners. Core Concepts - Introduces the key Platform concepts, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution. Search - Teaches end-users how to search for Documents and Entities of interest. Investigations - Teaches end-users how to use the Investigations and Tasks components of the Quantexa UI. What's New: More compact, engaging, and efficient learning experience Addition of videos, new interactive content, and extended accessibility features Content updates: Entity Management, UI changes, Product version: 2.5.2 Addition of a new module (“Introduction to Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform”) providing a brief overview of Q’s capabilities Outcome: On successful completion of the program, learners will be awarded the Quantexa User Foundations completion badge and certificate. NOTE: 1. The Quantexa User Foundations program is part of the Quantexa Investigations Series: AML Investigator program.2. As of 1 May 2024 all new learners will be onboarded onto Release 2 of the program. Quantexa Investigations Series: AML Investigator (QIS:AML) Assessment: Knowledge Check Duration: 3 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 3 Months Format: eLearning Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: This program teaches individuals how to combine many of the key components of the Quantexa Platform (presented in the Quantexa User Foundations program) to facilitate their ability to conduct an AML-themed Investigation. Modules include: Quantexa User Foundations Program - Introduces the core concepts of our Platform, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution. This Program also introduces Search, Investigation and Task components of the Quantexa UI. Quantexa Investigations Series: AML Investigator - Shows how to use the key components of the Quantexa Platform to conduct an AML-themed Investigation. Outcome: On successful completion of the program and the Knowledge Check, learners will be awarded the Quantexa Investigations Series: AML Investigator completion badge and certificate. Quantexa Technical Foundations (QTF) - Release 1 Assessment: Knowledge Check Duration: 3-4 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 3 Months Format: eLearning Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: Quantexa Technical Foundations is an extension to the User Foundations program that also introduces some of the more technical components of our Platform, namely Fusion (ETL) and Assess (Scoring). This program is more suitable for those individuals who will be working with our Platform in a technical capacity, for example Data Engineers, Scoring Engineers, Technical Business Analysts and Architects. Modules include: Introduction - Introduces the core Platform concepts, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution. Document-Entity Model with Fusion - Introduces Quantexa ETL and Data Modelling with Fusion. Search - Teaches end-users how to search for solution Documents and Entities. Investigations - Teaches end-users how to use the Investigations and Tasks components of the Quantexa UI. Scoring - Introduces the core Quantexa Scoring concepts. Outcome: On successful completion of the program and the Knowledge Check, learners will be awarded the Quantexa Technical Foundations completion badge and certificate. NOTE:1.The Quantexa Technical Foundations program is part of three certification programs: (1) Data Engineer Academy (2) Scoring Engineer Academy (3) Technical BA Academy2. As of 25 June 2024 – all new learners will be onboarded onto Release 2 of the program. Quantexa Technical Foundations (QTF) - Release 2 (June 2024) Assessment: None Duration: 2-3 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 3 Months Format: eLearning Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: Quantexa Technical Foundations is an extension to the User Foundations program that also introduces some of the more technical components of our Platform, namely Data Fusion (ETL) and Assess (Scoring). This program is more suitable for those individuals who will be working with our Platform in a technical capacity, for example Data Engineers, Scoring Engineers, Technical Business Analysts and Architects. Modules include: Introduction to Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform 🆕 - Explains the Platform’s main capabilities and the key benefits it offers to our customers. Core Concepts - Introduces the key Platform concepts, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution Search - Teaches end users how to search for Documents and Entities of interest. Investigations - Teaches end users how to use the Investigations and Tasks components of the Quantexa UI. ETL and Data Fusion – Explains the key concepts related to the Extract, Transform, and Load (ETL) process utilizing Data Fusion. Scoring with Assess – Introduces the key concepts and functionalities of the Platform’s Modelling and Scoring capability: Assess. Outcome: On successful completion of the program, learners will be awarded the Quantexa Technical Foundations completion badge and certificate. NOTE:1.The Quantexa Technical Foundations program is part of three certification programs: (1) Data Engineer Academy (2) Scoring Engineer Academy (3) Technical BA Academy2. As of 25 June 2024 – all new learners will be onboarded onto Release 2 of the program. Managing Quantexa Projects (MQP) Assessment: Knowledge Check Duration: 4-5 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 3 Months Format: eLearning Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: This programme gives individuals an introduction to the management and delivery of projects aimed at implementing the Quantexa Platform. Learners will gain a good understanding of the key components of the Quantexa Platform, and focus will be given to the specific areas of work for the project. The future project managers will also learn about the tasks required on a project and the key aspects of project delivery. Modules include: Quantexa Technical Foundations Program - Introduces the core concepts of our Platform, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution, as well as some of its more technical components, namely Fusion and Assess. This Program also introduces Search, Investigation and Task components of the Quantexa UI. Managing Quantexa Projects - Covers the key aspects of a typical project implementing the Quantexa Platform. It will focus on areas that are critical to the technology implementations. Outcome: On successful completion of the program and the Knowledge Check, learners will be awarded the Managing Quantexa Projects completion badge and certificate. 💻🏆 Certification programs Quantexa Platform Architecture (QPA) Assessment: Online Viva (90 minutes) Duration: 4-5 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 4 Months Format: eLearning Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: This training program offers a holistic understanding of the Quantexa Platform's architecture. The learners will gain invaluable insights into its various components, interactions between them, and into the overall product structure. Learners will gain a good understanding of the underlying technology stack, including back-end infrastructure, front-end interfaces, and third-party integrations. In addition, this program explores various deployment aspects, such as how data moves through various Quantexa components, along with infrastructure options and key considerations. Modules include: Quantexa Technical Foundations Program - Introduces the core concepts of our Platform, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution, as well as some of its more technical components, namely Fusion and Assess. This program also introduces Search, Investigation and Task components of the Quantexa UI. Platform Overview - Provides an overview of the various components of the Quantexa Platform and outlines the technologies that contribute to its operations. Product Components Overview - Provides an overview of the business and technical components of the Quantexa Platform. All Things Data - Provides an overview of the typical data types processed by Quantexa, along with the processing flow across the Batch Tier and the Dynamic Mid-Tier. Deployment Options - Provides an overview of the deployment options that can be considered for a Quantexa implementation. Smoke Test - Explains why and how you conduct the Quantexa Smoke Test ETL Project. Outcome: On successful completion of the program and online viva session, learners will be awarded the Quantexa Certified Architect badge and certificate. Quantexa Task Loading (QTL) Assessment: Assessed Duration: 5 Days Max Time Allowed to Complete: 4 Months Format: eLearning & project work Training Credit Classification: Foundation Summary: In-depth program designed to help Quantexa Certified Data Engineers implement and customize Task Loading on a project. An environment is provided where trainees can customize Task Loading within the Quantexa User Interface. Their work and theoretical knowledge are then assessed by a Quantexa Academy Team Lead. Modules include: Task Loading: Environment Setup and Smoke Test - This module provides a comprehensive walkthrough of configuring and testing the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environment. Task Loading: Process and Customization - This course provides a comprehensive introduction to Task Loading, a critical component of Quantexa deployments. Outcome: On successful completion learners will be awarded Quantexa Certified Task Loading Specialist certification. Quantexa Data Engineer Academy (DEA) Prerequisite Assessment: Scala and Spark Assessment: Knowledge Check / Tasks / Project Assessment Duration: 6-8 weeks, full time, depending on how closely candidates meet the "Ideal Candidate" criteria. Max Time Allowed to Complete: 4 Months Format: eLearning & project work Product version: 2.0.1 Training Credit Classification: Certification Summary: The Quantexa Data Engineer Academy is an in-depth program aimed to teach Data Engineers how to build Quantexa Platforms. An environment is provided to every user where they build a ‘mini-proof of concept’ Quantexa Platform. Their work is then assessed by a Quantexa Academy Team Lead and a Quantexa Technical Specialist. ✔ Ideal Candidates for the Quantexa DEA program Each of our certification programs is complex in nature and is best suited to individuals that have an associated set of prerequisite skills and experience that will support their ability to obtain the related certification. Here’s the recommended criteria for the Data Engineer Certification program. Hands-on development experience (Java, Scala, etc.) via system integration projects or as a data scientist. Experience of working on fraud, financial crime, customer insight or compliance-based projects that utilize detection or predictive models. Experience in the Agile development methodology. Experience of working on projects involving statistical approaches or detection logic. Familiarity with data mapping, relational data, and object orientation. Familiarity with data processing methods, such as ETL (and ideally some exposure to such tools as Ab Initio or Informatica), parsing and handling data quality-related issues. Experience of working with operational environments, DevOps, restart/recovery, etc. Experience with Hadoop, Spark, Scala (or Java), or less ideally - Python, Elastic (optional), Restful APIs JSON, Tomcat. Development environment skills (code control, IDEs), understanding of such processes as unit testing, design, and documentation. Scala and Spark Pre-requisite Assessment A fundamental understanding of Scala and Spark is key to ensuring learners' success as a Quantexa Data Engineer. With this being the case, there is a Scala and Spark pre-requisite assessment that has been designed to ensure that you have the necessary skills to complete the associated Academy Tasks and, consequently, to qualify as a Quantexa Certified Data Engineer. You can learn more about it in this article: Scala Prerequisite Assessment for Quantexa Certification Academies. Modules include: Quantexa Technical Foundations Program - Introduces the core concepts of our Platform, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution, as well as some of its technical components, namely Fusion and Assess. This Program also introduces Search, Investigation and Task components of the Quantexa UI. Extract, Transform & Load - Both a conceptual and technical deep dive into the data ingestion steps and preparation required for building the appropriate Document-Entity Model with Fusion. Entity Resolution - Teaches a contextual approach to Entity Resolution and the required technical configuration. App Architecture - Teaches developers how to deploy the Quantexa Platform and the functions and configuration of the required applications. Network Analytics - Teaches the different techniques for generating Networks and a provides technical walkthrough of how to score a Document using Assess. User Interface - Teaches the customization for standard UI components of the Platform. Module Tasks & Final Certification Assessment - The learners develop their own end-to-end deployment of the Quantexa Platform. Outcome: On successful completion learners will be awarded the Quantexa Data Engineer Certification (including the associated badge and certificate). NOTE:If you wish to just review the content of the Quantexa Data Engineer Academy, there is a Review pathway, which you can also request to be onboarded onto. Quantexa Data Engineer Velocity Program (DEVP) This program has been designed to enable candidates to successfully gain the Data Engineer Certification within 30 Days via the incorporation of a set of Instructor-led Velocity Workshops (see the diagram below). Prerequisite Assessment: Scala and Spark Duration: 30 Days, Full time Format: Instructor Led Velocity Workshops (10 Days) plus Self-Paced Tasks and Assessments. Delivered by: Quantexa, Xander Talent Maximum Class Size: 12 Number of Delivery Consultants: 2 Support Model: Dedicated Remote Support Calls (2 hours per day) Delivery Format: The delivery schedule is as outlined under program structure. Training Event Formats: This program is available as an interest driven private or publicly scheduled event. Event Scheduling Enquiries: Interested parties should contact their respective Quantexa Alliances, Quantexa Customer Success representative or alternatively our Xander Talent Education Partner representative Molly Hutcheon via molly.hutcheon@xandertalent.com Product version: 2.0.1 Modules include: ETL 0 Workshop ETL 1 Workshop ETL 2 Workshop ETL 3 Workshop Assessment Support Workshop Entity Resolution Workshop User Interface Workshop Network Generation Workshop Scoring Workshop Assessment Support Workshop Program Structure: Outcome: On successful completion learners will be awarded the Quantexa Data Engineer Certification (including the associated badge and certificate). Scala and Spark Bootcamp This program has been designed to enable candidates to successfully complete the Scala and Spark prerequisite assessment within a 5-Day period. Duration: 5 Days Format: Instructor Led Workshops Delivered by: Xander Talent Maximum Class Size: 12 Number of Delivery Consultants: 2 Support Model: In Person Delivery Format: The programs are offered in both private and publicly scheduled events, based on interest. Event Scheduling Enquiries: Interested parties should contact their respective Quantexa Alliances, Quantexa Customer Success representative or alternatively our Xander Talent Education Partner representative Molly Hutcheon via molly.hutcheon@xandertalent.com Modules include: Scala fundamentals (data types, functions, higher-order functions, case classes and pattern matching) Functional programming principles Apache Spark and the Dataset API Using SQL joins in Apache Spark Integrating Scala fundamentals with Dataset API functions to transform datagram Structure: Outcome: On successful completion learners will be awarded the Scala & Spark Bootcamp Graduate Badge (including the associated badge and certificate). Quantexa Scoring Engineer Academy (SEA) Prerequisite Assessment: Scala and Spark Assessment: Knowledge Check / Tasks / Project Assessment Duration: 6 weeks, full time Max Time Allowed to Complete: 4 months Format: eLearning & project work Product version: 2.1.1 Training Credit Classification: Certification Summary: The Quantexa Scoring Engineer Academy qualifies the individual to write key detection logic that can be implemented within the Quantexa Assess framework. This learning program takes you through five key scoring approaches and is assessed by a project-based task at the end. An environment is provided to every user where they build a ‘proof of concept’ Quantexa Platform. 💡 Program versions - impact on onboarding From an onboarding perspective, this program has two versions: For Quantexa Certified Data Engineers, and For Non-Certified Data Engineers. Please bear this in mind when completing the enrollment process. ✔ Ideal Candidates for the Quantexa SEA program Each of our certification programs is complex in nature and is best suited to individuals that have an associated set of prerequisite skills and experience that will support their ability to obtain the related certification. Here’s the recommended criteria for the Scoring Engineer Certification program. Data Engineering background or the following Data Science background: Programming experience (ideally using an object-orientated programming language, such as Java, Scala (preferred), R, or Python), and/or Experience in more traditional data processing tools, such as SAS or SQL. Exposure to fraud, financial crime, customer insight or compliance-based environments that utilize detection or predictive models. Experience in the Agile development methodology. Familiarity with statistical approaches and methods and their application on projects. Familiarity with data mapping, meaning of relational data, and object orientation. Experience in interpreting project needs and translating these into detection models. Experience in explaining and presenting analytical results. Experience of working with model documentation, ideally AML model governance. Scala and Spark Pre-requisite Assessment A fundamental understanding of Scala and Spark is key to ensuring learners' success as a Quantexa Scoring Engineer. With this being the case, there is a Scala and Spark pre-requisite assessment that has been designed to ensure that you have the necessary skills to complete the associated Academy Tasks and, consequently, to qualify as a Quantexa Certified Scoring Engineer. You can learn more about it in this article: Scala Prerequisite Assessment for Quantexa Certification Academies. Modules include: Quantexa Technical Foundations Program - Introduces the core concepts of our Platform, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution, as well as some of its more technical components, namely Fusion and Assess. This Program also introduces Search, Investigation and Task components of the Quantexa UI. Environment Setup - Prepares learners for setting up their environment required for the Academy Task and explains some of the relevant tools needed. Document Scores - Covers the overall concepts of the Assess Framework and the Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG). It also explains how to implement, validate and test Document Scores. Entity Scores – Introduces different Score levels, aggregation and rolling down of Entity Scores, plus testing and validation methods. Network Scores - Consists of technical implementation of Network Score, where the LiteGraph data is used as an input as an alternative to parquet files. It also introduces a different approach to test data for Unit testing. Event Scores - Teaches the approach to Event Scores using Transaction data and rolling up to a Document level, along with testing and validation methods. Dynamic Scoring – Explains the main differences between Batch and Dynamic Scoring and how to implement a Score context. It also includes Batch lookup configuration and reading and writing from Elasticsearch. Also covered are the validation methods using the Dynamic end-to-end test. Academy Task - Introduces the learner to the required assessment of skills and knowledge in developing a range of Scores. The Academy Task is split into four parts covering Document, Entity, Network and Batch Lookup Scores using techniques covered in the previous modules. Outcome: On successful completion learners will be awarded the Quantexa Scoring Engineer Certification (including the associated badge and certificate). NOTE:If you wish to just review the content of the Quantexa Scoring Engineer Academy, there is a Review pathway, which you can also request to be onboarded onto. Quantexa Technical Business Analyst Academy (TBAA) Assessment: Knowledge Check / Tasks / Project Assessment Duration: 5 weeks, full time Max Time Allowed to Complete: 4 months Format: eLearning & project work Product version: 2.1.1 Training Credit Classification: Certification Summary The Quantexa Technical Business Analyst Academy is an in-depth program that gives learners the skills needed to become a Technical Business Analyst on a Quantexa project. This updated version of the BA Academy, released on 2.1.1 of the Quantexa Platform, incorporates elements of the new Data Engineer and Scoring Engineer Academies and combines that with a detailed BA end-to-end project perspective. This program has multiple knowledge checks throughout and checkpoint reviews to ensure progress of the learners. It also includes a final assessment at the end signed off by a Quantexa Business Analyst. ✔ Ideal Candidates for the Quantexa TBA program Each of our certification programs is complex in nature and is best suited to individuals that have an associated set of prerequisite skills and experience that will support their ability to obtain the related certification. Here’s the recommended criteria for the Technical Business Analyst Certification program. High technical capability to query and profile large data volumes Hands-on experience in designing technical solutions to problems. Capability and experience of deploying statistical approaches and methods. Deep understanding of data mapping and relational data bases. Experience in designing data processing, such as ETL and parsing, and handling data quality-related issues. Strong solution design experience. Background in classic SI project development, product management, functional definition, or UI design roles. Familiarity with the Agile development methodology, JIRA, and requirements backlog management. Experience of working on data-specific projects, with exposure to fraud, financial crime, customer insight or compliance-based environments that utilize detection or predictive models. When working on a project, ability to produce designs and solutions and own aspects of the project, such as: Network design, including supporting models required, Data selection and understanding, Score design including initial validation and tuning, Entity Resolution, UI Design. Modules include: Quantexa Technical Foundations Program - Introduces the core concepts of our Platform, including Networks, Documents, Entities, and Entity Resolution, as well as some of its more technical components, namely Fusion and Assess. This Program also introduces Search, Investigation and Task components of the Quantexa UI. Development Tools - Teaches the key tools that will be used during the development of a project. Teaches the common Scala and Spark commands used when interrogating the ingested data. Smoke Test - Teaches the required steps to deploy the Quantexa Platform and confirm the correct setup of their environment. Data Preparations: Teaches data considerations that a Business Analyst need to address before carrying out the ETL process to make sure it produces correct outcomes. Data Ingestion - ETL Process: Covers in detail each of the steps in the Data Ingest – ETL Process. Dives into the aspects required for designing and building the appropriate Document-Entity Model with Fusion. How to Read Fusion Files - Teaches a contextual approach to Fusion files and help Business Analysts locate and understand key stages of the configuration. Resolver Configuration - Teaches a contextual approach to Resolver Config and help Business Analysts locate and understand all sections of the configuration. Investigating ER Issues - Provides Business Analysts with tools and approaches to handling Entity Resolution issues. Teaches Business Analysts how to identify and analyze possible triggers for Entity health checks as well as how to detect common problems. Scoring - Teaches concepts and approaches to Scoring and explains the Business Analyst’s involvement at each stage. Provides Scoring considerations and the requirements for capturing the Scoring business logic and Scorecard Tuning. Network Generation - Teaches the core concepts of Network Generation and covers steps and approaches on how to build a Network for all the required Scores. Academy Task - Assesses the learner's ability to design a Quantexa project, from end to end, that identifies the desired cases of risky behavior using the concepts covered in the previous modules. Outcome: On successful completion learners will be awarded the Quantexa Technical Business Analyst Certification (including the associated badge and certificate). NOTE:If you wish to just review the content of the Quantexa Technical Business Analyst Academy, there is a Review pathway, which you can also request to be onboarded onto. I am a customer / partner. How do I sign up for an Academy? If you are a customer, contact your Quantexa Technology Account Partner (former name: CSM). If you are a partner, contact your Quantexa Alliance Lead. Onboarding process A request should be submitted via Kissflow (for both customers and partners). Once your request has been approved, you will be sent an onboarding email. It will contain the necessary instructions to get you signed up to the Quantexa Academy. NOTEAdministrative hours fall within a European time zone. Please allow 48hrs for your request to be processed. 🏅 Already completed the Academy? Claim your badge! If you have already completed an Academy but have not received the badge or certificate, get in touch with us on the https://community.quantexa.com/categories/academy-support Topic and claim them. NOTE:We encourage you to share your achievements via social media Platforms 🎉 Certification Badges and Certificates are available for: Quantexa Data Engineer Academy Quantexa Scoring Engineer Academy Quantexa Technical Business Analyst Academy Completion Badges and Certificates are available for: Quantexa User Foundations Quantexa Technical Foundations Managing Quantexa Projects Quantexa Platform Architecture Quantexa Investigations Series: AML Investigator Additional Resources Did you know that you can log in (or sign up) to the Community to unlock further resources in the Community and on our Documentation site?
A day in the life of... a Technical Business Analyst
The Business Analyst Team serves as a key link between our technical developers and the end users. Our role is to help clients navigate their journey towards achieving optimal technical and business solutions across a variety of use cases. Day-to-day, we collaborate with Project Managers, Technical Leads (TLs), Solution Architects, and Technology Account Partners (TAPs) to deliver projects and Proofs of Concept (POCs) for clients. We also act as a key point of contact for end users, ensuring a smooth transition and adoption of their new solutions. Meet Esse... I joined Quantexa as a Technical Business Analyst in August 2023, after working on various systems implementations as a Systems Analyst and Management Consultant. I've always worked cross-functionally, bridging the gap between technical and business needs. Outside of work, I love running — my friends joke that “Esse is either out for a run, or about to go out for a run”. Running helps me unwind and de-stress. I also love hiking (although we unfortunately only have a hill in Singapore), so I make the most of vacations to explore new trails abroad. How do you normally start your working day? I’m an early riser and typically start my day at 6 a.m. with either a run or a strength workout. It’s my way of energising before the day ahead. After which I enjoy a cup of iced Americano paired with either a slice of homemade sourdough or a yogurt and fruit cup, right before jumping into my morning stand-ups. How would you describe a typical day? A typical day involves attending daily stand-ups and meetings with clients, usually from IT and Compliance teams. My project work ranges from querying data and collaborating with internal Quantexa teams, to refining our solutions through UI adjustments and engaging with end users to ensure the solution meets their needs—and that they’re actively using it! In addition to project work, I often focus on internal Business Analyst tasks like creating knowledge-sharing materials, offering support to other projects in need of BA expertise, or contributing to BA Academy Reviews for external partners. A meal with some BAs in APAC! What do you enjoy most in your role, and what are the most important attributes of a Business Analyst? What excites me most about my role is the opportunity to bridge the gap between technology and business, ensuring that our tech teams deliver solutions that meet our clients' business needs. The most essential attribute of a Business Analyst is the ability to translate complex technical and business concepts for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. This cross-functional communication is key to success. What are your main goals as a Business Analyst? Facilitate the alignment of technology with business objectives Advocate for end users, ensuring that their requirements are met while controlling scope Take ownership of project aspects such as Data Quality Analysis (DQA), Document Data Model design, Score Design, Entity Resolution (ER) Tuning, and User Interface (UI) refinements. Validate the solution’s effectiveness by engaging with investigator teams and refining the system for measurable impact How would you describe a typical day using Quantexa? A typical day using Quantexa involves exploring the UI for manual ER tuning—whether through Networks or Entity Lab—or identifying potential UI refinements. I also work closely with end users, gathering feedback to ensure our solution addresses their needs. What are your most memorable moments at Quantexa? Some of my most memorable moments have been the times spent traveling to Malaysia for client meetings. Though we had our share of late nights, the camaraderie within the team made the experience truly unforgettable. The project team celebrating a successful demo over lunch in Malaysia! What excites you most about your industry or role? What excites me most is the tangible positive impact our solutions have. Seeing a project go live that helps detect Money Laundering is incredibly rewarding and sets Quantexa apart from the typical system implementations I’ve been part of in the past. What advice do you have for someone just starting at Quantexa? The learning curve at Quantexa can be steep, and even now, I’m still learning every day. Be patient with yourself, don’t hesitate to ask questions, and take the time to go through training and documentation thoroughly to grasp the full potential of the solution. What is your favorite area of the Quantexa Community? I enjoy reading posts on best practices. They offer insights into the experiences of colleagues, the lessons they’ve learned from their projects, and strategies to deliver high-value results efficiently.Quantexa Academy - Using Gradle effectively
Summary - We use Gradle to build and compile our projects with simple commands that do a lot for us in the background. Avoid doing full build commands ( gradle build ) unless absolutely necessary, and instead build specific components/JARs as this will be much faster. Finally, you can chain Gradle commands together into one-liners to save time, e.g. you can write gradle clean build instead of having to submit these commands separately, one after another. Introduction Gradle is a general-purpose build tool that we use here at Quantexa to automate the building and compiling of our projects. As the repositories we have to deal with like the Academy Task project are quite large and complicated, having something like Gradle configured to do this leg-work saves us a lot of time. It is important when working on any project to learn about how Gradle has been configured for that specific environment. This ensures you use it in the most optimal way and only run the necessary Gradle commands for the given situation you are in. For example, you don't want to have to build an entire project (slow) if you have only been working on a small area of the code, and can perhaps just build that relevant section instead (faster). In the points below I'll cover some of the specific Gradle commands you will encounter when working on the Academy Task repository. Remember, whenever you write some code, you will need to build the right JAR file before then running the associated script to incorporate any changes you have made. Useful Gradle Commands gradle clean - The clean task simply deletes all of the Build folders in your repository, which contain your program's JAR files (the compiled code) among other things. You may want to use this at the very start of your Academy Task to clear out any previously built code. It can also sometimes be useful to perform a clean before building if you are having some difficulty with getting a specific build command to run. gradle uberclean - This command removes the node modules directory in the UI module, and can be useful if you are having problems with NPM or with getting your UI to build. You will need to run a gradle build command after running an uberclean. The screenshot of the uberclean command below is taken from the build.gradle file within the Quantexa UI folder. gradle build - The build command will run all of the relevant build tasks as specified within the main build.gradle file in the root of the repository, as well as run any unit tests that have been set up. When starting your Academy task it's good to start off with a gradle clean followed by a gradle build to "initialise" the project and build a lot of the necessary JARs, as well as the apps that are required to run the UI (app-scoring etc). Generally speaking, you should rarely have to run this full gradle build command, aside from an initial one to set up the project, or after you have run a gradle clean command. This command can also be used to incorporate any changes you have made to the front-end UI, however when developing this aspect of the project its much faster to use the NPM LiveRun feature instead. Therefore, when you want to build your project to incorporate some of the changes you have made to your code, you should use one of the specific Gradle commands specified below. For the academy task project, a lot of the code has been "broken out" into separate JARs, specific to the area of the project you are working on at the time. This means you don't need to run a full gradle build when working on the majority of the project (and note that a full gradle build won't build these specific JARs anyway) - you can just run the following command when working in a given module instead: gradle :projectShadowJar :dependencyShadowJar If you want to know which JAR you need to build in order for a given program script to be updated before running it (for example CreateCaseClass or BatchScoringRunner), you can look in the relevant bash script that you use to run the Scala program. For example, when running the various ETL scripts, these are all run using the runQSS.sh bash script. Looking at the configuration contained within this script (see picture below), we see that it relies on two JARS: the data-source-all project & dependency shadow JARs, so we know that these will need to be built and kept up to date for any of our code changes to be in effect. The Project Shadow JAR - This will contain the majority of code that you are writing and modifying for your academy task. The Dependency Shadow JAR - This will contain the relevant dependency libraries required for the given module. If you want to know more about specifically what is contained within these commands, you can look at the relevant build.gradle file for the module in question. gradle :build - This command will rebuild one of the UI apps (like app-scoring or app-investigate), which can be useful if you want to quickly rebuild a specific app without having to do a full gradle build . gradle generateCode -t - When doing a lot of changes to Fusion files, it can be useful to run this command to set Gradle into a "watching" mode, where it will automatically build the changes on the fly as you write your code. This is handy as you get instant feedback of e.g. any syntax errors. Note that the above descriptions of how the various build commands work are directly applicable to the Academy Tasks - when working on another project, things may be set up a little differently so it's always worth checking this at the start! Other Useful Points You can chain more than one Gradle instruction with the same call to Gradle, i.e. you can do multiple commands in one line. For example, instead of running gradle clean followed by gradle build , you can run gradle clean build . This can save time, particularly if you have just run a gradle clean and then want to rebuild all of the specific project & dependency shadow JARs and don't want to have to wait for one build command to finish before running the next one. It's good to keep all of the various commands saved in a notepad to make your life easier and speed up development! You can modify some Gradle configuration settings in the gradle.properties file in the root of the project directory. While this isn't necessary for the Academy task, it can be informative to have a look at what sort of settings have been declared in this file. Adding flags onto your Gradle commands can modify the behaviour, for example gradle build -x test will do a regular gradle build but not run any unit tests. Additional Resources Did you know that you can log in (or sign up) to the Community to unlock further resources in the Community and on our Documentation site? For more information about the Quantexa Academy, see Introduction to the Quantexa Academy. Head over to our Academy Topic for support, announcements, and discussions.
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