philliant

again, adaptability for the win

Mon, 18 May 2026 05:56:15 -0700

i wrote earlier about a heavy lift, then a checkpoint where i thought i was through the worst of it. it turned out i was still on the wrong path, and the right move was to turn around. adapting to what was actually in front of me produced a much better solution than anything i was forcing, and reminded me that this so-called soft skill is one of the most valuable advantages anyone can develop.

working together or alone

Sat, 09 May 2026 05:22:03 -0700

working with colleagues costs more in coordination, but it pays back by catching blind spots, regulating emotions, planning realistic timelines, and reducing stress. working alone is faster on the surface, until it is not. this is a contrast of the two and how i decide between them.

keep your snapshots simple

Sat, 09 May 2026 05:05:27 -0700

dbt snapshots are useful when you genuinely need point-in-time history, but they introduce complexity, brittleness, and a heavy maintenance and backup tax. this post is a reminder that less is more, simple is better, and you should never build a snapshot on top of another snapshot.

on the plane, again

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 14:09:34 -0700

in-flight wifi is not for every traveler or every trip, but when i fly solo for work it turns dead time into a calm, contained place to think, build, and prepare. i am getting real work done up here, including this site and prep for meetings on the ground.

logic

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 17:37:10 -0700

logic is not just for code. learning to think in if/then/else terms helps with planning, troubleshooting, designing, and understanding people and systems. once you learn it, you keep it forever, and the compounding effect of better decisions over time is hard to overstate.

back at it

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 16:45:35 -0700

i am finally out of the weeds on a recent heavy lift. i stuck with it the way i wrote about in stick with it, then moved the way i should have from the start, in smaller pieces that add up to the larger change. there is still testing and user acceptance ahead, but a stable baseline gives me room to step back, reset, and continue with a clearer head.

stick with it

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 20:29:00 -0700

i am in the middle of a heavy lift that has grown bigger than i thought, and i want to remind myself that continuity over time is what produces long-term results. motivation comes in waves, but sticking with the problem is how the value actually shows up.

comfortable being uncomfortable

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:22:41 -0700

growth rarely happens where you already feel at ease. change is disruptive by design, and the uncomfortable stretch is where new skills, boundaries, and compassion tend to show up.

dbt snapshots: moving from merges to native history

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 15:20:37 -0700

a guide on using dbt snapshots to track slowly changing dimensions, including lessons learned from migrating away from custom merge strategies.

little by little, a little becomes a lot

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 16:03:29 -0700

habit forming seems like it takes forever to take hold, but it is easier when you understand you are working toward continuity and not perfection. little by little, experience adds up.

how i automated dev.to and linkedin publishing so visibility stops depending on memory

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 06:55:31 -0700

i now write once in my site workflow and let automation handle distribution to dev.to and linkedin, so each post reaches people consistently without manual copy and paste.

how i use cursor and ai agents to write dbt tests and documentation

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:44:14 -0700

writing dbt tests and documentation is often the most neglected part of data engineering. i will show you how i use cursor and ai agents to automate this process, ensuring high-quality data pipelines without the manual overhead.

the future of data engineering workflows with ai

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:44:14 -0700

data engineering is evolving rapidly with the integration of artificial intelligence. i will explore how ai agents, large language models, and automated workflows are transforming the way we build, maintain, and scale data platforms.

sharing is caring

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 05:11:05 -0700

mastering emerging tools like cursor and ai is only the first step. true value comes from becoming a point person for your team, sharing your voice, and mentoring others through the nuances of adoption.

what is art?

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:38:30 -0700

i do not have a clean answer. i am trying to understand why ai-assisted code can feel normal while ai-assisted painting or music can trigger backlash, and what that says about authorship, labor, and value.

dbt tests

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:34:36 -0700

dbt tests are one of the highest-leverage habits in analytics engineering, but they are often underfunded in real projects. this post explains how i use generic and singular tests, what to prioritize first, and a few practical examples you can copy today.

dbt docs

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 04:39:08 -0700

dbt docs are one of the most overlooked features in a dbt project, but they are one of the most valuable for teammates who consume data without building it. i walk through how they work, what options matter, and how to host them for free on github pages.

what is sql, and why it still works

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 05:48:02 -0700

i break down sql in plain language: what it is, how it evolved over five decades, which problems it solves best, and the core features that keep it relevant

the difference between snowflake and the "other" databases

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 04:49:27 -0700

when you first step into data engineering, the sheer number of database options can be overwhelming. i break down how snowflake compares to traditional relational databases like rds and nosql options like dynamodb, focusing on when to use each and how they scale.

adaptability

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 09:45:05 -0700

ai and agents are accelerating how quickly work changes, and that pressure is showing up far beyond tech. i am seeing it directly while working with almost no cell signal and shared low-bandwidth internet, and it keeps reminding me that adaptability is a compounding skill.

the danger of trusting the ai agent

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 06:31:57 -0700

i share a real failure mode where an ai agent created and then deleted files while debugging, leaving a clean git tree but low confidence. the lesson for me is simple: ai should accelerate the work i own and understand, while domain-specific decisions stay with the people accountable for that domain.

plane wifi: when the cabin forced disconnect

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:23:21 -0700

i used to want to protect disconnected travel time. now i am torn between relief from the message stream and the feeling that a long flight is wasted if i cannot sleep and i am not online. cabin class changes how real that tradeoff is, and i still do not have a clean verdict.

left join an effective satellite without duplicating rows (use a cte)

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:00:00 -0700

when an entity link to another hub is optional, a naive left join that pulls in an effective satellite in the same from list can explode or blur grain. i isolate the current effective row in a cte and left join that instead.

brain defrag: time away from screens (and from "one more" with ai)

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:30:00 -0700

i argue that constant production and always-on tools work against clarity. yard work, runs, and boredom give my thoughts room to float, and that is when problems unlock after long struggle.

deep dive: the ai models i use

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:45:00 -0700

i walk through composer-2, gpt-5.3-codex-xhigh, claude 4.6 opus, gemini 3.1 pro, grok-4-20, and kimi-k2.5 with a comparison table plus longer notes on how i actually use each one.

a practical ai workflow: jira, github, and mcp

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:30:00 -0700

i connect my editor to jira and github through mcp, create well-structured issues from templates before coding, and reuse that text in pull requests so every agent in the chain has the same ground truth.

from prototype to production: my early adopter view of ai

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:09:57 -0700

i have watched ai move from a prototype side assistant to an operational core system. this post shares that journey with time-stamped benchmark evidence and a practical view on where model usage is headed next.

starter templates for ai rules, skills, and commands

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 04:00:00 -0700

this follow-up post gives practical, generic templates you can adapt for rules, skills, and commands, plus side-by-side examples that show why tighter structure improves ai execution quality.

how to use ai to create ai rules, skills, and commands

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 11:15:00 -0700

this kickoff post explains why ai-authored rule, skill, and command scaffolds are often clearer for ai execution, and how to keep humans in control with constraints, reviews, and acceptance checks.

ai br-ai-n fr-ai

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 10:30:00 -0700

this post frames ai brain fry as a workflow design problem and gives a practical framework to reduce cognitive overload while keeping ai leverage high.

my cursor setup

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:30:00 -0700

this is my real cursor setup as of march 13, 2026, rewritten as a practical tutorial with settings explanations, mcp server breakdowns, and a replication checklist.

privacy policy

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

this privacy policy explains how i handle data for philliant.com and the automation i use to publish my posts to social platforms, including linkedin and dev.to.

what this policy covers
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