Elixir Wizards SmartLogic LLC

In Office Hours Episode 6, SmartLogic Developers Anna Dorigo and Bilal Hankins join Elixir Wizards Sundi and Dan to discuss their experiences maintaining a decade-old Ruby on Rails codebase.


They delve into the critical importance of deeply understanding the codebase, keeping dependencies current, and adapting to the original application's evolving priorities and design choices.


The conversation spans a range of topics, including accessibility, testing, monitoring, and the challenges of deploying database migrations in production environments. The guests share effective strategies for sustaining and enhancing older codebases, such as employing automated tools, performing code audits, and adhering to clean coding principles.


Key topics discussed in this episode:


Grasping the legacy codebase and its historical context
Overcoming accessibility issues in older applications
Safe dependency management and upgrades
The effects of application scaling on database performance
The critical role of comprehensive test suites in legacy systems
Using tools like Sentry for error tracking and performance monitoring
The benefits of automated security and dependency scans
Juggling client needs with budget constraints
Local simulation techniques for large datasets
The value of iterative code reviews and maintaining clean code
Utilizing git history for contextual understanding
Onboarding strategies for legacy projects
Removing obsolete code and avoiding "magic numbers"
Importance of descriptive naming for better code clarity
Leveraging a rich repository of example code for learning and reference
Proactive code audits to anticipate issues
Managing pull request sizes for smoother reviews
Communicating effectively about upgrades and potential impacts
Strategies for handling large databases efficiently
Ensuring thorough test coverage
Keeping open lines of communication with clients regarding ongoing maintenance


Links mentioned:

COBOL programming language https://developer.ibm.com/languages/cobol/
Ruby on Rails https://rubyonrails.org/
ARIA Rules (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) https://www.w3.org/TR/using-aria/
Shawn Vo on Elixir as a Competitive Advantage https://smartlogic.io/podcast/elixir-wizards/s5e5-vo/
Bundler Audit Ruby Gem https://rubygems.org/gems/bundler-audit/
Sentry application monitoring and error tracking software  https://sentry.io/
Dependabot Github automated dependency updates
Mix hex.audit https://hexdocs.pm/hex/Mx.Tasks.Hex.Audit.html
Git Blame https://git-scm.com/docs/git-blame
Cow hoof trimming videos - The Hoof GP on YouTube (TW graphic imagery)
Special Guests: Anna Dorigo and Bilal Hankins.

In today's episode, Elixir Wizards Owen and Dan delve into the complexities of building advanced reporting features within software applications. They share personal insights and challenges encountered while developing reporting solutions for user-generated data, leveraging both Elixir/Phoenix and Ruby on Rails.


The discussion zeroes in on crucial data modeling and architectural decisions that enhance reporting efficiency and flexibility. Owen and Dan explore tactics like materialized views, event sourcing, and database triggers to optimize data handling while being mindful of UX elements like progress indicators and background job management.


They share insights on leveraging the Elixir/Beam ecosystem’s strengths—like concurrency and streamlined deployment—to tackle common reporting, caching, and integration challenges. The episode highlights the impact of reporting features across all aspects of a software application’s design and architecture.


Key topics discussed in this episode:


Reporting on assessment data, survey results, and user metrics
Differences between reporting and performance/error monitoring
Implementing reporting in Elixir/Phoenix vs. Ruby on Rails
Displaying reports in web, printable, PDF, SVG, and CSV formats
Challenges of generating PDFs for large data sets
Streaming CSV data directly to the client
Handling long-running report generation tasks
Providing progress indicators and user notifications
Strategies for canceling or abandoning incomplete reports
Tradeoffs of pre-calculating report data vs. real-time generation
Materializing views and denormalizing data for reporting
Exploring event sourcing patterns for reporting needs
Using database triggers and stored procedures for reporting
Balancing data structure optimization for reports vs. day-to-day usage
Caching report data for faster retrieval and rendering
Charting and visualization integration in reporting systems


Links mentioned:

Prometheus monitoring system & time series database https://prometheus.io/
Thinking Elixir "FLAME with Chris McCord" https://podcast.thinkingelixir.com/181
Phoenix LiveView Uploads https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix/file_uploads.html
https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix_live_view/Phoenix.LiveView.UploadWriter.html
Postgrex PostgreSQL driver for Elixir https://hexdocs.pm/postgrex/Postgrex.html
Ecto https://hexdocs.pm/ecto/Ecto.html
Heroku cloud application platform  https://www.heroku.com/
Elixir Wizards S9E12 Marcelo Dominguez on Command and Query Responsibility Segregation https://smartlogic.io/podcast/elixir-wizards/s9-e12-marcelo-dominguez-cqrs/
Commanded Elixir CQRS/ES applications https://github.com/commanded/commanded
Tailwind CSS Framework https://github.com/tailwindlabs
Memcached https://memcached.org/
Redis https://redis.io/
Oban https://hexdocs.pm/oban/Oban.html
ETS https://hexdocs.pm/ets/ETS.html
Capistrano remote server automation and deployment tool https://capistranorb.com/

In Elixir Wizards Office Hours Episode 4, SmartLogic Product Designer Ava Slivkoff joins hosts Sundi Myint and Owen Bickford to discuss the product designer's role in software development. Ava shares her experience navigating client expectations, software design principles, and technical constraints.


They explore the integration of design and development workflows and how designers and engineers can collaborate to meet a project's specific needs. The conversation emphasizes the value of cross-functional teams and the synergy that can arise when all team members work in harmony to bring a product to life.


Key concepts discussed in the episode:


The broad scope of the designer role in web app development
The value of an MVP in the iterative software design process
Challenges of aligning client expectations with design best practices
Pros and cons of leveraging pre-built Tailwind CSS styled components
Trends and evolution in web design aesthetics and patterns
Leveraging open-source design systems like Tailwind UI
Balancing technical constraints with design aspirations
Communication and trust-building between designers and engineers
Workflows for design handoffs and feedback loops
Importance of user flows and mapping the product experience
Challenges around the implementation of complex UI elements
Benefits of regular design review meetings and syncs
Fostering empathy and collaboration across disciplines


Links mentioned

Figma Dev Mode https://www.figma.com/dev-mode/
Tailwind CSS utility-first CSS framework https://tailwindcss.com/
Tailwind UI https://tailwindui.com/
https://devinai.ai/
Special Guest: Ava Slivkoff.

Today on Elixir Wizards Office Hours, SmartLogic Engineer Joel Meador joins Dan Ivovich to discuss all things background jobs.


The behind-the-scenes heroes of app performance and scalability, background jobs take center stage as we dissect their role in optimizing user experience and managing heavy-lifting tasks away from the main application flow. From syncing with external systems to processing large datasets, background jobs are pivotal to successful application management.


Dan and Joel share their perspectives on monitoring, debugging, and securing background jobs, emphasizing the need for a strategic approach to these hidden workflows.


Key topics discussed in this episode:


The vital role of background jobs in app performance
Optimizing user experience through background processing
Common pitfalls: resource starvation and latency issues
Strategies for effective monitoring and debugging of task runners and job schedulers
Data integrity and system security in open source software
Background job tools like Oban, Sidekiq, Resque, Cron jobs, Redis pub sub
CPU utilization and processing speed
Best practices for implementing background jobs
Keeping jobs small, focused, and well-monitored
Navigating job uniqueness, locking, and deployment orchestration
Leveraging asynctask for asynchronous operations
The art of continuous improvement in background job management


Links mentioned in this episode:

https://redis.io/
Oban job processing library https://hexdocs.pm/oban/Oban.html
Resque Ruby library for background jobs https://github.com/resque
Sidekiq background processing for Ruby https://github.com/sidekiq
Delayed Job priority queue system https://github.com/collectiveidea/delayed_job
RabbitMQ messaging and streaming broker https://www.rabbitmq.com/
Mnesia distributed telecommunications DBMS https://www.erlang.org/doc/man/mnesia.html
Task for Elixir https://hexdocs.pm/elixir/1.12/Task.html
ETS in-memory store for Elixir and Erlang objects https://hexdocs.pm/ets/ETS.html
Cron - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cron
Donate to Miami Indians of Indiana https://www.miamiindians.org/take-action
Joel Meador on Tumblr https://joelmeador.tumblr.com/
Special Guest: Joel Meador.

In Elixir Wizards Office Hours Episode 2, "Discovery Discoveries," SmartLogic's Project Manager Alicia Brindisi and VP of Delivery Bri LaVorgna join Elixir Wizards Sundi Myint and Owen Bickford on an exploratory journey through the discovery phase of the software development lifecycle.


This episode highlights how collaboration and communication transform the client-project team dynamic into a customized expedition. The goal of discovery is to reveal clear business goals, understand the end user, pinpoint key project objectives, and meticulously document the path forward in a Product Requirements Document (PRD).


The discussion emphasizes the importance of fostering transparency, trust, and open communication. Through a mutual exchange of ideas, we are able to create the most tailored, efficient solutions that meet the client's current goals and their vision for the future.


Key topics discussed in this episode:


Mastering the art of tailored, collaborative discovery
Navigating business landscapes and user experiences with empathy
Sculpting project objectives and architectural blueprints
Continuously capturing discoveries and refining documentation
Striking the perfect balance between flexibility and structured processes
Steering clear of scope creep while managing expectations
Tapping into collective wisdom for ongoing discovery
Building and sustaining a foundation of trust and transparency


Links mentioned in this episode:

https://smartlogic.io/
Follow SmartLogic on social media: https://twitter.com/smartlogic
Contact Bri: bri@smartlogic.io
What is a PRD? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_requirements_document
Special Guests: Alicia Brindisi and Bri LaVorgna.

The Elixir Wizards Podcast is back with Season 12 Office Hours, where we talk with the internal SmartLogic team about the stages of the software development lifecycle. For the season premiere, "Testing 1, 2, 3," Joel Meador and Charles Suggs join us to discuss the nuances of software testing.


In this episode, we discuss everything from testing philosophies to test driven development (TDD), integration, and end-user testing. Our guests share real-world experiences that highlight the benefits of thorough testing, challenges like test maintenance, and problem-solving for complex production environments.


Key topics discussed in this episode:


How to find a balance that's cost-effective and practical while testing
Balancing test coverage and development speed
The importance of clear test plans and goals
So many tests: Unit testing, integration testing, acceptance testing, penetration testing, automated vs. manual testing
Agile vs. Waterfall methodologies
Writing readable and maintainable tests
Testing edge cases and unexpected scenarios
Testing as a form of documentation and communication
Advice for developers looking to improve testing practices
Continuous integration and deployment


Links mentioned:

https://smartlogic.io/
Watch this episode on YouTube! youtu.be/u_nx5AIvSdc
Bob Martin “Clean Code” videos - “Uncle Bob”: http://cleancoder.com/
JUnit 5 Testing for Java and the JVM https://junit.org/junit5/
ExUnit Testing for Elixir https://hexdocs.pm/ex_unit/ExUnit.html
Code-Level Testing of Smalltalk Applications https://www.cs.ubc.ca/~murphy/st_workshop/28-7.html
Agile Manifesto https://agilemanifesto.org/
Old Man Yells at Cloud https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/019/304/old.jpg
TDD: Test Driven Development https://www.agilealliance.org/glossary/tdd/
Perl Programming Language https://www.perl.org/
Protractor Test Framework for Angular and AngularJS protractortest.org/#/
Waterfall Project Management https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/waterfall
CodeSync Leveling up at Bleacher Report A cautionary tale - PETER HASTIE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4SzZCwB8B4
Mix ecto.dump https://hexdocs.pm/ecto_sql/Mix.Tasks.Ecto.Dump.html
Apache JMeter Load Testing in Java https://jmeter.apache.org/
Pentest Tools Collection - Penetration Testing https://github.com/arch3rPro/PentestTools
The Road to 2 Million Websocket Connections in Phoenix https://www.phoenixframework.org/blog/the-road-to-2-million-websocket-connections
Donate to Miami Indians of Indiana https://www.miamiindians.org/take-action
Joel Meador on Tumblr https://joelmeador.tumblr.com/
Special Guests: Charles Suggs and Joel Meador.