Practical guide
Practical guide on Beyond Market Intelligence: a running collection of 5 stories we have gathered and hand-picked because they are worth your time. Every post here touches on practical guide in some way — the news, the analysis, the deep dives, and the occasional surprise find. Acme AI is the next-generation, AI-powered spreadsheet platform built to replace Excel and redefine how analysts, data scientists, and enterprise teams work with data. New stories are added to this page as we find them, so check back if you want to keep up with what is happening around practical guide, or subscribe to the RSS feed to get them as soon as they are published. Browse the collection below, or head back to the homepage to see everything Beyond Market Intelligence is covering right now.

How to Work with AI Coding Agents
AI coding agents promise better code, not just *more* code, and mastering their use is essential for modern data professionals. This practical guide explores how to effectively collaborate with these agents, maximizing their potential to streamline development and improve code quality. Discover strategies for prompting, evaluating outputs, and integrating AI assistance into your existing workflows. For a deeper understanding of the evolving roles of humans and AI in analytics, explore "Agentic AI Is Rewriting The Analytics Stack."

Recursive CTEs: SQL’s Hidden Graph Traversal Engine
Unlock the power of SQL for graph-like data manipulation with Recursive Common Table Expressions (CTEs). This practical guide reveals how CTEs function as SQL’s hidden engine for traversing hierarchies, identifying routes, and detecting cycles—capabilities often overlooked. Discover how to calculate degrees of separation and efficiently analyze complex relational structures. For a deeper dive into the nuances of context management within these workflows, explore "AI Agents Don’t Need More Context — They Need Typed Context."

How to Leverage Local Small Language Models for Your Projects
Unlock AI power without relying on cloud services. This practical guide explores leveraging local Small Language Models (SLMs) – compact, privacy-preserving models you can run directly on your hardware. Experience faster processing, reduced costs, and enhanced control over your AI applications. Discover how to integrate these innovative tools into your projects for a future-focused approach to data management. For a deeper dive into AI governance considerations, explore our related article, "Microsoft Moves AI Governance From Policy to Runtime Enforcement."

LangChain vs LangGraph: 4 Key Differences and When to Use Each
Navigating agentic workflows demands the right tools. LangChain and LangGraph are both vital for building AI systems, but understanding their differences is key to optimal performance. This guide delivers a practical comparison, outlining 4 key distinctions to empower your decision-making. Discover when to leverage LangChain’s versatility versus LangGraph’s focused approach to graph-based agent design. For deeper insights into knowledge exchange within LLMs, explore "How to Utilize OKF Efficiently."

Building Trustworthy Production RAG Systems Through Continuous Evaluation
Production Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems demand ongoing vigilance to ensure reliability. Our practical guide, "Building Trustworthy Production RAG Systems Through Continuous Evaluation," details a workflow to proactively identify and rectify retrieval failures, hallucinations, and performance drift—before they impact users. This approach prioritizes continuous assessment, establishing a robust feedback loop for optimal system performance. For deeper insights into evaluation methodologies, explore "Don’t Let Claude Grade Its Own Homework," which examines cross-provider PR review strategies.