insight
To increase understanding and capability with graph technology across practices, Kubrick’s newest Technology Partner Neo4j delivered training across their technical and business teams. Kubrick Associate Principal and Neo4j specialist Mckenzie Howells gives his insights from the initiative.
Kubrick’s Training Teams recently had the opportunity to attend a training session hosted by Michael Moore, Principal for Partner Solutions and Technology at Neo4j, that delved into the fascinating world of Cypher and Neo4j's service offerings, and it was an eye-opening experience. As a group who are naturally intrigued by the power of data representation and manipulation, this training provided a solid foundation and practical insights into the world of graph databases.
From the very beginning, Michael captivated our attention by explaining the basics of Neo4j and how it differs from traditional relational databases. Complex concepts were conveyed in a manner that was both accessible and engaging, enabling a solid degree of understanding of the tool to be developed by the end of the session.
“I found the session really insightful. The examples of use cases were of particular value as we were able to see hands-on how Neo4j will be used on site and test it for ourselves. Michael did a really good job of talking us through the unique selling points and demonstrating how Neo stands out in the market. I left the session having a much greater understanding of the product as a whole and with several potential use cases for our clients.” - Carys Williams, Kubrick Group
The highlight of the training was the in-depth exploration of Cypher, the query language of Neo4j. Cypher's simplicity and elegance struck a chord with the Training Team, with its SQLesque syntax being something we appreciated. Through interactive examples, we were guided step-by-step on how to construct powerful queries that efficiently extract meaningful insights from complex graph structures. Michael encouraged us to think in terms of patterns, leveraging Cypher's expressive syntax to navigate and uncover hidden connections within the data we used.
What truly stood out was the emphasis on the versatility of Neo4j and its applicability across a wide range of industries. Whether it's analysing social networks in Hollywood circles, optimising recommendation engines, or visualising intricate supply chains, Neo4j's ability to represent relationships in an intuitive graph format offers a unique perspective that traditional databases often lack. This realisation sparked our imagination, as we started envisioning the countless possibilities that graphs could unlock in many of our own projects at Kubrick.
"What I particularly enjoyed in the Neo4J SQL training was how straightforward the Cypher query language is to work with. It borrows a lot from SQL and this makes it familiar and easy to get started with, especially when compared with other graph database languages. I also found Michael's insightful comment about patterns in data being so important and this leads to many business problems where a graph approach might be more effective than a relational database." - David Burnham, Big Data Trainer at Kubrick Group
One of the most valuable takeaways from the training was the understanding that graphs excel at capturing the intricate relationships between entities. While traditional databases struggle with complex interdependencies, Neo4j effortlessly represents such connections, painting a holistic picture of the data landscape. We learned how to model our data as nodes and relationships, harnessing the power of traversal to efficiently navigate and analyse the graph. Displaying meaningful relationships such as who enjoys working with each other, what the distance is between two locations in a supply chain, how information is being transmitted in IT infrastructure has never seemed easier. This was particularly noticeable in the example of seeing which actors has worked with each other before- all retrieved from a simple Cypher query. This revelation imbued an excitement among us about the potential for unlocking insights and discovering hidden patterns that are occasionally difficult to capture.
Throughout the training session, Michael fostered an inclusive and collaborative learning environment, with many questions being asked and answered. The Trainers were trained! Being addressed questions and encouraging the audience to actively participate in discussions and exercises is something we're all very much empathetic of. It was evident that Michael genuinely invested in transferring his knowledge of Neo4j so that we could properly utilise its potential as part of our various technological forays. It will no doubt be exciting to apply these newfound graph skills in many of our projects!
To cap off, the training session on Cypher and Neo4j was an enlightening experience that left us brimming with the buzz of excitement. Complex concepts were made easily digestible in one afternoon and the Training Team now have a new powerful tool in our arsenal. Whether you're a data enthusiast, a developer, or a consultant fresh out of training, I wholeheartedly recommend exploring Cypher and Neo4j to help you harness the power of graph databases.
