Python for RAP

Before you embark on your RAP journey, we think it's best for you to have some basic skills in the open source language that you are going to build the pipeline in. If that language is Python, read on to find out if you have the skills needed already.

We have some guidance on our site for some of the more intermediate skills, linked in the checklist, but to learn the basics we recommend checking out the links at the bottom of the page.

Essential Python Skills for RAP Checklist

I can...

• Use an Integrated Development Environment, like VSCode or Spyder, to run Python files
• Create print statements
• Use built in data types (strings, ints, floats, lists, arrays) to declare variables
• Perform basic arithmetic operations and string manipulation
• Create comments in my code to explain why I'm performing certain operations
• Use conditional logic in if/else/elif statements
• Use loops (for/while) for iterative processes
• Import packages, like numpy or pandas
• Set up virtual environments to manage my packages
• Perform simple data analysis operations using pandas, pyspark or numpy
  • Read in data
  • Extract column names and types
  • Filter a dataframe based on a certain condition
  • Join two dataframes together
  • Group data based on a specific criteria
  • Export data
• Wrap code up in a function so it can be reused

Desirable Python Skills for RAP Checklist

I can...

• Use config files
• Handle errors effectively
• Write and perform unit tests
• Refactor code to improve it

Python MasterPython ApprenticePython Newbie

If you've used Python before and are confident in your abilities- great! Be aware that some in your team might not have the skills you do and might need some extra help with the basics. Offer to buddy up with some of the Python Newbies if they're struggling so everyone can quickly get up to scratch. Check out the Desirable Skills checklist above in case there is something you could brush up on.

Have you got some familiarity with Python but you're not sure if you know enough for RAP? Try out the essential skills checklist above - you will learn a lot from implementing RAP, but having these basic skills will allow everyone to get off to a flying start. You probably know more than you think!

Never even heard of Python? No worries, there is extensive Python training out there to get you off on the right foot. Don't be afraid to reach out to some Python Masters in your team if you need help understanding something - there's no such thing as a stupid question! Read our intro to Python guide to gain some high level overview, and then we recommend checking out some of the resources below. Come back and tick off what you know on the checklist so you can tailor your learning to the important stuff!

• Kaggle introduction to Python
• CodeAcademy Python Courses
• Govt Analysis Function Introduction to Python
• freecodecamp, which has a course tailored to learning data analysis with Python

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Last update: November 11, 2024

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NHS England makes every effort to ensure that external links are accurate, up to date and relevant, however we cannot take responsibility for pages maintained by external providers.

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