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Deep Dive DVC

Course Shape

flowchart TD
  family["Reproducible Research"] --> program["Deep Dive DVC"]
  program --> home["Deep Dive DVC"]
  home --> modules["Modules 00-10"]
  home --> guides["Guides"]
  home --> reference["Reference"]
  modules --> capstone["Capstone"]
  guides --> capstone
  reference --> capstone
flowchart TD
  promise["Read the course promise and learner fit"] --> route["Choose one stable entry lane"]
  route --> orientation["Anchor the state model in Module 00"]
  orientation --> modules["Read the modules in order"]
  modules --> proof["Use guides, reference, and capstone only when they answer the current question"]

Read the first diagram as the shape of the whole book. Read the second diagram as the intended learner route so the capstone and support shelves do not become accidental first lessons.

Deep Dive DVC teaches reproducibility as a discipline of explicit state. The goal is not to memorize commands. The goal is to make data, parameters, metrics, experiments, promotion, and recovery boundaries precise enough that another person can trust them later.

Use this course if

  • you want a state model instead of a command catalog
  • you inherited a repository where data, params, metrics, or experiments feel muddy
  • you already use DVC but still cannot say which state is authoritative
  • you review whether a repository can survive handoff, release, and recovery pressure

Do not use this course as

  • a quick command reminder detached from state meaning
  • tooling advice before the repository's trust boundaries are clear
  • a reason to treat remotes, metrics, publish artifacts, and baseline state as interchangeable

Choose one starting lane

If you are here because... Start with Stop when you can say...
DVC is still new Start Here, Course Guide, Module 00 which state layers exist and why the capstone is not your first lesson
you need to repair an existing repository Pressure Routes, Module 01, Module 04 whether the problem is state identity, pipeline truth, collaboration drift, or recovery
you steward a long-lived repository Course Guide, Module 05, Module 09 which surfaces are authoritative, which are promotable, and which proof route is proportionate

Keep these support pages nearby

Need Best page
shortest stable entry Start Here
route shaped by urgency Pressure Routes
stable support hub Course Guide
module titles translated into promises Module Promise Map
module exit bar Module Checkpoints
state change and comparison rules Truth Contracts
smallest honest proof route Proof Ladder
capstone entry by module and question Capstone Map

Module Table of Contents

Module Title Why it matters
Module 00 Orientation and Study Practice establishes the learner route, proof surfaces, and capstone timing
Module 01 Reproducibility Failures in Real Teams names the failure modes before teaching tools
Module 02 Data Identity and Content Addressing separates stable paths from stable bytes and stable meaning
Module 03 Execution Environments as Reproducible Inputs treats environment assumptions as part of the contract
Module 04 Truthful Pipelines and Declared Dependencies makes workflow edges visible enough to trust reruns
Module 05 Metrics, Parameters, and Comparable Meaning keeps comparisons honest as experiments evolve
Module 06 Experiments, Baselines, and Controlled Change organizes experimentation without mutating the truth surface
Module 07 Collaboration, CI, and Social Contracts makes team pressure and automation part of the state model
Module 08 Recovery, Scale, and Incident Survival rehearses failure, recovery, and retained authority under pressure
Module 09 Promotion, Registry Boundaries, and Auditability treats release and registry state as explicit trust boundaries
Module 10 Migration, Governance, and DVC Boundaries finishes with stewardship, migration, and tool-boundary judgment

How the capstone fits

The capstone is the executable proof surface for the course. It should corroborate a module idea that is already legible, not replace first exposure.

Use it in this order:

  1. learn the concept in the local module exercise
  2. choose the smallest honest route with Proof Ladder
  3. enter the repository through Capstone Map or Command Guide
  4. escalate to stronger review only when the current question actually needs it

Success signal

The course home has done its job when you know:

  • where to start without random browsing
  • which support page answers the next question
  • why the capstone is a proof surface rather than a first-contact playground
  • why later modules are consequences of earlier state identity and pipeline-truth choices

Failure modes this course is designed to prevent

  • treating paths as identity
  • trusting a rerun without being able to explain which state changed
  • using the capstone as first contact and confusing repository size with conceptual clarity
  • treating promotion, recovery, and governance as paperwork instead of consequences of earlier state contracts