December 2020 Summaries

Superset 0.38 has been released with numerous enhancements, setting the stage for the anticipated 1.0 milestone, which promises higher quality, fewer bugs, and enhanced security features for enterprise users. Key updates include a complete redesign of CRUD screens for improved usability, a safer database deletion process with contextual information, and a certified metrics feature that allows team members to verify data reliability. The release also introduces new visual elements such as ECharts pie and timeseries charts, with experimental timeseries forecasting using the Facebook Prophet library, and improvements to sunburst charts. Additional features include full-screen dashboards, downloadable charts as images, richer email alerts with SQL details, and optimized interactions with Presto, which is now part of Superset's test suite. The update also comes with an extensive list of bug fixes, signaling a move towards a more stable and feature-rich Superset ecosystem.

The Preset Getting Started Guide offers comprehensive end-user documentation to facilitate an easy onboarding experience with Preset Cloud, guiding users from data connection to dashboard creation using relatable Netflix TV shows and movies data. This step-by-step guide covers essential topics such as understanding Preset Cloud, familiarizing users with its terminology, and connecting databases by configuring connections and adding datasets. It emphasizes the importance of data knowledge in creating effective visualizations, illustrated through building a Sunburst chart with Netflix data, and demonstrates Preset Cloud's versatility by showcasing the same dataset across various charts. Additionally, it provides instructions on managing and sharing dashboards, reinforcing Preset's commitment to delivering a superior Superset experience and encouraging user feedback for continuous improvement.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, significant advancements have been made in vaccine development, with the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines leading the way in headlines due to their promising effectiveness. Historically, vaccine development has been a lengthy process, but efforts are underway to expedite this timeline significantly. A dataset curated by the Faster Cures center at the Milken Institute provides insights into the global landscape of vaccine candidates, highlighting the involvement of numerous countries and various vaccine development approaches, such as mRNA and protein subunit techniques. The dataset lacks a comprehensive global view due to the absence of a centralized database, making it challenging to track all ongoing efforts accurately. However, it illustrates a broad international collaboration, with the United States and China being the most active, followed by countries like Canada, Russia, and even less traditionally involved nations such as Kazakhstan and Egypt. The article also discusses the various phases of clinical trials that vaccine candidates must undergo to ensure safety and efficacy, noting that only a minority have reached the advanced stages of development. While mRNA-based vaccines have gained attention, the protein subunit approach remains popular, and the inactivated virus method is less common this time around. As the world continues to monitor these developments, countries like Brazil, China, Great Britain, India, Russia, and the United States are highlighted as key players in the most promising vaccine trials.