Download the starter kit
By the end of this step Ridgeline's warehouse is running on your computer and you've asked it your first question.
The starter kit is the course's practice company: Ridgeline's data, fake versions of its systems, and every exercise file. Everything in it is invented, so you can't break anything real.
1. Make your work folder
You'll keep everything for this course in one folder called ridgeline, in your home folder. In a terminal:
cd ~mkdir ridgelinemkdir means "make directory": it creates a folder. Nothing prints when it works.
2. Download the kit and put it in place
The starter kit comes with the full course. Sign in with the email you bought it with, and the download button appears here.
Reading the free modules? Module 0 and Module 1 link their own files, so you don’t need the kit for them.
On Windows
- Open your Downloads folder in File Explorer.
- Right-click the kit's
.zipfile and choose Extract All…, then Extract. - Inside the extracted folder there's a folder with the kit's files in it (you'll see
README.md,sharedandmodule-0…module-15). Rename that folder to exactlyridgeline-starter-kit. - Move it into the
ridgelinefolder in your home folder (C:\Users\YourName\ridgeline).
On macOS / Linux
- Open your Downloads folder in Finder.
- Double-click the kit's
.zipfile. It unpacks into a folder. - Find the folder with the kit's files in it (you'll see
README.md,sharedandmodule-0…module-15). Rename it to exactlyridgeline-starter-kit. - Move it into the
ridgelinefolder in your home folder (/Users/yourname/ridgeline).
Now go into it from the terminal and list what's there:
On Windows
cd ~\ridgeline\ridgeline-starter-kitOn macOS / Linux
cd ~/ridgeline/ridgeline-starter-kitls3. Give the kit its own Python
Create the box:
On Windows
python -m venv .venvOn macOS / Linux
python3 -m venv .venvThen switch it on ("activate" it):
On Windows
.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1On macOS / Linux
source .venv/bin/activateIf it didn’t work
On Windows
"running scripts is disabled on this system". Windows blocks scripts like activate until you allow them for your own account. Run this once, and type Y when it asks:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSignedThen run the activate command again. This only affects your user account, and only allows scripts you create or that are signed.
On macOS / Linux
"No such file or directory". You're probably not in the kit folder. Run pwd: it should end in ridgeline-starter-kit. If not, run the cd command from part 2 again.
4. Install the kit's add-ons
With (.venv) showing, run:
pip install -e ".[dev]"pip is Python's installer. This reads the kit's list of add-ons and puts them in the box. It takes a minute and prints a lot.
5. Build the warehouse
python -m ridgeline.warehouse6. Ask it a question
Databases answer questions written in SQL, a language made just for asking about data. You'll learn it bit by bit. For now, copy this one. It means "count the rows in the wholesale orders table":
python -m ridgeline.query "SELECT COUNT(*) AS orders FROM wholesale.orders"Every time you come back
A new terminal starts outside the box. Whenever you work with the kit, first go to its folder and switch the box on:
On Windows
cd ~\ridgeline\ridgeline-starter-kit.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1On macOS / Linux
cd ~/ridgeline/ridgeline-starter-kitsource .venv/bin/activateIf a kit command says "No module named ridgeline", this is almost always why.
If it didn’t work
"No module named ridgeline". The box isn't switched on (no (.venv) in the prompt), or you're in the wrong folder. Run the two commands just above.
"pip is not recognized". Same cause: switch the box on first.
The pip install fails with a red error about a "C compiler" or "wheel". Your Python might be too new for one of the add-ons. Paste the last 20 lines of the error into an AI chat and ask what to do. Don't paste anything with a password in it.