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confluentinc / kafka-tutorials

Tutorials and Recipes for Apache Kafka
https://developer.confluent.io/tutorials
Apache License 2.0
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Addressing some issues in the Confluent Cloud workflows #968

Open ybyzek opened 3 years ago

ybyzek commented 3 years ago

From @rspurgeon: (sorry, formatting is off as this is copy/paste from Slack)

Building a new tutorial I’m seeing this current instruction in our Confluent KTs:

  1. Click on LEARN and follow the instructions to launch a Kafka cluster and to enable Schema Registry. I’m seeing a variety of ways this general instruction is unintuitive. I realize that we intended to be vague in the guidance intentionally, as the in-product changes are difficult to keep up with. However, I think the user is really stuck here if they need specific hand holding.

The current in product learning tutorials / modules don’t seem to directly answer how to ‘launch a Kafka cluster and to enable Schema Registry’. The current options are : “Confluent Cloud”: Get up and running with Confluent Cloud quickly. Learn how to create topics and produce messages to your Kafka cluster… Which is supposed to lead me to create a cluster, topic and produce message (no SR). ksqlDB “Schema Registry” Walk through how to make your data backwards compatible and future-proof with Schema Registry…. Which has a prerequisite of a running Cluster. Kafka Connect

In all cases, the in product tutorials default to the Default environment, not the current environment I enter the Tutorial from (I will report this to the in-product learning team). So our instructions to Add the learn-kafka environment and then choose LEARN is confusing. To observe this create an environment with a cluster, and then create a new environment without one and follow the “Get started with Confluent Cloud” tutorial. Even if the current environment was used in the tutorial, the available tutorials are not very helpful for the specific steps the beginner student needs.

I’m wondering if what might be better is vague but non-tutorial led instructions, something like: After you log in to Confluent Cloud, click on Add cloud environment and name the environment learn-kafka. Using a new environment keeps your learning resources separate from your other Confluent Cloud resources. From the Billing & payment section in the Menu, apply the promo code CC100KTS to receive an additional $100 free usage on Confluent Cloud (details). From the learn-kafka environment page, create a new basic cluster named kafka-tutorial and then enable a Schema Registry. If you need assistance with these two steps, look for the Confluent Cloud guided tutorials available in the Environment page as well as from the LEARN button.

And an updated screenshot.

rspurgeon commented 3 years ago

In all cases, the in product tutorials default to the Default environment, not the current environment I enter the Tutorial from (I will report this to the in-product learning team).

I've learned that this comment is not accurate. If you do not have a current tutorial "enabled", then the LEARN button should put you in the context of the current environment. The trick is for users that have already started a tutorial, it has to be specifically disabled (a small button at the base of the tutorial screen), otherwise the user picks back up where the last tutorial left off.