Onboarding Notes For Support Teams

Why this matters

Support teams keep your data platform reliable at 2 a.m. Onboarding notes are their launchpad: what the system does, where it breaks, how to triage, and who to call. As an ETL Developer, clear notes reduce MTTR, prevent escalations, and protect SLAs.

• Real tasks: triage failed jobs, replay loads, rotate credentials, check data health, coordinate incidents, communicate status.
• Good notes = fewer handoff meetings, faster fixes, and safer operations.

Concept explained simply

Onboarding notes are a short, action-oriented brief for support: how to get started, what to watch, and what to do when things go wrong. Think of them as a survival kit, not a textbook.

Mental model

Use the 4-R model:

• Reach: where to access things (dashboards, logs, storage, credentials).
• Run: how the pipelines flow (triggers, dependencies, schedules).
• Resolve: standard operating procedures for common failures.
• Relay: who to notify and how to escalate.

What good onboarding notes include

• One-screen overview: purpose, key data sets, business owners.
• Architecture sketch + data lineage in plain words.
• Run info: schedules, triggers, SLAs/SLOs, expected volumes.
• Observability: dashboards, top alerts, log locations, sample queries.
• Runbooks: step-by-step for top 5 incidents (with commands and decision points).
• Access & credentials: where stored, rotation policy, least-privilege notes (no secrets in docs).
• Escalation matrix: contacts by severity/time, fallback channels, paging rules.
• Change/maintenance: deployment windows, rollback steps, known gotchas.
• Glossary: key terms, dataset names, abbreviations.

Worked examples

Who this is for and prerequisites

Who this is for

• ETL Developers handing over pipelines to support/operations teams.
• Data engineers preparing on-call runbooks.

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of your pipeline scheduler and warehouse.
• Ability to read logs and run simple SQL queries.
• Access to observability tooling and deployment notes.

Learning path

1. Map the surface area: list pipelines, schedules, owners, and critical tables.
2. Document the top 5 incidents: one-page SOP each with steps, checks, and escalation.
3. Add observability pointers: where to verify health and freshness fast.
4. Define escalation: who, when, and by which channel for each severity.
5. Run a dry handover: ask a peer to follow your notes to fix a simulated failure; refine gaps.

Common mistakes and self-check

• Too long, not actionable: If a new supporter can’t find the first action in 30 seconds, shorten and add headings.
• Missing contacts: Include on-call roles and backups with time windows.
• Secret leakage: Never paste credentials; point to the vault or secret manager path.
• No rollback: Always include how to safely revert changes.
• Outdated SLAs: Put date of last review; review quarterly or after major changes.

Self-check: Hand your notes to a teammate unfamiliar with the system and time how long they take to resolve a seeded failure. Target < 15 minutes.

Practical projects

• Create a 2-page onboarding pack for one pipeline: overview, runbook for two incidents, escalation matrix.
• Build a "first 15 minutes" checklist for on-call shifts (focusing on freshness and error hotspots).
• Design a rollback and replay guide for a single table with sample SQL validations.

Exercises

Complete these exercises, then take the quick test. Note: The quick test is available to everyone; only logged-in users get saved progress.

Exercise 1 — Draft a 1-page onboarding note

System: "Daily Orders ETL". Use the template below and keep it to 1 page.

• Purpose stated in one sentence
• Clear SLA/Freshness expectations
• 3 actionable incident steps included
• Escalation matrix covers off-hours

Exercise 2 — Triage flow + escalation matrix

Create a 6-step triage flow for a failed load job and an escalation matrix with at least two severities.

• Triage distinguishes source vs transform vs load
• Decision points have time thresholds
• Matrix lists primary and backup contacts

Mini challenge

Summarize your onboarding note as a 6-line handover message a new supporter reads at 2 a.m. Keep each line under 12 words and include purpose, schedule, where to check status, one common fix, and who to call.

Next steps

• Run a tabletop exercise with support using your notes.
• Collect feedback, update gaps, and timestamp the review date.
• Take the Quick Test to verify understanding.