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name: datalayer-and-config description: "Build and configure Superduper Datalayer connections, schemas, tables, documents, and query operations safely." disable-model-invocation: true metadata: disco-role: operating license: Apache 2.0

datalayer-and-config

Use this sub-skill when a task needs to create or diagnose a Superduper Datalayer, choose connection/configuration settings, define Table/Schema/Document data structures, or use the base query API safely.

Read when

• Building with superduper(item=None, **kwargs) or a URI such as mongomock://..., sqlite://..., duckdb://..., mongodb://..., redis://..., or inmemory://....
• Deciding which fields belong in Config, config files, SUPERDUPER_* environment variables, metadata/artifact/vector/cluster settings, or backend URIs.
• Creating tables and schemas, inserting documents, filtering/selecting/getting rows, running backend-native execute, or using Datalayer.show/load/apply/drop/select_nearest.
• Diagnosing local/mongomock smoke failures, missing backend plugins, invalid connection strings, config-file/env mistakes, schema/datatype mismatches, or the declared CLI entry point failing.

Do not use for

• Model, listener, trainer, metric, application, or deployment construction; use components-and-workflows.
• Vector-index recipes, embedding listener wiring, or retrieval flows; use vector-search-and-retrieval.
• Optional plugin installation matrices or external-service setup; use plugins-and-integrations.

Operating sequence

1. Choose the backend URI and plugin family first. Prefer mongomock://... for a no-service Mongo-like smoke when the MongoDB plugin is installed, or inmemory://... for builtin ephemeral metadata/data experiments.
2. Set config before importing superduper when config files, env overrides, or artifact-store paths matter. The process-global CFG is created at import time.
3. Build the Datalayer with superduper(uri, **kwargs) or superduper(**kwargs); avoid the console script unless a refreshed version proves superduper.__main__ exists.
4. Define tables with Table(identifier, fields={...}); use Schema.build/Schema.parse and supported datatype strings for encoded fields.
5. Use db[table] query operations for normal data work. Keep destructive calls (drop, backend drop_table) restricted to scratch databases.
6. If the task only needs a health check, run the bundled smoke helper before writing task logic.

References and bundled helper

• Configuration and Datalayer: connection builder behavior, config precedence, backend URI mapping, Datalayer lifecycle, local smoke patterns, and CLI caveat.
• Query and Data Model: Document, Schema, Table, datatypes, query operations, safe insert/select/update/delete patterns, and vector-query routing notes.
• Troubleshooting: common import, backend, config, secrets, CLI, drop, query, and schema/datatype failures with targeted fixes.
• superduper_datalayer_smoke.py: deterministic import/config/Datalayer smoke helper with --help, --check-imports, and optional --build-db.