Where Does Your File Live?
By the end you'll be able to say where any work file really lives, whether it opens offline, what happens if you delete it, and which path to give a program so it can find it.
You go at your own pace, with your Maestro beside you, 1:1, through the whole course: ask it anything, and it asks you questions too.
12 skills · 3 modules
What will you be able to do?
Each box is a skill. The base is at the bottom, recognizing and explaining, and you work your way up to building something of your own and judging what works and why. Hover over a box to see what it builds on. Click it to see where I teach it and how your Maestro checks it.
- Evaluate
- Analyze
- Apply
- Understand
Evaluate
Choose which path to give a program
Where I teach it: Send, find, use · What file path do I give Excel, Python or an AI agent?
Builds on:
- Use absolute and relative paths
- Find a SharePoint file on your computer
- Tell whether a file is on your disk or only in the cloud
Your Maestro asks you to judge when it fits and why and saves it as evidence when you do.
Analyze
Decide between sending a link or a copy
Where I teach it: Send, find, use · Should I send the file or send the link?
Builds on:
- Tell OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams apart
Your Maestro asks you to break a problem down with it and saves it as evidence when you do.
Apply
Predict what happens when you delete a synced file
Where I teach it: One file, one address · Is this file on my computer or in the cloud?
Builds on:
- Tell whether a file is on your disk or only in the cloud
Your Maestro asks you to use it on a new case and saves it as evidence when you do.
Use absolute and relative paths
Where I teach it: One file, one address · Absolute vs. relative path: where does a path start from?
Builds on:
- Find a file with pwd, ls, cd and cat
- Read a Windows path and a Mac path
Your Maestro asks you to use it on a new case and saves it as evidence when you do.
Find a SharePoint file on your computer
Where I teach it: Send, find, use · Someone said "it's in SharePoint": how do I find it?
Builds on:
- Tell OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams apart
- Read a Windows path and a Mac path
Your Maestro asks you to use it on a new case and saves it as evidence when you do.
Understand
Tell whether a file is on your disk or only in the cloud
Where I teach it: One file, one address · Is this file on my computer or in the cloud?
Your Maestro asks you to explain it in your own words and saves it as evidence when you do.
Explain why your Desktop can live in OneDrive
Where I teach it: One file, one address · Is this file on my computer or in the cloud?
Builds on:
- Read a Windows path and a Mac path
Your Maestro asks you to explain it in your own words and saves it as evidence when you do.
Read a Windows path and a Mac path
Where I teach it: One file, one address · Is this file on my computer or in the cloud?
Builds on:
- Explain what a file path is
Your Maestro asks you to explain it in your own words and saves it as evidence when you do.
Explain what a file path is
Where I teach it: One file, one address · What's a folder, and what's a file path?
Your Maestro asks you to explain it in your own words and saves it as evidence when you do.
Compare streaming and mirroring in Google Drive
Where I teach it: A folder that is also the cloud · Blue cloud or green circle: what does each OneDrive icon mean?
Builds on:
- Tell whether a file is on your disk or only in the cloud
Your Maestro asks you to explain it in your own words and saves it as evidence when you do.
Who is this course for?
For anyone who works in an office among folders, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams and Google Drive, and sometimes doesn't know where a file ended up, whether it opens offline or what happens if they delete it. You don't need to install anything or know how to code. It works on Windows and Mac, and prepares you for courses on Python and AI agents.
Ask your Maestro
Your Maestro is an AI that knows this course. Ask it about the first page and it answers right here, free.
You: Where do I start?
Your Maestro: From what you already know. Tell me what you've done with data, and I'll start this page from there.
Asking about: Answers from the page "Is this file on my computer or in the cloud?"
Only this browser keeps what you ask here. How it works
What we'll cover
One file, one address
A folder that is also the cloud
Send, find, use
How long does it take?
1 to 1.5 hours
A guide: you go at your own pace, and the course waits where you left off.
Common questions
- How do I know where a work file is really stored?
- A file lives on your computer, in the cloud or both, and the sync icons tell you which. In the course you learn to read those icons, follow the file path, and know whether it opens offline and what happens if you delete it, with OneDrive or Google Drive.
- What is a file path, and why does a program need one?
- A path is the exact address of a file: the folder it sits in and its name. A program cannot guess where to look, so it needs that address. It can be absolute, from the root of the disk, or relative, from where the program runs. In the course you practice with pwd, ls, cd and cat.
- Do I need a course, or can I learn this on my own?
- You can learn it on your own, and many people do. A course gives you the order: what to practice first, ready-made folders, and exercises that show where you go wrong before it happens at work. This course is free, and your Maestro answers questions as you go. If you prefer going solo, the method still works.
- How much does it cost?
- Nothing. You can read every lesson without creating an account. To use the exercises and talk to your Maestro, you sign in with your email and enroll with one tap, no card.
- Do I need to install anything or know how to code?
- No. The terminal exercises run inside your browser, in a course environment, and you only use four commands taught right there: pwd, ls, cd and cat. You do not need to know how to code. If you use a Mac or Google Drive, the lessons have a version for your setup.
- I use a Mac, or my job uses Google Drive instead of OneDrive. Is this for me?
- Yes. The lessons that change depending on your system have a Windows version and a Mac version, and the ones that change depending on your cloud have one for OneDrive and one for Google Drive. You choose once and the course shows you yours on every page.
- How long does it take?
- It's 13 short lessons in three modules. You can do it in one sitting or one lesson at a time, at your own pace.
- Does this prepare me for other courses?
- Yes. Folders, paths and where a file lives are what the Python and AI agent courses take for granted. At the end we tell you which one comes next if you want the computer to do the work with those files.
How do I check what AI does? I teach it in Your AI and Your Data: Don't Let It Make Up the Number and Check what AI gives you in three steps.
What you get
- 3 modules and 13 pages, open whenever you want them.
Open to everyone: read all of it, and your Maestro, an AI, answers your questions on every page.
With a free account: your Maestro for the whole course, always on the page you're on, and the exercises run with nothing to install.
Words you'll meet
In the lessons, tap one to see what it means, or ask your Maestro about it.
Who's teaching you
Sergio Sánchez
I'm Sergio, chekos online. I'm a data architect, and I've spent more than ten years working with data in the Bay Area, mostly at mission-driven organizations: policy research first, then education, and now early childhood services. I grew up in Tijuana. In 2018 I started tacosdedatos to share what I was learning, and since then it's been a blog, a podcast, courses, guides, and a community. These days I spend a lot of my time building with AI agents and writing about how I organize my work around them. I share what I've learned; you take what's useful and make it yours.
See you in the course
Where Does Your File Live?