Curriculum - Step-by-Step Learning Paths

Purpose: Gradual, practical, hands-on learning. Start here if you’re new.

For quick lookup: See Encyclopedia when you need to reference specific concepts.

How This Works

Structure: Levels → Modules → Lessons

Each Level builds on the previous one
Each Module focuses on a related set of skills
Each Lesson is 5-15 minutes with facts + narrative + exercise

Lesson format:

Goal: What you’ll learn
Key Facts: Simple, bullet-style conclusions
Narrative: Why this matters (short story)
Tool Exercise: Concrete work in your analytics tool
Deep Dive Links: Optional encyclopedia reading

The Learning Path

Level 0 - Mindset & Vocabulary

No tools yet. Just mindsets.

Module 0.1: How We Think About Data
Module 0.2: Core Thinking Flow

Goal: Understand the mental models before touching tools

Level 1 - Basic “Tool-On” Skills

Simple, hands-on work. No complicated math.

Module 1.1: Looking at Landing Pages in the Tool
Module 1.2: People, Properties, Events

Goal: Navigate your analytics tool confidently

Level 2 - Attribution Fundamentals

Understand how attribution works.

Module 2.1: Sales Are Not Mysterious (3-Stage Funnel)
Module 2.2: UTM & Basic Parameters
Module 2.3: The Attribution Chain in Practice

Goal: Understand sales attribution end-to-end

Level 3 - Reading Event Footprints

Learn to read event parameters like a “good hunter”.

Module 3.1: What is an Event Schema?
Module 3.2: Recognizing Sources from Footprints
Module 3.3: Multi-Dimensional Filtering

Goal: Read raw event data fluently

Level 4 - Cross-Validation & Reality Checks

Learn to triangulate data across systems.

Module 4.1: Three-System Cross-Check
Module 4.2: Consent Gaps & Unattributed Sales
Module 4.3: Weekly Reconciliation Routine

Goal: Never make decisions on one system alone

Level 5 - Advanced Hunting & Diagnosis

Revisit topics from earlier levels but go deeper.

Module 5.1: Advanced Attribution (Multi-Touch Journeys)
Module 5.2: Traffic Quality vs Landing Page (Advanced Isolation)
Module 5.3: Schema Evolution & Debugging

Goal: Become an expert hunter

Suggested Learning Schedule

Week 1: Level 0 + Level 1

Day 1: Level 0 (1 hour)
Day 2: Module 1.1 (1 hour)
Day 3: Module 1.2 (1 hour)
Day 4: Practice what you learned
Day 5: Review + questions

Week 2: Level 2

Day 1: Module 2.1 (1 hour)
Day 2: Module 2.2 (1 hour)
Day 3: Module 2.3 (1 hour)
Day 4: Practice attribution analysis
Day 5: Review + questions

Week 3: Level 3

Day 1: Module 3.1 (1 hour)
Day 2: Module 3.2 (1.5 hours)
Day 3: Module 3.3 (1.5 hours)
Day 4: Practice reading footprints
Day 5: Review + questions

Week 4: Level 4

Day 1: Module 4.1 (1.5 hours)
Day 2: Module 4.2 (1 hour)
Day 3: Module 4.3 (1 hour)
Day 4: Perform full reconciliation
Day 5: Review + questions

Week 5+: Level 5 (ongoing)

Advanced topics
Deep dives into specific areas
Real campaign optimization work

How to Use This Curriculum

If You’re Brand New

Start at Level 0, Module 0.1
Go through each lesson sequentially
Do every exercise (don’t skip—this is where learning happens)
Use encyclopedia links when you want more depth
Check out Real Examples to see production dashboards and queries

If You’re Somewhat Familiar

Skim Level 0 (you probably know this)
Do Level 1 exercises to confirm tool proficiency
Focus on Level 2-3 (attribution + footprints are critical)
Level 4 is non-negotiable (cross-validation saves bad decisions)

If You’re Advanced

Jump straight to Level 5
Use earlier levels to fill specific gaps
Use encyclopedia as primary reference
Use this curriculum to teach others

If You Get Stuck

Read the encyclopedia section linked from the lesson
Ask questions (internally or with team)
Do the exercise again after reading more context
Move forward even if not 100% clear—you’ll reinforce later

Learning Principles

Do the exercises: Reading alone doesn’t teach you. Doing the work in your actual tool is where learning happens.

Go slow: Don’t rush through lessons. Better to do one lesson well than five lessons poorly.

Ask questions: When something doesn’t make sense, look it up in the encyclopedia or ask someone.

Practice daily: 30 min every day beats 3 hours once a week.

Review regularly: Revisit earlier levels after completing Level 4. You’ll understand them much deeper.

Teach others: Once you learn something, teach it to someone else. That’s when you truly master it.

What You’ll Be Able to Do After Each Level

After Level 0:

Explain “aggregate → individual → pattern” thinking flow
Understand why we never trust numbers without drilling down

After Level 1:

Navigate your analytics tool confidently
Find landing pages, drill into users, watch session recordings
Look at user properties and events

After Level 2:

Explain the 3-stage funnel (Landing → Lead → Sale)
Trace a sale back to its original UTM parameters
Understand UTM and basic tracking parameters

After Level 3:

Read raw event JSON and understand what it means
Identify traffic sources from parameters (Facebook vs Google vs SMS vs Email)
Perform multi-dimensional filtering to find campaign winners

After Level 4:

Cross-validate data across ad platforms, attribution system, and billing
Calculate consent gaps and adjust ROAS expectations
Perform weekly reconciliation to catch tracking issues

After Level 5:

Analyze multi-touch customer journeys
Diagnose whether issues are page-related or traffic-related
Debug tracking breakage from schema changes

Next Steps

👉 Start Learning: Level 0 - Mindset & Vocabulary

👉 Jump to a specific level if you’re already familiar with earlier content

Questions?

If anything is unclear:

Check the Encyclopedia - Topics Index
Read the relevant deep-dive document
Come back and continue from where you left off

The curriculum and encyclopedia work together. Use both.