Interview Prep
Career
GenAI
Prompt Engg
ChatGPT
LLM
Langchain
RAG
AI Agents
Machine Learning
Deep Learning
GenAI Tools
LLMOps
Python
NLP
SQL
AIML Projects

Reading list

Machine Learning Basics for a Newbie
6 Steps of Machine learning Lifecycle Introduction to Predictive Modeling
Introduction to Exploratory Data Analysis & Data Insights Descriptive Statistics Inferential Statistics How to Understand Population Distributions?
Reading Data Files into Python Different Variable Datatypes
Probability for Data Science Basic Concepts of Probability Axioms of Probability Conditional Probability
Central Tendencies for Continuous Variables Spread of Data KDE plots for Continuous Variable Overview of Distribution for Continuous variables Normal Distribution Skewed Distribution Skeweness and Kurtosis Distribution for Continuous Variable
Central Tendencies for Categorical Variables Understanding Discrete Distributions Performing EDA on Categorical Variables
Dealing with Missing Values Understanding Outliers Identifying Outliers in Data Outlier Detection in Python Outliers Detection Using IQR, Z-score, LOF and DBSCAN
Sample and Population Central Limit Theorem Confidence Interval and Margin of Error
Bivariate Analysis Introduction
Covariance Pearson Correlation Spearman's Correlation & Kendall's Tau Correlation versus Causation Tabular and Graphical methods for Bivariate Analysis Performing Bivariate Analysis on Continuous-Continuous Variables
Tabular and Graphical methods for Continuous-Categorical Variables Introduction to Hypothesis Testing P-value Two sample Z-test T-test T-test vs Z-test Performing Bivariate Analysis on Continuous-Catagorical variables
Chi-Squares Test Bivariate Analysis on Categorical Categorical Variables
Multivariate Analysis A Comprehensive Guide to Data Exploration The Data Science behind IPL
Supervised Learning vs Unsupervised Learning Reinforcement Learning Generative and Descriminative Models Parametric and Non Parametric model
Machine Learning Pipeline Preparing Dataset Build a Benchmark Model: Regression Build a Benchmark Model: Classification
Evaluation Metrics for Machine Learning Everyone should know Confusion Matrix Accuracy Precision and Recall AUC-ROC Log Loss R2 and Adjusted R2
Dealing with Missing Values Replacing Missing Values Imputing Missing Values in Data Working with Categorical Variables Working with Outliers Preprocessing Data for Model Building
Understanding Cost Function Understanding Gradient Descent Math Behind Gradient Descent Assumptions of Linear Regression Implement Linear Regression from Scratch Train Linear Regression in Python Implementing Linear Regression in R Diagnosing Residual Plots in Linear Regression Models Generalized Linear Models Introduction to Logistic Regression Odds Ratio Implementing Logistic Regression from Scratch Introduction to Scikit-learn in Python Train Logistic Regression in python Multiclass using Logistic Regression How to use Multinomial and Ordinal Logistic Regression in R ? Challenges with Linear Regression Introduction to Regularisation Implementing Regularisation Ridge Regression Lasso Regression
Introduction to K Nearest Neighbours Determining the Right Value of K in KNN Implement KNN from Scratch Implement KNN in Python
Bias Variance Tradeoff Introduction to Overfitting and Underfitting Visualizing Overfitting and Underfitting Selecting the Right Model What is Validation? Hold-Out Validation Understanding K Fold Cross Validation
Introduction to Feature Selection Feature Selection Algorithms Missing Value Ratio Low Variance Filter High Correlation Filter Backward Feature Elimination Forward Feature Selection Implement Feature Selection in Python Implement Feature Selection in R
Introduction to Decision Tree Purity in Decision Tree Terminologies Related to Decision Tree How to Select Best Split Point in Decision Tree? Chi-Squares Information Gain Reduction in Variance Optimizing Performance of Decision Tree Train Decision Tree using Scikit Learn Pruning of Decision Trees
Introduction to Feature Engineering Feature Transformation Feature Scaling Feature Engineering Frequency Encoding Automated Feature Engineering: Feature Tools
Introduction to Naive Bayes Conditional Probability and Bayes Theorem Introduction to Bayesian Adjustment Rating: The Incredible Concept Behind Online Ratings! Working of Naive Bayes Math behind Naive Bayes Types of Naive Bayes Implementation of Naive Bayes
Understanding how to solve Multiclass and Multilabled Classification Problem Evaluation Metrics: Multi Class Classification
Introduction to Ensemble Techniques Basic Ensemble Techniques Implementing Basic Ensemble Techniques Finding Optimal Weights of Ensemble Learner using Neural Network Why Ensemble Models Work well?
Introduction to Stacking Implementing Stacking Variants of Stacking Implementing Variants of Stacking Introduction to Blending Bootstrap Sampling Introduction to Random Sampling Hyper-parameters of Random Forest Implementing Random Forest Out-of-Bag (OOB) Score in the Random Forest IPL Team Win Prediction Project Using Machine Learning Introduction to Boosting Gradient Boosting Algorithm Math behind GBM Implementing GBM in python Regularized Greedy Forests Extreme Gradient Boosting Implementing XGBM in python Tuning Hyperparameters of XGBoost in Python Implement XGBM in R/H2O Adaptive Boosting Implementing Adaptive Boosing LightGBM Implementing LightGBM in Python Catboost Implementing Catboost in Python
Different Hyperparameter Tuning methods Implementing Different Hyperparameter Tuning methods GridsearchCV RandomizedsearchCV Bayesian Optimization for Hyperparameter Tuning Hyperopt
Understanding SVM Algorithm SVM Kernels In-depth Intuition and Practical Implementation SVM Kernel Tricks Kernels and Hyperparameters in SVM Implementing SVM from Scratch in Python and R
Introduction to Principal Component Analysis Steps to Perform Principal Compound Analysis Computation of Covariance Matrix Finding Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues Implementing PCA in python Visualizing PCA A Brief Introduction to Linear Discriminant Analysis Introduction to Factor Analysis
Introduction to Clustering Applications of Clustering Evaluation Metrics for Clustering Understanding K-Means Implementation of K-Means in Python Implementation of K-Means in R Choosing Right Value for K Profiling Market Segments using K-Means Clustering Hierarchical Clustering Implementation of Hierarchial Clustering DBSCAN Defining Similarity between clusters Build Better and Accurate Clusters with Gaussian Mixture Models
Understand Basics of Recommendation Engine with Case Study
8 Ways to Improve Accuracy of Machine Learning Models
Introduction to Dask Working with CuML
Introduction to Machine Learning Interpretability Framework and Interpretable Models model Agnostic Methods for Interpretability Implementing Interpretable Model Understanding SHAP Out-of-Core ML Introduction to Interpretable Machine Learning Models Model Agnostic Methods for Interpretability Game Theory & Shapley Values
Introduction to Machine Learning Interpretability Framework and Interpretable Models model Agnostic Methods for Interpretability Implementing Interpretable Model Understanding SHAP Out-of-Core ML Introduction to Interpretable Machine Learning Models Model Agnostic Methods for Interpretability Game Theory & Shapley Values
Introduction to AutoML Implementation of MLBox Introduction to PyCaret TPOT Auto-Sklearn EvalML
Pickle and Joblib Introduction to Model Deployment
Deploying Machine Learning Model using Streamlit Deploying ML Models in Docker Deploy Using Streamlit Deploy on Heroku Deploy Using Netlify Introduction to Amazon Sagemaker Setting up Amazon SageMaker Using SageMaker Endpoint to Generate Inference Deploy on Microsoft Azure Cloud Introduction to Flask for Model Deploying ML model using Flask
Model Deployment in Android Model Deployment in Iphone

SQL Query: Coding Question Asked by Microsoft and Facebook

R
R Last Updated : 22 Sep, 2022
7 min read

This article was published as a part of the Data Science Blogathon.

Introduction

SQL proficiency is crucial for the field of data science. We’ll talk about two SQL queries that product businesses use to screen applicants for jobs as data scientists in this article. The StrataScratch website generates the SQL questions.

StataScratch is an excellent tool for anyone wishing to get started in data science and improve their SQL and Python skills. This platform offers coding questions and non-coding topics related to data science, such as statistics, probability, and so on. I strongly advise you to create an account on the StrataScratch website and practice the question along with the article. To solve this problem, I will use the Postgres SQL database.

If you know SQL well, you will stand a better chance of clearing data science interviews or dealing with day-to-day tasks efficiently. This article will focus on the approach to solving the problem. After going through this article, you would better understand how you should approach the solution for a given problem. You must read this article to improve your understanding and ways to approach solutions. Let’s get ahead to questions.

SQL query

Part 1: Premium vs. Freemium Asked by Microsoft

Find the total number of downloads for paying and non-paying users by date. Include only records where non-paying customers have more downloads than paying customers. The output should be sorted by earliest date first and contain 3 columns date, non-paying downloads, and paid downloads.

Interview Question Date: November, 2020, Company: Microsoft, Difficulty-Level: Medium, Interview QuestionsID: 10300, Tables: ms_user_dimension(fields: user_id(int), acc_id(int)), ms_acc_dimension (fields: acc_id(int), paying_customer(varchar)) , ms_download_facts(fields: date(datetime), user_id(int), downloads(int)

Preview of table ms_user_dimension:

SQL

Preview of table ms_acc_dimension:

SQL

Preview of table ms_download_facts:

code output

Approach:

Three tables are provided here. To solve the problem, we must determine the number of daily downloads made by paying and nonpaying customers. The problem can be divided into three sections. We will join all of the tables in the first section. The second section will determine the number of paid and non-paid downloads for each user. Finally, we will show records with more non-paid downloads than paid downloads.

Step 1: Join TablesTo begin, we must combine the records from the various tables. As common field user_id exists between ms_user_dimension and ms_download_facts, and acc_id between ms_user_dimension and ms_acc_dimension. Therefore we can use an inner join to join all given tables and select the relevant columns date, downloads, and paying_customer columns which we need to shape the output. The code is given below for step1.

select date, downloads,paying_customer from ms_user_dimension

inner join ms_acc_dimension on
ms_user_dimension.acc_id = ms_acc_dimension.acc_id
inner join ms_download_facts 
on  ms_user_dimension.user_id = ms_download_facts.user_id;
code output
Step 2: Calculate Paid and Non-paid downloads for Each UserAfter combining all records, we need to display three columns date, the total number of paid downloads, and a total number of non-paid downloads. For this, we will use a group on a date as we want to take the sum of downloads for each date. Also, we need to use a case clause to display the number of downloads for paying_customer and non_paying_customer separately in separate fields. The case clause in the SQL database is similar to if-else conditions. Here, we want a sum of downloads for paid_users and non_paid_users, Therefore, we have used a case clause to distinguish the downloads made by paid and non-paid users. The code is given below for step 2.
select date,
sum(case when paying_customer = 'yes' then downloads end) as paid_downloads,
sum(case when paying_customer = 'no' then downloads end) as non_paid_downloads
from ms_user_dimension  inner join ms_acc_dimension
on ms_user_dimension.acc_id = ms_acc_dimension.acc_id
inner join ms_download_facts
on  ms_user_dimension.user_id = ms_download_facts.user_id
group by date;

SQL

Step 3: Filter the Records and Format Result into Manner SpecifiedWe must display only those records in the result for which the number of paid_downloads exceeds non_paid downloads. paid_downloads and non_paid_downloads are calculated using the aggregation function. Therefore, we can not use them in the where clause. We can add a filter in having clause for fields calculated using aggregated function. And finally, sort the result such that the earliest date comes first. Here is the final code for the query:
select date, 
sum(case when paying_customer = 'no' then downloads end) as non_paid_downloads,
sum(case when paying_customer = 'yes' then downloads end) as paid_downloads
from ms_user_dimension  inner join ms_acc_dimension
on ms_user_dimension.acc_id = ms_acc_dimension.acc_id
inner join ms_download_facts 
on  ms_user_dimension.user_id = ms_download_facts.user_id
group by date
having sum(case when paying_customer = 'no' 
then downloads end) > 
sum(case when paying_customer = 'yes' then downloads end)
order by date;
SQL

In the preceding query, we saw how we could divide the problem into sections and work on each section individually. To answer the question, we used the join operation, case, group by, and having clause and how they are used to solve the question. Let’s work on the next query.

Part 2: Highest Energy Consumption Asked by FaceBook

This is the hard-level question asked by Facebook/Meta in one of its interviews. You can view the question here. The question name is Highest Energy Consumption. The details of the question are given below:

Highest Energy Consumption

Find the date with the highest total energy consumption from the Meta/Facebook data centers. Output the date along with the total energy consumption across all data centers.

Interview Question Date: March 2020, Company: Meta/Facebook, Difficulty-Level: Medium, Interview QuestionsID: 10064, Tables: fb_eu_energy (field: date(datetime), consumption(int)), fb_asia_energy (field: date(datetime), consumption(int)) , fb_na_energy(field: date(datetime), consumption(int))

Preview of table fb_eu_energy:

SQL

Preview of table fb_asia_energy:

code output

Preview of table fb_na_energy:

code output

Approach: The problem will be divided into three sections. We will combine the records from the tables in the first section. The total energy consumed each day will be determined in the second part. Finally, we must determine the date on which the most energy was consumed and return the result.

Step 1: Join Tables

As data is present among three tables, we must combine all of the records from all three tables. We can’t use the union to combine records from these three tables because there are duplicate records in fb_eu_energy and fb_na_energy. For instance, the record (2020-01-01, 400) can be found in the fb_eu_energy and fb_na_energy tables. Therefore, if we combine records using the union, it will eliminate duplicate records. Therefore we have used union all, which will contain the duplicate record also.

SELECT date, consumption 
FROM  fb_eu_energy 
union all 
SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_asia_energy 
union all 
SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_na_energy;
code output

Step 2: Calculate the Total Amount of Energy Consumed for Each Day
After combining all records, we will select the sum of energy consumption for each day. We can use the group on the date and take the total energy consumed for this.

select date, sum(consumption) as total_consumption
from (
          SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_eu_energy 
          union all 
          SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_asia_energy 
          union all 
          SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_na_energy
        )E
group by date;
SQL

Step 3: Filter the Records and Format Result into Manner Specified


Now we must format our query result in the manner specified in the question. Across all data centers, we must output the data with the highest energy consumption. To arrange rows in descending order of total consumption, we can use the order by clause on the total consumption field. The first row will give us the date with the highest energy consumption; we can use limit 1 to output only one row for this task. 

select date, sum(consumption) as total_consumption from (
                    SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_eu_energy 
                    union all 
                    SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_asia_energy 
                    union all 
                    SELECT date, consumption FROM fb_na_energy 
                    )E
            group by date
            order by sum(consumption) 
            desc limit 1 ;
SQL

Conclusion

In this article, we looked at two SQL questions and how to solve them efficiently. We have seen union all, group by, having clause, case clause, filtering the rows using where clause, and how they have been used to solve the questions. When attempting to solve any complex problem, keep the following points in mind

  1. It is necessary to divide the problem into smaller problems. After reading the problem twice, decide which columns to use to calculate the desired result.
  2. Next, determine the functions you’ll need to calculate each sub-problem, and then try to connect the solutions of the sub-problems.
  3. Using this method, you can quickly solve any problem. Exposure to strategies for solving different questions by product companies will improve your capacity to formulate novel answers and new approaches to problems.

The media shown in this article is not owned by Analytics Vidhya and is used at the Author’s discretion.

blogathonfacebook interview questioninterview questionsmicrosoft interview questionpythonSQL
R
R

Free Courses

Generative AI 4.7

Generative AI - A Way of Life

Explore Generative AI for beginners: create text and images, use top AI tools, learn practical skills, and ethics.
Large Language Models 4.5

Getting Started with Large Language Models

Master Large Language Models (LLMs) with this course, offering clear guidance in NLP and model training made simple.
Prompt Engineering 4.6

Building LLM Applications using Prompt Engineering

This free course guides you on building LLM apps, mastering prompt engineering, and developing chatbots with enterprise data.
LlamaIndex 4.8

Improving Real World RAG Systems: Key Challenges & Practical Solutions

Explore practical solutions, advanced retrieval strategies, and agentic RAG systems to improve context, relevance, and accuracy in AI-driven applications.
RAG systems using LlamaIndex 4.7

Microsoft Excel: Formulas & Functions

Master MS Excel for data analysis with key formulas, functions, and LookUp tools in this comprehensive course.

Recommended Articles

Responses From Readers

Clear

Write for us

Write, captivate, and earn accolades and rewards for your work
  • Reach a Global Audience
  • Get Expert Feedback
  • Build Your Brand & Audience
  • Cash In on Your Knowledge
  • Join a Thriving Community
  • Level Up Your Data Science Game
imag
Congratulations, You Did It!
Well Done on Completing Your Learning Journey. Stay curious and keep exploring!
Top 10 Data Analytics Projects with Source Codes
Top 10 Data Analytics Projects with Source Codes
The Art of Query Building: Data Problems to SQL Queries
The Art of Query Building: Data Problems to SQL Queries

We use cookies essential for this site to function well. Please click to help us improve its usefulness with additional cookies. Learn about our use of cookies in our Privacy Policy & Cookies Policy.

Show details