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Meta·Data Scientist·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate
Jun 2023Remote

Summary

SQL-heavy data science screen at Meta built around an e-commerce shop visibility dataset. The questions escalated fast from basic GROUP BY stuff to window functions and metric design, which I did not fully anticipate going in.

Questions Asked (4)

Q1

Write a SQL query that returns total visible days per shop, ordered from highest to lowest, using GROUP BY, HAVING, and ORDER BY.

Product Analytics & MetricsData Modeling
Author's notes

Straightforward enough that I almost overthought it.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by clarifying the schema and what 'visible days' means (e.g., days with impressions or non-null visibility metrics). Then write a query that groups by shop, applies a HAVING clause to filter out shops with zero visible days, and orders the results descending by total visible days.

Pro tip: Mention that you would validate the metric definition with stakeholders and consider edge cases like time zones or partial days, showing you think beyond just writing SQL.

1. Clarify the metric and schema

Ask clarifying questions about what 'visible days' means (e.g., days with at least one impression, or sum of daily visibility flags) and confirm the table structure and join keys.

2. Identify the aggregation

Determine whether to count distinct dates or sum a daily visibility metric per shop, ensuring the correct level of granularity.

3. Write the SQL with GROUP BY, HAVING, ORDER BY

Construct the query: SELECT shop_id, SUM(visible_days) AS total_visible_days FROM ... GROUP BY shop_id HAVING total_visible_days > 0 ORDER BY total_visible_days DESC.

4. Validate and optimize

Check for edge cases (e.g., shops with no data, date ranges) and consider indexing or partitioning for performance if the dataset is large.

Key Points to Mention

  • Definition of 'visible days' and how it maps to the data (e.g., distinct dates with impressions).
  • Use of GROUP BY to aggregate per shop.
  • Use of HAVING to filter out shops with zero visible days (or other thresholds).
  • Use of ORDER BY DESC to sort from highest to lowest.
  • Handling of NULLs or missing data in the visibility metric.
  • Potential performance considerations for large datasets (e.g., indexing, partitioning).

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.

Q2

Extend the previous query to JOIN in a shop category table and use CASE logic to bucket shops into visibility tiers.

Data ModelingProduct Analytics & Metrics
Author's notes

This is where things got messier for me.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by clarifying the schema and the goal of the visibility tiers, then walk through the SQL logic step-by-step: first join the shop category table to the previous query, then apply CASE to bucket shops based on a chosen metric (e.g., GMV, views). Emphasize that the bucketing thresholds should be data-driven and aligned with business definitions of visibility.

Pro tip: Mention that you would validate the bucketing by checking the distribution of shops across tiers and ensuring the thresholds are meaningful (e.g., not too many shops in one bucket). Also, consider using window functions or percentile-based thresholds to make the tiers dynamic and robust to outliers.

1. Clarify requirements and schema

Ask about the shop category table structure, the metric to define visibility (e.g., impressions, sales), and the desired number of tiers. Confirm the join key (e.g., shop_id) and any filters.

2. Construct the JOIN

Extend the previous query by joining the shop category table on shop_id, ensuring you handle potential duplicates or missing categories appropriately (e.g., LEFT JOIN).

3. Define tier logic with CASE

Write a CASE statement that buckets shops into visibility tiers based on the chosen metric. Use clear, business-relevant thresholds (e.g., top 10% = 'High', next 30% = 'Medium', rest = 'Low').

4. Validate and refine

Check the distribution of shops across tiers, ensure no unexpected NULLs, and consider if thresholds should be dynamic (e.g., using percentiles) or static. Adjust as needed.

5. Explain business implications

Discuss how these tiers can be used for product analytics, such as identifying low-visibility shops for interventions or measuring the impact of visibility on performance.

Key Points to Mention

  • Join type (INNER vs LEFT) and handling of missing categories
  • Choice of metric for visibility (e.g., GMV, views, engagement) and its alignment with business goals
  • Threshold selection: static vs dynamic (percentiles), and avoiding arbitrary cutoffs
  • Use of CASE with proper ordering (e.g., WHEN metric >= threshold THEN tier) to avoid overlaps
  • Validation: checking tier distribution, NULL handling, and edge cases
  • Potential next steps: analyzing tier performance or A/B testing visibility changes

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.

Q3

Using window functions, rank shops by their average daily visibility within each category.

Data ModelingAlgorithms & Data Structures
Author's notes

RANK() OVER (PARTITION BY category ORDER BY avg_visibility DESC) and I got there, but I initially wrote DENSE_RANK and had to backtrack when they asked about ties.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

First, compute the average daily visibility per shop per category using a GROUP BY on shop and category. Then, apply a window function like RANK() or DENSE_RANK() over a partition by category and order by the average visibility descending to rank shops within each category. Finally, select the shop, category, average visibility, and rank.

Pro tip: Clarify whether ties should receive the same rank (using RANK or DENSE_RANK) or sequential ranks (ROW_NUMBER), and mention that the choice depends on business requirements. Also, consider if you need to handle days with no visibility data (e.g., treat as zero or exclude).

1. Understand the data and metrics

Identify the tables containing shop visibility data, including columns for shop ID, category, date, and visibility metric. Clarify what 'average daily visibility' means (e.g., average over a time period).

2. Compute average daily visibility per shop per category

Use a GROUP BY on shop and category to calculate the average visibility. If daily visibility is already aggregated, you may need to average across days.

3. Apply window function to rank shops within each category

Use RANK() or DENSE_RANK() with PARTITION BY category ORDER BY average_visibility DESC to assign ranks. Choose the appropriate function based on tie-handling requirements.

4. Select and order the final result

Output shop, category, average visibility, and rank. Order by category and rank for readability.

5. Validate and discuss edge cases

Check for ties, missing data, and whether the ranking should be based on all shops or only those with sufficient data. Discuss how to handle these scenarios.

Key Points to Mention

  • Use of PARTITION BY category to reset ranking for each category.
  • Choice between RANK(), DENSE_RANK(), and ROW_NUMBER() and their implications for ties.
  • Aggregation with GROUP BY before applying window functions.
  • Handling of NULLs or missing days in visibility data.
  • Performance considerations: indexing, partitioning, and window function efficiency.
  • Business context: why ranking shops by visibility within category is useful (e.g., for identifying top performers).

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.

Q4

Define a metric to compare activity rates between new and older users by bucketing them into tenure groups based on their signup date, then implement it in SQL using today's snapshot.

Product Analytics & MetricsA/B Testing & Experimentation
Author's notes

This one required actual thinking.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by clarifying the metric definition: activity rate as the proportion of users active on a given day within each tenure bucket. Then, outline the SQL implementation using a snapshot date to compute tenure and aggregate activity, ensuring proper handling of time zones and active user criteria.

Pro tip: Consider using a rolling 7-day active definition to smooth out daily fluctuations and better capture user engagement, especially for new users who may have sporadic activity. Also, be explicit about how you handle users who signed up on the snapshot date (tenure = 0).

1. Define the metric and tenure buckets

Clarify that activity rate is the number of active users divided by total users in each tenure bucket on the snapshot date. Define tenure buckets (e.g., 0-7 days, 8-30 days, 31-90 days, 90+ days) based on days since signup.

2. Identify active users and snapshot date

Specify the activity criteria (e.g., logged in, performed a key action) and the snapshot date (today). Ensure you have a table with user signup dates and a table with daily activity events.

3. Compute tenure and assign buckets

Calculate tenure as the difference between the snapshot date and signup date. Use a CASE statement to assign each user to a tenure bucket.

4. Aggregate activity and compute rates

Join user data with activity data for the snapshot date, flag active users, then group by tenure bucket to count total users and active users. Compute activity rate as active users divided by total users.

5. Validate and present results

Check for edge cases (e.g., users with no activity, future signup dates) and ensure the query is efficient. Present the results in a clear table with tenure buckets and activity rates.

Key Points to Mention

  • Definition of activity rate: active users / total users in each tenure bucket
  • Tenure calculation: DATEDIFF(snapshot_date, signup_date) and bucket boundaries
  • Active user criteria: specify the action(s) that count as activity (e.g., login, post, like)
  • Handling of time zones and date truncation to ensure consistency
  • Use of LEFT JOIN to include users with no activity on the snapshot date
  • Consideration of statistical significance when comparing rates across buckets

AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.