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Meta·Data Scientist·Technical Phone Screen·Intermediate

Intermediate
Apr 2023Remote

Summary

Meta Data Scientist technical screen focused entirely on a SQL problem around a messaging platform. Four related sub-questions built on each other, which felt manageable until the A/B testing piece at the end where I had to think on my feet about what 'active' even means.

Questions Asked (4)

Q1

Given a messages table with sender, receiver, reaction flag, and timestamp, write SQL to count the number of unique conversation threads that had at least one message in a given week. A thread is an unordered sender-receiver pair.

Product Analytics & MetricsData Modeling
Author's notes

The unordered pair thing tripped me up for a second.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

First, normalize each conversation by creating an ordered pair of sender and receiver (e.g., using LEAST and GREATEST). Then filter messages to the given week and count distinct normalized pairs.

Pro tip: Mention that you would clarify the definition of 'week' (e.g., Monday-Sunday or Sunday-Saturday) and whether timestamps are in UTC, as these details can affect the count.

1. Normalize the conversation thread

Use LEAST(sender, receiver) and GREATEST(sender, receiver) to create a consistent representation of the unordered pair, ensuring (A,B) and (B,A) are treated the same.

2. Filter messages by the given week

Apply a WHERE clause to restrict messages to the specified week, using appropriate date functions (e.g., DATE_TRUNC or BETWEEN).

3. Count distinct conversation threads

Use COUNT(DISTINCT ...) on the normalized pair to count unique threads that had at least one message in that week.

4. Handle edge cases and validate

Consider self-messages (sender = receiver) and decide whether to include or exclude them; also check for NULLs and timezone issues.

Key Points to Mention

  • Normalization of unordered pairs using LEAST and GREATEST
  • Definition of 'week' and timezone considerations
  • Use of COUNT(DISTINCT) to count unique threads
  • Handling of self-messages (sender = receiver)
  • Efficiency: filtering before aggregation to reduce data processed
  • Potential need to clarify if a thread is defined only by sender-receiver or also by other attributes

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 count how many of those weekly threads contain at least one message where has_reaction = 1.

Product Analytics & Metrics
Author's notes

Pretty much a HAVING clause on top of the last query.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by referencing the previous query that identified weekly threads, then use a subquery or join to filter for threads that have at least one message with has_reaction = 1. Finally, count the distinct thread IDs that meet this condition, ensuring you handle potential duplicates and NULLs appropriately.

Pro tip: Clarify whether 'weekly threads' refers to threads created in a given week or threads with activity in that week, as this affects the date filtering logic. Also, consider performance by using EXISTS or a semi-join instead of a full join when checking for the presence of reacted messages.

1. Clarify the base query

Confirm the structure of the previous query that identifies weekly threads, including how threads are defined and how weeks are determined.

2. Identify threads with reactions

Use a subquery or join to find all thread IDs that have at least one message with has_reaction = 1, ensuring you filter messages appropriately.

3. Combine with weekly threads

Join or filter the weekly threads from the base query with the threads identified in step 2, keeping only those that have at least one reacted message.

4. Count distinct threads

Count the distinct thread IDs that satisfy both conditions, being mindful of potential duplicates from joins.

5. Validate and optimize

Check edge cases such as threads with no messages or NULL has_reaction values, and consider using EXISTS for better performance.

Key Points to Mention

  • Use of DISTINCT to avoid double-counting threads if a thread has multiple reacted messages.
  • Handling of NULL values in has_reaction, ensuring only has_reaction = 1 is considered.
  • Definition of 'weekly threads' – whether based on creation date or activity date, and how weeks are defined (e.g., ISO weeks).
  • Performance considerations: using EXISTS or IN instead of JOIN for semi-joins, and indexing on thread_id and has_reaction.
  • Potential need to group by week if the final output requires counts per week rather than a single total.
  • Clarifying whether 'at least one message' includes the original post or only replies, depending on the data model.

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

Q3

For threads that eventually receive at least one reaction, compute the average time in minutes from the first message in the thread to the first reacted message.

Product Analytics & MetricsData Modeling
Author's notes

This is where I slowed down.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Clarify the definitions of 'thread', 'first message', 'first reacted message', and 'reaction', then outline a SQL-based approach: filter threads with at least one reaction, compute the time difference between the first message and the first reacted message per thread, and average those differences. Discuss edge cases like multiple reactions and time zones.

Pro tip: Mention that you would validate the metric by checking the distribution of time differences and considering whether to exclude threads with reactions on the first message (time=0) or handle them separately, as they might skew the average.

1. Clarify Definitions and Assumptions

Define what constitutes a thread, the first message, a reaction, and the first reacted message. Confirm whether reactions on any message count or only on messages after the first, and how to handle multiple reactions.

2. Identify Relevant Tables and Fields

Locate tables for threads, messages, and reactions. Identify fields like thread_id, message_id, timestamp, and reaction_type. Ensure you can join these tables appropriately.

3. Compute First Message and First Reacted Message per Thread

For each thread, find the timestamp of the first message (MIN timestamp) and the timestamp of the first message that received a reaction (MIN timestamp among messages with reactions). Use window functions or subqueries.

4. Calculate Time Difference and Average

Compute the time difference in minutes between the first reacted message and the first message for each thread. Then average these differences across all threads that have at least one reaction.

5. Validate and Consider Edge Cases

Check for negative or zero time differences, handle time zones, and consider whether to include threads where the first message itself was reacted to. Validate results with sanity checks.

Key Points to Mention

  • Definition of 'first reacted message': the earliest message in the thread that received at least one reaction.
  • Use of SQL window functions (e.g., ROW_NUMBER, MIN) to efficiently find first occurrences.
  • Filtering threads to only those with at least one reaction before computing the average.
  • Handling of time zones and timestamp precision (e.g., converting to minutes).
  • Consideration of threads where the first message is also the first reacted message (time difference = 0).
  • Potential need to exclude outliers or use median if distribution is skewed.

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

Q4

How would you use the presence or absence of reactions on messages to define an 'active' thread for an A/B test?

A/B Testing & ExperimentationProduct Analytics & Metrics
Author's notes

I was not expecting this to be the closer.

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AI HintsAI Generated

Suggested Approach

Start by clarifying the business goal of the A/B test and how 'active thread' relates to the success metric. Then propose a definition based on reactions (e.g., a thread is active if it has at least one reaction within a time window) and discuss how to validate and refine it. Finally, explain how to incorporate this definition into the experiment analysis to measure impact.

Pro tip: Define 'active' in a way that aligns with the product's north star metric and consider using a sensitivity analysis to test how different thresholds affect results. Also, be mindful of potential biases like the novelty effect or power users dominating reactions.

1. Clarify the objective

Understand what the A/B test aims to measure and how 'active thread' fits into the success metrics. Ask clarifying questions if needed.

2. Define 'active' using reactions

Propose a concrete definition, such as a thread is active if it has at least one reaction within a specified time window (e.g., 24 hours). Consider variations like reaction count thresholds or unique reactors.

3. Validate the definition

Check if the definition captures meaningful engagement by comparing with other engagement metrics (e.g., replies, views) and ensuring it's not easily gamed.

4. Apply in experiment analysis

Use the defined active thread metric as a primary or secondary outcome in the A/B test, and analyze differences between control and treatment groups.

5. Consider edge cases and robustness

Address potential issues like time zone differences, bot reactions, or low reaction volumes, and perform sensitivity analysis on the threshold.

Key Points to Mention

  • Alignment with business goals and north star metric
  • Time window for reactions (e.g., 24 hours, 7 days)
  • Threshold for number of reactions (e.g., at least one, or more)
  • Handling of unique reactors vs. total reactions
  • Potential biases: power users, bots, novelty effects
  • Sensitivity analysis to test robustness of definition

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