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My Walmart Interviewexperience Answers

Ajay Kadiyala shares his experience and insights from his Walmart Data Engineer interview, detailing technical questions and answers across three interview rounds. He discusses his responsibilities in data pipeline design, challenges faced, and solutions implemented, as well as system design for scalable platforms and real-time analytics. The document also includes code snippets and SQL queries demonstrating his technical proficiency in data engineering tools and practices.

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Lapi Lapil
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16 views13 pages

My Walmart Interviewexperience Answers

Ajay Kadiyala shares his experience and insights from his Walmart Data Engineer interview, detailing technical questions and answers across three interview rounds. He discusses his responsibilities in data pipeline design, challenges faced, and solutions implemented, as well as system design for scalable platforms and real-time analytics. The document also includes code snippets and SQL queries demonstrating his technical proficiency in data engineering tools and practices.

Uploaded by

Lapi Lapil
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AJAY KADIYALA - Data Engineer

Follow me Here:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajay026/

Data Geeks Community:

https://lnkd.in/gU5NkCqi

My Walmart Data
Engineer Interview
Experience & Answers

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Round 1: Technical Interview 1

1. Can you describe your role and responsibilities in your recent


project?

Answer: In my recent project, I was responsible for designing and


implementing data pipelines using PySpark to process large datasets.
I collaborated closely with data scientists to ensure the data was
clean and ready for analysis. Additionally, I managed data ingestion
from various sources into our Azure Data Lake and handled real-time
data processing tasks.

2. What challenges did you face with data frequency in your


project, and how did you address them?

Answer: We dealt with data arriving at varying frequencies, which


sometimes led to processing delays. To address this, I implemented a
dynamic scheduling mechanism in Apache Airflow that adjusted
based on data arrival patterns, ensuring timely processing without
overloading the system.

3. Can you explain the differences between Snowflake and Star


schemas?

Answer: The Star schema is a simple database schema with a central


fact table connected to dimension tables, resembling a star. It's easy
to understand and query but can lead to data redundancy. The
Snowflake schema normalizes dimension tables into multiple related
tables, reducing redundancy but making queries more complex due
to additional joins.

4. How do you handle Slowly Changing Dimensions (SCD) in your


data pipelines?

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Answer: I handle SCDs by implementing Type 2 changes, where a
new record is inserted with a version number or timestamp
whenever there's a change in dimension data. This approach
preserves historical data and allows us to track changes over time.

5. Can you provide a PySpark code snippet that reads data from
a Delta Lake and performs a transformation?

Answer:

from pyspark.sql import SparkSession

spark = SparkSession.builder \

.appName("DeltaLakeExample") \

.getOrCreate()

# Read data from Delta Lake

df = spark.read.format("delta").load("/path/to/delta-table")

# Perform transformation

transformed_df = df.filter(df['column_name'] > threshold_value)

transformed_df.show()

6. What are some best practices for optimizing Spark jobs?

Answer: To optimize Spark jobs, I ensure efficient partitioning of


data, use broadcast joins for small datasets, cache intermediate

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results when reused multiple times, and adjust the number of shuffle
partitions based on data size to balance parallelism and overhead.

Round 2: Technical Interview 2

1. Can you design a data pipeline for processing streaming data


from IoT devices?

Answer: I would design a pipeline where IoT devices send data to


Azure Event Hubs. From there, Azure Stream Analytics processes the
streaming data in real-time, performing necessary transformations
and aggregations. The processed data is then stored in Azure Data
Lake for further analysis and reporting.

2. How do you implement Continuous Integration and


Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) for data pipelines?

Answer: I set up a CI/CD pipeline using Azure DevOps. The process


includes automated testing of data pipeline code, building Docker
images for deployment, and using Azure Pipelines to deploy the code
to different environments. This ensures that any changes are tested
and deployed consistently.

3. Can you explain the internal workings of Apache Spark?

Answer: Apache Spark operates by dividing tasks into stages based


on data shuffling requirements. Each stage consists of tasks that are
executed across worker nodes. The driver program coordinates the
execution, while the cluster manager allocates resources. Spark's
Resilient Distributed Datasets (RDDs) provide fault tolerance by
tracking lineage information to recompute lost data.

4. How do you handle Change Data Capture (CDC) in your data


engineering workflows?

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Answer: I handle CDC by using tools like Azure Data Factory's
Mapping Data Flows to detect changes in source data. These changes
are then processed and merged into the target data store, ensuring
that the data warehouse remains up-to-date with minimal latency.

5. Can you provide an advanced SQL query that retrieves the top
5 products by sales in each category?

Answer:

SELECT category, product_id, sales

FROM (

SELECT category, product_id, sales,

ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY category ORDER BY


sales DESC) as rank

FROM sales_table

) ranked_sales

WHERE rank <= 5;

6. What strategies do you use for code optimization in


Databricks?

Answer: In Databricks, I optimize code by using Delta Lake for


efficient data storage and management, implementing caching for
frequently accessed data, and leveraging built-in functions for
complex transformations to reduce the execution time.

Round 3: Technical Managerial Interview

1. Can you describe a situation where you had to lead a team to


meet a tight deadline?

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Answer: In a previous project, we faced a tight deadline to deliver a
data integration solution. I organized daily stand-up meetings to
monitor progress, delegated tasks based on team members'
strengths, and provided support to overcome obstacles. Through
effective communication and teamwork, we delivered the project on
time.

2. How do you ensure data quality in your pipelines?

Answer: I implement data validation checks at various stages of the


pipeline, use schema enforcement to catch anomalies, and set up
monitoring alerts to detect and address data quality issues promptly.

3. Can you discuss your experience with streaming data


processing?

Answer: I have experience using Apache Kafka for ingesting


streaming data and Apache Spark Streaming for processing it in real-
time. This setup allowed us to handle large volumes of data with low
latency, providing timely insights for decision-making.

4. How do you handle urgent data issues that require immediate


attention?

Answer: I prioritize urgent issues by assessing their impact, quickly


identifying the root cause, and implementing a temporary
workaround if necessary. I then work on a permanent solution,
ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

5. Can you explain the concept of data modeling and its


importance in data engineering?

Answer: Data modeling involves creating a visual representation of


an information system to depict data structures and relationships.
It's crucial in data engineering as it ensures that the data architecture

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aligns with business requirements, facilitates efficient data retrieval,
and supports scalability.

System Design Question 1: Designing a Scalable E-commerce


Platform on Azure

Question:

Design a scalable e-commerce platform using Azure services that can


handle high traffic during peak shopping seasons, ensure high
availability, and provide a seamless user experience.

Answer:

To design a scalable and highly available e-commerce platform on


Azure, consider the following architecture:

1. Front-End Layer:

o Azure App Service: Host the web application using Azure


App Service, which provides auto-scaling and high
availability.

o Azure Front Door: Implement Azure Front Door for global


load balancing and to accelerate content delivery to users
worldwide.

2. Application Layer:

o Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS): Deploy microservices


using AKS to manage containerized applications
efficiently.

o Azure Functions: Utilize serverless functions for event-


driven processes like order processing and notifications.

3. Data Layer:

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o Azure SQL Database: Store transactional data such as
orders and customer information in a managed relational
database.

o Azure Cosmos DB: Use Cosmos DB for globally


distributed, low-latency access to product catalogs and
user sessions.

o Azure Blob Storage: Store unstructured data like product


images and videos.

4. Caching Layer:

o Azure Cache for Redis: Implement caching to reduce


database load and improve response times for frequently
accessed data.

5. Monitoring and Analytics:

o Azure Monitor: Set up monitoring for performance


metrics and alerts.

o Azure Log Analytics: Collect and analyze logs for


troubleshooting and insights.

6. Security:

o Azure Active Directory B2C: Manage customer identities


and access.

o Azure Application Gateway with Web Application


Firewall (WAF): Protect against common web
vulnerabilities.

7. CI/CD Pipeline:

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o Azure DevOps: Implement continuous integration and
deployment pipelines to streamline application updates.

System Design Question 2: Designing a Real-Time Analytics System


on Azure

Question:

Design a real-time analytics system on Azure that can ingest, process,


and visualize streaming data from IoT devices deployed globally.

Answer:

To build a real-time analytics system on Azure for IoT data, consider


the following components:

1. Data Ingestion:

o Azure IoT Hub: Serve as the central message hub for bi-
directional communication between IoT devices and the
cloud.

2. Stream Processing:

o Azure Stream Analytics: Process and analyze streaming


data in real-time with SQL-like queries.

3. Data Storage:

o Azure Data Lake Storage: Store raw and processed data


for batch processing and historical analysis.

o Azure Cosmos DB: Store processed data requiring low-


latency access.

4. Analytics and Visualization:

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o Azure Synapse Analytics: Perform complex analytics and
integrate with Power BI for visualization.

o Power BI: Create interactive dashboards and reports for


real-time data insights.

5. Machine Learning:

o Azure Machine Learning: Develop and deploy machine


learning models to predict trends and anomalies in the
streaming data.

6. Monitoring and Management:

o Azure Monitor: Monitor the health and performance of


the analytics pipeline.

o Azure Security Center: Ensure the security of data and


services across the solution.

SQL Question:

Question:

Given a table Sales with columns SaleID, ProductID, SaleDate, and


Amount, write a SQL query to find the top 3 products with the
highest total sales amount in the last 30 days.

Answer:

WITH RecentSales AS (

SELECT

ProductID,

SUM(Amount) AS TotalSales

FROM

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Sales

WHERE

SaleDate >= DATEADD(DAY, -30, GETDATE())

GROUP BY

ProductID

SELECT

ProductID,

TotalSales

FROM

RecentSales

ORDER BY

TotalSales DESC

OFFSET 0 ROWS FETCH NEXT 3 ROWS ONLY;

This query calculates the total sales amount for each product in the
last 30 days and retrieves the top 3 products with the highest sales.

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PySpark Question:

Question:

Using PySpark, how would you detect and remove duplicate records
from a DataFrame based on a composite key consisting of columnA
and columnB, keeping only the latest record based on a timestamp
column timestampCol?

Answer:

from pyspark.sql import SparkSession

from pyspark.sql.window import Window

from pyspark.sql.functions import row_number

# Initialize Spark session

spark =
SparkSession.builder.appName("DeduplicateDataFrame").getOrCreat
e()

# Assume df is your existing DataFrame

window_spec = Window.partitionBy("columnA",
"columnB").orderBy(df["timestampCol"].desc())

# Add a row number based on the window specification

df_with_row_num = df.withColumn("row_num",
row_number().over(window_spec))

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# Filter to keep only the latest records

deduplicated_df =
df_with_row_num.filter(df_with_row_num["row_num"] ==
1).drop("row_num")

# Show the result

deduplicated_df.show()

Checkout Complete interview Kit here…

https://topmate.io/ajay_kadiyala

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