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Top 50 SQL Interview Questions

This document provides a comprehensive list of the top 50 interview questions for data engineers, focusing primarily on SQL concepts. It covers various topics including SQL basics, functions, joins, performance optimization, and advanced topics like stored procedures and ACID compliance. The document also includes a bonus tip for interview preparation, encouraging candidates to practice writing queries in real-time.

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Ivan Segrt
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125 views8 pages

Top 50 SQL Interview Questions

This document provides a comprehensive list of the top 50 interview questions for data engineers, focusing primarily on SQL concepts. It covers various topics including SQL basics, functions, joins, performance optimization, and advanced topics like stored procedures and ACID compliance. The document also includes a bonus tip for interview preparation, encouraging candidates to practice writing queries in real-time.

Uploaded by

Ivan Segrt
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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TOP 50

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
FOR DATA ENGINEERS
Preparing for a data engineering interview?
These SQL questions will help you stand out!

Abhishek Agrawal
Data Engineer
SQL Basics
Q1. What is SQL? Explain its basic structure.

Q2. What are the differences between SQL and NoSQL databases?

Q3. Explain the difference between DDL, DML, and DCL commands.

Q4. How do you use the SELECT statement in SQL?

Q5. What is the difference between WHERE and HAVING clauses?

Q6. How do you use the GROUP BY clause in SQL?

Q7. Explain NULL values in SQL. How do you handle NULLs in queries?

Q8. What are primary keys and foreign keys in SQL?

Q9. What is the difference between INNER JOIN and OUTER JOIN?

Q10. How do you use UNION and UNION ALL in SQL?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


SQL Functions and Operators
Q11. What are aggregate functions in SQL? Give examples.

Q12. How do you use string functions like CONCAT(), UPPER(), and
LOWER() in SQL?

Q13. What is the difference between RANK(), DENSE_RANK(), and


ROW_NUMBER()?

Q14. Explain the use of COALESCE() and NULLIF() functions.

Q15. What is the difference between COUNT(), SUM(), AVG(), MIN(), and
MAX()?

Q16. How do you use CASE statements in SQL?

Q17. How do you use LIKE and ILIKE for pattern matching?

Q18. What are date functions in SQL? Provide examples.

Q19. How do you extract year, month, and day from a date in SQL?

Q20. What is the difference between BETWEEN and IN operators in SQL?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


SQL Joins and Subqueries
Q21. What are the different types of joins in SQL?

Q22. Explain the difference between CROSS JOIN and SELF JOIN.

Q23. How do you write a subquery in SQL?

Q24. What is the difference between correlated and non-correlated


subqueries?

Q25. How do you optimize subqueries for better performance?

Q26. How do you perform a join on multiple tables?

Q27. What are common table expressions (CTEs) in SQL?

Q28. How do you use nested subqueries? Provide an example.

Q29. What is the EXISTS operator in SQL?

Q30. What is the difference between INNER JOIN and LEFT JOIN with
examples?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


SQL Performance Optimization
Q31. What are indexes in SQL, and how do they improve performance?

Q32. What are the differences between clustered and non-clustered


indexes?

Q33. How do you optimize a slow SQL query?

Q34. What is the EXPLAIN or EXPLAIN PLAN command in SQL?

Q35. How do you reduce query execution time?

Q36. What is query optimization, and why is it important?

Q37. How do you handle large datasets in SQL?

Q38. What is sharding in SQL databases?

Q39. How do you avoid deadlocks in SQL transactions?

Q40. What are best practices for writing efficient SQL queries?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


SQL Advanced Topics
Q41. What are stored procedures in SQL? How do you create them?

Q42. How do you use triggers in SQL? Provide an example.

Q43. What are views in SQL? How do they improve query performance?

Q44. What is the difference between temporary tables and CTEs?

Q45. How do you use transactions in SQL?

Q46. What is ACID compliance in SQL databases?

Q47. Explain the concept of data normalization.

Q48. What is denormalization, and when should you use it?

Q49. How do you handle recursive queries in SQL?

Q50. What are materialized views, and how are they different from regular
views?

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


Conclusion

Bonus Tip:

Make sure you know how to write queries in real-


time during interviews.

✅ "Ready to ace your next SQL interview?"


"Bookmark this cheat sheet to practice frequently
asked questions and impress your interviewer!"

Abhishek Agrawal | Data Engineer


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Abhishek Agrawal
Azure Data Engineer

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