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Data Engineer Interview 1738557398

The document outlines key questions and answers related to data engineering, covering topics such as the differences between OLTP and OLAP, handling missing data, designing ETL pipelines, ensuring data quality, and understanding p-values in hypothesis testing. It also discusses normalization vs. standardization, optimizing SQL queries, handling skewed data distributions, and distinguishing between Type I and Type II errors. Additionally, it provides guidance on choosing between RDBMS and NoSQL, data normalization in databases, and detecting and handling outliers.

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Mahesh Marupakula
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6 views15 pages

Data Engineer Interview 1738557398

The document outlines key questions and answers related to data engineering, covering topics such as the differences between OLTP and OLAP, handling missing data, designing ETL pipelines, ensuring data quality, and understanding p-values in hypothesis testing. It also discusses normalization vs. standardization, optimizing SQL queries, handling skewed data distributions, and distinguishing between Type I and Type II errors. Additionally, it provides guidance on choosing between RDBMS and NoSQL, data normalization in databases, and detecting and handling outliers.

Uploaded by

Mahesh Marupakula
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 12 IMPORTANT

DATA
DATAENGINEERING
ENGINEERING

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS


Question - 1

What makes OLTP different from OLAP?

OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) handles day-


to-day transactions, ensuring real-time data
entry and retrieval.

OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) focuses on


analyzing large amounts of data, ensuring high
integrity in queries and reports for decision-making.

In short: OLTP is optimized for fast transaction


processing, while OLAP is suited for complex data
analysis.
Question - 2

How would you approach cleaning a dataset


with 10% missing values?

Assess missing data – Identify which columns


have missing values and how many records are
affected.

Choose handling methods:


For numerical data: Use imputation (mean,
median, or model-based methods) or remove
rows/columns if necessary.
For categorical data: Use mode imputation
or introduce a new category like “Unknown.”

Ensure no data bias – Maintain data integrity


and avoid losing significant patterns.
Question - 3

How do you design an ETL pipeline for real-


time analytics?

Extract: Utilize message queues like Kafka or


APIs to fetch real-time data.

Transform: Perform on-the-fly operations like


filtering, aggregation, and enrichment using
stream processing engines like Apache Flink or
Spark Streaming.

Load: Store transformed data in a real-time


data warehouse such as AWS Redshift or
Google BigQuery.
Question - 4

How do you ensure data quality in a


project?

Clear Data Collection Standards – Define


structured guidelines for data gathering.

Data Validation – Regularly validate data using


automated tools.

Data Cleaning – Remove duplicates and


irrelevant data.

Timely Updates – Keep the data refreshed and


up to date.

Regular Audits – Periodically review data for


accuracy and completeness.
Question - 5

What is the importance of p-values in


hypothesis testing?

A p-value determines the statistical


significance of test results.

Low p-value (p < 0.05): Rejects the null


hypothesis, supporting the alternative
hypothesis.

High p-value: Indicates insufficient evidence to


reject the null hypothesis.
Question - 6

What is the difference between


normalization and standardization?
Normalization: Scales data within a specific
range (e.g., 0 to 1).

Standardization: Adjusts data to have a mean


of 0 and a standard deviation of 1.

When to use:
Use normalization when feature values
have different units.
Use standardization when features have
different scales but need uniformity.
Question - 7

How do you optimize a SQL query for large


datasets?
Use Indexes – Index frequently queried columns and JOIN
keys.

Limit Result Set – Use LIMIT or TOP to reduce processing


time.

Avoid SELECT * – Fetch only necessary columns.

Use Efficient Joins – Prefer INNER JOIN over OUTER JOIN


when possible.

Apply WHERE Filters Early – Minimize the number of rows


processed.

Optimize Subqueries – Replace subqueries with joins where


possible.

Analyze Execution Plan – Use EXPLAIN to identify


performance bottlenecks.
Question - 8

How do you handle skewed data


distributions?
Log Transformation – Apply log or square root
transformation to normalize skewed data.

Winsorization – Cap extreme values to reduce the


impact of outliers.

Resampling – Use oversampling or undersampling for


imbalanced data.

Model Selection – Use robust models like tree-based


algorithms that handle skewed data well.
Question - 9

What are Type I and Type II errors?

Type I Error (False Positive): Rejecting a true


null hypothesis.
Example: A medical test wrongly detects a
disease in a healthy person.

Type II Error (False Negative): Failing to


reject a false null hypothesis.
Example: A medical test fails to detect a
disease in an infected person.
Question - 10

How do you decide between RDBMS and


NoSQL for a project?

RDBMS (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) – Best for


structured data, complex relationships, and
transactional consistency.

NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra) – Ideal for


semi-structured or evolving data with
scalability needs.
Question - 11

What is data normalization in databases?

Data normalization reduces redundancy and


improves data integrity.

It involves breaking large tables into smaller ones


and establishing relationships using foreign keys.

Normalization improves database efficiency and


ensures consistency.
Question - 12

How do you detect and handle outliers in a


dataset?
Detect Outliers:
Use visual methods like box plots and
scatter plots.
Use statistical methods like the IQR rule or
Z-score.

Handle Outliers:
Remove – If due to errors or irrelevance.
Transform – Apply log transformations.
Cap/Impute – Replace outliers with median
or reasonable limits.
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