Window function: rank over category

Last updated: June 11, 2026

Quick Overview

Use window functions to compute running total partitioned by user_id.

Salesforce
Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
Data Scientist
Salesforce
June 11, 2026
Data Scientist
Onsite
Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
Easy

49

5

3,359 solved


Use window functions to compute running total partitioned by user_id.

Data manipulation questions at Salesforce test your ability to work with real-world datasets. This Onsite question evaluates your SQL proficiency, understanding of data modeling, and ability to derive insights from raw data.

What the Interviewer Expects
  • Write syntactically correct SQL with proper JOIN and WHERE clauses
  • Use GROUP BY and aggregate functions appropriately
  • Handle NULL values correctly in your queries
  • Explain the query execution plan at a high level
Key Topics to Cover
Index optimization and query performance
Data cleaning and transformation
Window functions (ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG, LEAD)
Date/time manipulation
JOIN types and when to use each
How to Approach This
  1. Clarify the schema and expected output format before writing queries.
  2. Use CTEs (WITH clauses) to break complex queries into readable steps.
  3. Consider window functions (ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG, LEAD) for ranking and sequential analysis.
  4. Watch for NULLs, duplicates, and edge cases in JOINs and GROUP BY.
  5. For pandas, prefer vectorized operations over row-by-row iteration.
Possible Follow-up Questions
  • What indexes would you create to support this query?
  • Can you rewrite this without using subqueries?
  • How would you handle slowly changing dimensions in this scenario?
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