Window function: rank over category

Last updated: November 20, 2025

Quick Overview

Use window functions to compute running total partitioned by user_id.

Atlassian
Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
Data Scientist
Atlassian
November 20, 2025
Data Scientist
Take-home Project
Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
Hard

68

5

2,168 solved


Use window functions to compute running total partitioned by user_id.

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

What the Interviewer Expects
  • Solve complex analytical problems with elegant, readable SQL
  • Optimize queries for large-scale datasets with partitioning and indexing
  • Use recursive CTEs, lateral joins, and advanced window functions
  • Design the data model alongside the query solution
  • Discuss trade-offs between SQL and programmatic approaches (Python/pandas)
  • Consider the operational aspects: query scheduling, incremental processing
Key Topics to Cover
Index optimization and query performance
Date/time manipulation
Data cleaning and transformation
NULL handling and COALESCE
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
  • How would you optimize this query for a table with 100 million rows?
  • How would you validate the correctness of your query results?
  • Can you rewrite this without using subqueries?
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