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SQL Problem Solving Checklist

This SQL Problem-Solving Checklist provides a structured approach for tackling SQL interview questions. It includes steps for understanding the question, identifying edge cases, planning the solution, and common SQL templates for various scenarios. Additionally, it offers testing tips and quick code snippets to aid in effective problem-solving.

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3 views1 page

SQL Problem Solving Checklist

This SQL Problem-Solving Checklist provides a structured approach for tackling SQL interview questions. It includes steps for understanding the question, identifying edge cases, planning the solution, and common SQL templates for various scenarios. Additionally, it offers testing tips and quick code snippets to aid in effective problem-solving.

Uploaded by

trader13lobby
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

SQL Problem-Solving Checklist (Interview Cheat Sheet)

1) Understand the question


• Identify output columns & metric (COUNT/SUM/AVG/RATIO/RANK/STREAK)
• Is the result per-group or global?
2) Restate in plain words
• Describe transforms, joins, and edge cases in one sentence.
3) Edge cases to check
• Missing rows → use LEFT JOIN + COALESCE
• Zero denominator → NULLIF(...,0)
• Date-range joins → BETWEEN start_date AND end_date
• Duplicates, NULLs, timezones
4) Plan steps / CTEs
• Preprocess (dedupe/filter)
• Compute base aggregates (per entity)
• Final aggregation and formatting
5) Common templates
Safe division: SUM(x)/NULLIF(SUM(y),0)
Null default: COALESCE(col,0)
Conditional agg: SUM(CASE WHEN cond THEN 1 ELSE 0 END)
Top-N per group: ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY grp ORDER BY metric DESC)
6) Testing tips
• Run with LIMIT to validate logic
• Manually walk through a small example
• Test edge cases explicitly
Quick code snippets
SUM(CASE WHEN cond THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) -- conditional count
COALESCE(col, 0) -- null -> default
SUM(x)/NULLIF(SUM(y),0) -- safe division
ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY g ORDER BY t) -- top-n per group
DATE_SUB(day, INTERVAL rn DAY) -- gaps & islands grouping

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