Prepare For Data Engineer Interview

What Happens When Block Scanner Detects A Corrupted Data Block

It is one of the most typical and popular interview questions for data engineers. You should answer this by stating all steps followed by a Block scanner when it finds a corrupted block of data.

Firstly, DataNode reports the corrupted block to NameNode.NameNode makes a replica using an existing model. If the system does not delete the corrupted data block, NameNode creates replicas as per the replication factor.

What Is The Toughest Thing You Find About Being A Data Engineer

Although this will depend on the individual, there are some common threads in data engineer interviews. Like data scientists and DevOps engineers, the toughest part about being a data engineer can be learning and mastering various technologies. You need to keep integrating new tools which can improve the performance, security, reliability, and ROI of data systems.

Making sure you know about disaster management, data governance, security protocols, business requirements, and predicting data demands can also be hard to grasp. It is a hard job where you are responsible for so many things.

Understanding The Data Engineer Interview Process

You should know the basic interview pattern to frame a strategic tech interview prep plan accordingly. A typical data engineer interview at top technical companies includes:

• The initial HR screen round includes basic questions around your experience, interest in the role, and the requirements of the role.
• The technical phone screen will include a couple of behavioral questions and coding questions. The coding questions focus on data structures, mostly on arrays, trees, sorting, or linked lists.
• The on-site interview will have three to four rounds that include: 1. A round based on Python, SQL, and big data frameworks2. Two to three rounds on core data engineering concepts3. A behavioral interview round

You can learn in detail about the data engineer interview process in FAANG+ companies here.

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What Algorithm Did You Use On The Project

What theyâre really asking: Why did you choose this algorithm, and can you compare it with other similar algorithms?

They want to know how you think through choosing one algorithm over another. It might be easiest to focus on a project that you worked on and link any follow-up questions to that project. If you have an example of a project and algorithm that relates to the companyâs work, then choose that one to impress the interviewer. List the models you worked with, and then explain the analysis, results, and impact.

The interviewer might also ask:

• What is the scalability of this algorithm?

• If you were to do the project again, what would you do differently?

What Are The Components Of Hadoop

Hadoop has the following components:

• Hadoop Common: A collection of Hadoop tools and libraries.
• Hadoop HDFS: Hadoop’s storage unit is the Hadoop Distributed File System . HDFS stores data in a distributed fashion. HDFS is made up of two parts: a name node and a data node. While there is only one name node, numerous data nodes are possible.
• Hadoop MapReduce: Hadoop’s processing unit is MapReduce. The processing is done on the slave nodes in the MapReduce technique, and the final result is delivered to the master node.
• Hadoop YARN: Hadoop’s YARN is an acronym for Yet Another Resource Negotiator. It is Hadoop’s resource management unit, and it is included in Hadoop version 2 as a component. It’s in charge of managing cluster resources to avoid overloading a single machine.

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Books For Data Engineering Interview Prep

Certain books can also help you to take your prep to the next level. We have handpicked a few titles that our alums also recommend:

• Agile Data Warehouse Design: Collaborative Dimensional Modeling, from Whiteboard to Star Schema â Lawrence Corr
• The Data Warehouse Toolkit: The Definitive Guide to Dimensional Modeling â Ralph Kimball
• The Data Engineering Cookbook â Andreas Kretz
• Learning Spark â Holden Karau
• Spark: The Definitive Guide: Big Data Processing Made Simple â Bill Chambers
• Big Data: Principles and Best Practices of Scalable Realtime Data Systems â Nathan Marz

How Can Data Analytics Help The Business Grow And Boost Revenue

Ultimately, it all comes down to business growth and revenue generation, and Big Data analysis has become crucial for businesses. All companies want to hire candidates who understand how to help the business grow, achieve their goals, and result in higher ROI.

You can answer this question by illustrating the advantages of data analytics to boost revenue, improve customer satisfaction, and increase profit. Data analytics helps in setting realistic goals and supports decision making. By implementing Big Data analytics, businesses may encounter a 5-20% significant increase in revenue. Walmart, Facebook, LinkedIn are some of the companies using big data analytics to boost their income.

Simplilearn’s Professional Certificate Program in Data Engineering, aligned with AWS and Azure certifications, will help all master crucial Data Engineering skills. Explore now to know more about the program.

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How Can You Deal With Duplicate Data Points In An Sql Query

Interviewers can ask this question to test your SQL knowledge and how invested you are in this interview process as they would expect you to ask questions in return. You can ask them what kind of data they are working with and what values would likely be duplicated?

You can suggest the use of SQL keywords DISTINCT & UNIQUE to reduce duplicate data points. You should also state other ways like using GROUP BY to deal with duplicate data points.

What Is Schema Evolution

One set of data can be kept in several files with various yet compatible schemas with schema evolution. The Parquet data source in Spark can automatically recognize and merge the schema of those files. Without automatic schema merging, the most common method of dealing with schema evolution is to reload past data, which is time-consuming.

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Azure Data Engineer Interview Questions 2023

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If youre looking to become a data engineer, its important to be prepared for the interview process. In order to help you out, weve gathered some of the most important interview questions for this role. Read on to get a head start on your preparation, I will cover the Top 30+ Azure Data Engineer Interview Questions.

Microsoft Azure is one of the most used and fastest-growing cloud service providers. Azure is expected to grow in the future, and with more demand, more Azure professionals are required. Talking about professionals, data engineers have been the most demanding job role in the IT sector. Most learners are already preparing themselves to become skilled data engineers, and for those, we are here to cover some most asked topics in Azure Data Engineering Interview Questions.

How Would You Validate A Data Migration From One Database To Another

The validity of data and ensuring that no data is dropped should be of utmost priority for a data engineer. Hiring managers ask this question to understand your thought process on how validation of data would happen.

You should be able to speak about appropriate validation types in different scenarios. For instance, you could suggest that validation could be a simple comparison, or it can happen after the complete data migration.

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What Etl Tools Do You Use What Tools Do You Prefer

In a different version, the question would be about a specific ETL tool, like Have you used Apache Spark or Amazon Redshift? If the job description mentions a tool, it could come up in a question like this. One tip is to list any training youve taken, how long youve been using the tech, and what tasks you can do with it.

Explain The Different Etl Functions

ETL tools collect data from multiple sources and integrate them into a data warehouse, making it easier to analyze and store.

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How Do I Know If Simplilearn’s Data Engineering Course Is Best For Me

Learning new skills and expanding your knowledge is always a plus point. Simplilearn’s Data Engineering Course is developed in partnership with Purdue University, a perfect blend of world-renowned curriculum and industry-aligned training, which makes the Data Engineering Course just the right one for you!

What Are The Benefits Of Data Science

Data Science empowers businesses to make better decisions by evaluating their performances based on trends and patterns, helping them specify goals and opportunities.

• It helps adopt best practices and focus on genuine issues
• It helps make sound decisions based on data-driven and quantifiable insights
• It identifies and refines target audiences to increase conversion rates.

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How Does A Block Scanner Handle Corrupted Files

• When the block scanner comes across a file that is corrupted, the DataNode reports this particular file to the NameNode.
• The NameNode then processes the file by creating replicas of the same using the original file.
• If there is a match between the replicas created and the replication block, then the corrupted data block is not removed.

Distinguish Between Structured And Unstructured Data

Following is a difference between structured and unstructured data:

Following are the components of Hadoop application:

• Hadoop Common: It is a common set of utilities and libraries that are utilized by Hadoop.
• HDFS: This Hadoop application relates to the file system in which the Hadoop data is stored. It is a distributed file system having high bandwidth.
• Hadoop MapReduce: It is based according to the algorithm for the provision of large-scale data processing.
• Hadoop YARN: It is used for resource management within the Hadoop cluster. It can also be used for task scheduling for users.

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When Did You Face A Challenge In Dealing With Unstructured Data And How Did You Solve It

What theyâre really asking: How do you deal with problems? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Essentially, a data engineerâs main responsibility is to build the systems that collect, manage, and convert raw data into usable information for data scientists and business analysts to interpret. This question aims to ask about any obstacles you may have faced when dealing with a problem, and how you solved it.

This is your time to shine, where you can describe how you make data more accessible through coding and algorithms. Rather than explaining the technicalities at this point, remember the specific responsibilities listed in the job description and see if you can incorporate them into your answer.

The interviewer might also ask:

• How do you solve a business problem?

• What is your process for dealing with and solving problems during a project?

• Can you describe a time when you encountered a problem and solved it in an innovative manner?

Do You Have Any Experience In Building Data Systems Using The Hadoop Framework

If you have experience with Hadoop, state your answer with a detailed explanation of the work you did to focus on your skills and tool’s expertise. You can explain all the essential features of Hadoop. For example, you can tell them you utilized the Hadoop framework because of its scalability and ability to increase the data processing speed while preserving the quality.

Some features of Hadoop include:

• It is Java-Based. Hence, there may be no additional training required for team members. Also, it is easy to use.
• As the data is stored within Hadoop, it is accessible in the case of hardware failure from other paths, which makes it the best choice for handling big data.
• In Hadoop, data is stored in a cluster, making it independent of all the other operations.

In case you have no experience with this tool, learn the necessary information about the tool’s properties and attributes.

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Technical Data Engineer Interview Questions

1. What is an example of an unanticipated problem you faced while trying to merge data together from many different places? What was the solution you found?

In this question, the interviewer will inquire about your capacity to handle unexpected problems along with the creativity you use while solving them. Ideally, candidates will come prepared with several experiences they can choose from to answer this question.

2. What ETL tools or frameworks do you have experience with? Are there any you prefer over others?

ETL is a fundamental procedure in SQL. As such, every hiring manager will ask some questions about your knowledge of the ETL process. Your interviewers will be especially interested in your experience with different ETL tools. Therefore, candidates should reflect and think about the ETL tools they have worked with before. When you are asked for your favorite, be sure to answer in a way that also demonstrates your knowledge about the ETL process more generally.

3. Do you have experience with designing data systems using the Hadoop framework or something like it?

4. What frameworks or tools are necessary for successful data engineering?

5. What is your experience with cloud computing technologies? What are the costs and benefits associated with using them for data engineering?

6. How much experience do you have with NoSQL? Give me an example of a situation where you decided to create a NoSQL database instead of a relational database. Why did you do so?

Jonathan King

Which Python Libraries Would You Utilize For Proficient Data Processing

This question lets the hiring manager evaluate whether the candidate knows the basics of Python as it is the most popular language used by data engineers.

Your answer should include NumPy as it is utilized for efficient processing of arrays of numbers and pandas, which is great for statistics and data preparation for machine learning work. The interviewer can ask you questions like why would you use these libraries and list some examples where you would not use them.

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Data Architecture And Big Data Frameworks

Most companies will expect their candidates to be competent with specific big data frameworks like Hadoop, Kafka, Spark, or Hive. The best way to prepare is to become comfortable with as many of these frameworks as possible. You can also find a lot of educational value in the official documentation for each framework.

To help prepare, check out the Springboard Data Analysis With Python, SQL, and R learning path.

What Kind Of Projects Are Included As Part Of The Training

Intellipaat is offering you the most updated, relevant, and high-value real-world projects as part of the training program. This way, you can implement the learning that you have acquired in real-world industry setup. All training comes with multiple projects that thoroughly test your skills, learning, and practical knowledge, making you completely industry-ready.

You will work on highly exciting projects in the domains of high technology, ecommerce, marketing, sales, networking, banking, insurance, etc. After completing the projects successfully, your skills will be equal to 6 months of rigorous industry experience.

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In Brief What Is The Difference Between A Data Warehouse And A Database

When working with Data Warehousing, the primary focus goes on using aggregation functions, performing calculations, and selecting subsets in data for processing. With databases, the main use is related to data manipulation, deletion operations, and more. Speed and efficiency play a big role when working with either of these.

What Is Hadoop Explain Briefly

Hadoop is an open-source framework, which is used for data manipulation and data storage, as well as for running applications on units called clusters. Hadoop has been the gold standard of the day when it comes to working with and handling Big Data.

The main advantage is the easy provision of the huge amounts of space needed for data storage and a vast amount of processing power to handle limitless jobs and tasks concurrently.

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Got A Callback From Your Dream Company But Not Sure What To Expect And How To Prepare For The Next Steps We Are Here To Help

At Insight, we have successfully prepared hundreds of our Fellows to transition to Data Engineer and Machine Learning Engineer positions at their dream companies. In an interview for any Engineering role, the interviewer wants to understand if you have good analytical skills, problem-solving ability, communication, work culture and ability to build technical solutions. Specific to Data Engineering, they also want to understand if you have the skills to handle large data and build scalable and robust systems. In this article, we will cover how to best prepare and perform at each type of Data Engineering interview, ranging from algorithms, system design, SQL questions, to the essential behavioral component.

Interview Prep The Tl dr Version

If you have only a few days to prepare for your interview, make sure to understand the topics shown below.

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