Interview Data Engineer

Interview Guide
DATA
ENGINEER
Interview Guide
1 | www.simplilearn.com
Lead the
Data Revolution
Whether you’re new to the data satisfactory answers to them can be
and looking to break into a Data the edge that you need in an interview.
Engineering role, or you’re an The following are some of the top
experienced Data Engineer looking data engineer interview questions you
for a new opportunity, preparing can likely expect at your interview,
for an upcoming interview can be along with possible reasons why these
overwhelming. Given how competitive questions are asked, plus the answers
this market is right now, anticipating that interviewers are typically looking
the questions that can be asked, and for.
Interview Guide
Q: What is Data Engineering?
A: This may seem like a pretty basic question, but regardless of your skill level,
this may come up during your interview. Your interviewer wants to see what
your specific definition of data engineering is, which also makes it clear that
you know what the work entails. So, what is it? In a nutshell, it is the act of
transforming, cleansing, profiling, and aggregating large data sets. You can
also take it a step further and discuss the daily duties of a data engineer, such
as ad-hoc data query building and extracting, owning an organization’s data
stewardship, and so on.
Q. Why did you choose a career in Data Engineering?
A: An interviewer might ask this question to learn more about your motivation and
interest behind choosing data engineering as a career. They want to employ
individuals who are passionate about the field. You can start by sharing your
story and insights you have gained to highlight what excites you most about
being a data engineer.
Q. How Does a Data Warehouse D

iffer from an Operational Database?
A: This question may be more geared toward those on the intermediate level,
but in some positions, it may also be considered an entry-level question.
You’ll want to answer by stating that databases using Delete SQL statements,
Insert, and Update is standard operational databases that focus on speed and
efficiency. As a result, analyzing data can be a little more complicated. With
a data warehouse, on the other hand, aggregations, calculations, and select
statements are the primary focus. These make data warehouses an ideal choice
for data analysis.
Q. What Do *args and **kwargs Mean?
A: If you’re interviewing for a more advanced role, you should be prepared to

answer complex coding questions. This specific coding question is commonly
asked in data engineering interviews, and you’ll want to answer by telling your
interviewer that *args defines an ordered function and that **kwargs represent
unordered arguments used in a function. To impress your interviewer, you
may want to write down this code in a visual example to demonstrate your
expertise.
Q. As a Data Engineer, How Have You Handled a Job-Related Crisis?
A: Data engineers have a lot of responsibilities, and it’s a genuine possibility that
you’ll face challenges while on the job, or even emergencies. Just be honest
and let them know what you did to solve the problem. If you have yet to
encounter an urgent issue while on the job or this is your first data engineering
role, tell your interviewer what you would do in a hypothetical situation. For
example, you can say that if data were to get lost or corrupted, you would work
with IT to make sure data backups were ready to be loaded, and that other
Interview Guide
team members have access to what they need.
Q. Do You Have Any Experience with Data Modeling?
A: Unless you are interviewing for an entry-level role, you will likely be asked this
question at some point during your interview. Start with a simple yes or no.
Even if you don’t have experience with data modeling, you’ll want to be at least
able to define it: the act of transforming and processing fetched data and then
sending it to the right individual(s). If you are experienced, you can go into
detail about what you’ve done specifically. Perhaps you used tools like Talend,
Pentaho, or Informatica. If so, say it. If not, simply being aware of the relevant
industry tools and what they do would be helpful.
Q. Why are you interested in this job, and why should we hire you?
A: It is a fundamental question, but your answer can set you apart from the rest.
To demonstrate your interest in the job, identify a few exciting features of the
job, which makes it an excellent fit for you and then mention why you love the
company.
For the second part of the question, link your skills, education, personality,
and professional experience to the job and company culture. You can back
your answers with examples from previous experience. As you justify
your compatibility with the job and company, be sure to depict yourself as
energetic, confident, motivated, and culturally fit for the company.
Q. What are the essential skills required to be a data engineer?
A: Every company can have its own definition of a data engineer, and they match
your skills and qualifications with the company's assessment.
Here is a list of must-have skills and requirements if you are aiming to be a
successful data engineer:
Comprehensive knowledge about Data Modelling.
Understanding about database design & database architecture. In-Depth
Database Knowledge – SQL and NoSQL.
Working experience of data stores and distributed systems like Hadoop
(HDFS).
Data Visualization Skills.
Experience in Data Warehousing and ETL (Extract Transform Load) Tools.
You should have robust computing and math skills.
Outstanding communication, leadership, critical thinking, and problem-solving
capabilities are an added advantage.
You can mention specific examples in which a data engineer would apply these
skills.
Interview Guide
Q. Can you name the essential frameworks and applications for data
engineers?
A: This question is often asked to evaluate whether you understand the critical
requirements for the position and have the desired technical skills. In your
answer, accurately mention the names of frameworks along with your level of
experience with each.
You can list all of the technical applications like SQL, Hadoop, Python,
and more, along with your proficiency level in each. You can also state the
frameworks which want to learn more about if given the opportunity.
Q. Are you experienced in Python, Java, Bash, or other scripting

languages?
A: This question is asked to emphasize the importance of understanding

scripting languages as a data engineer. It is essential to have a comprehensive
knowledge of scripting languages, as it allows you to perform analytical tasks
efficiently and automate data flow.
Q. Can you differentiate between a Data Engineer and Data Scientist?
A: With this question, the recruiter is trying to assess your understanding of

different job roles within a data warehouse team. The skills and responsibilities
of both positions often overlap, but they are distinct from each other.
Data Engineers develop, test, and maintain the complete architecture for data
generation, whereas data scientists analyze and interpret complex data. They
tend to focus on organization and translation of Big Data. Data scientists
require data engineers to create the infrastructure for them to work.
Q. What, according to you, are the daily responsibilities of a data

engineer?
A: This question assesses your understanding of the role of a data engineer role
and job description.
You can explain some crucial tasks a data engineer like:
Development, testing, and maintenance of architectures.
Aligning the design with business requisites.
Data acquisition and development of data set processes.
Deploying machine learning and statistical models
Developing pipelines for various ETL operations and data transformation
Simplifying data cleansing and improving the de-duplication and building of
data.
Identifying ways to improve data reliability, flexibility, accuracy, and quality.
Interview Guide
Q. What is your approach to developing a new analytical product as a

data engineer?
A: The hiring managers want to know your role as a data engineer in developing
a new product and evaluate your understanding of the product development
cycle. As a data engineer, you control the outcome of the final product as you
are responsible for building algorithms or metrics with the correct data.
Your first step would be to understand the outline of the entire product to
comprehend the complete requirements and scope. Your second step would
be looking into the details and reasons for each metric. Think about as many
issues that could occur, and it helps you to create a more robust system with a
suitable level of granularity.
Q. What was the algorithm you used on a recent project?
A: The interviewer might ask you to select an algorithm you have used in the past
project and can ask some follow-up questions like:
Why did you choose this algorithm, and can you contrast this with other
similar ones?
What is the scalability of this algorithm with more data?
Are you happy with the results? If you were given more time, what could you
improve?
These questions are a reflection of your thought process and technical
knowledge. First, identify the project you might want to discuss. If you have
an actual example within your area of expertise and an algorithm related to
the company's work, then use it to pique the interest of your hiring manager.
Secondly, make a list of all the models you worked with and your analysis. Start
with simple models and do not overcomplicate things. The hiring managers
want you to explain the results and their impact.
Q. What tools did you use in a recent project?
A: Interviewers want to assess your decision-making skills and knowledge about

different tools. Therefore, use this question to explain your rationale for
choosing specific tools over others.
Walk the hiring managers through your thought process, explaining your
reasons for considering the particular tool, its benefits, and the drawbacks of
other technologies.
If you find that the company works on the techniques you have previously
worked on, then weave your experience with the similarities.
Q. What challenges came up during your recent project, and how did you
overcome these challenges?
A: Any employer wants to evaluate how you react during difficulties and what you
do to address and successfully handle the challenges.
Interview Guide
When you talk about the problems you encountered, frame your answer using
the STAR method:
Situation: Brief them about the circumstances due to which problem occurred.
Task: It is essential to elaborate on your role in overcoming the problem. For
example, if you took a leadership role and provided a working solution, then
showcasing it could be decisive if you were interviewing for a leadership
position.
Action: Walk the interviewer through the steps you took to fix the problem.
Result: Always explain the consequences of your actions. Talk about the
learnings and insights gained by you and other stakeholders.
Q. Have you ever transformed unstructured data into structured data?

A: It is an important question as your answer can demonstrate your understating
of both the data types and your practical working experience. You can
answer this question by briefly distinguishing between both categories. The
unstructured data must be transformed into structured data for proper data
analysis, and you can discuss the methods for transformation. You must share a
real-world situation wherein you changed the unstructured data into structured
data. If you are a fresh graduate and don't have professional experience,
discuss information related to your academic projects.
Q. What is Data Modelling? Do you understand different Data Models?
A: Data Modelling is the initial step towards data analysis and database design
phase. Interviewers want to understand your knowledge. You can explain that
is the diagrammatic representation to show the relation between entities. First,
the conceptual model is created, followed by the logical model and, finally, the
physical model. The level of complexity also increases in this pattern.
Q. Can you list and explain the design schemas in Data Modelling?
A: Design schemas are the fundamentals of data engineering, and interviewers

ask this question to test your data engineering knowledge. In your answer, try
to be concise and accurate. Describe the two schemas, which are Star schema
and Snowflake schema.
Explain that Star Schema is divided into a fact table referenced by multiple
dimension tables, which are all linked to a fact table. In contrast, in Snowflake
Schema, the fact table remains the same, and dimension tables are normalized
into many layers looking like a snowflake.
Q. How would you validate a data migration from one database to

another?
A: 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.
Interview Guide
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.
Q. Have you worked with ETL? If yes, please state, which one do you
prefer the most and why?
A: With this question, the recruiter needs to know your understanding and
experience regarding the ETL (Extract Transform Load) tools and process.
You should list all the tools in which you have expertise and pick one as your
favourite. Point out the vital properties which make that tool stand out and
validate your preference to demonstrate your knowledge in the ETL process.
Q. What is Hadoop? How is it related to Big data? Can you describe its
different components?
A: This question is most commonly asked by hiring managers to verify your

knowledge and experience in data engineering. You should tell them that Big
data and Hadoop are related to each other as Hadoop is the most common
tool for processing Big data, and you should be familiar with the framework.
With the escalation of big data, Hadoop has also become popular. It is an
open-source software framework that utilizes various components to process
big data. The developer of Hadoop is the Apache foundation, and its utilities
increase the efficiency of many data applications.
Hadoop comprises of mainly four components:
1. HDFS stands for Hadoop Distributed File System and stores all of the data of
Hadoop. Being a distributed file system, it has a high bandwidth and preserves
the quality of data.
2. MapReduce processes large volumes of data.
3. Hadoop Common is a group of libraries and functions you can utilize in
Hadoop.
4. YARN (Yet Another Resource Negotiator)deals with the allocation and
management of resources in Hadoop.
Q. Do you have any experience in building data systems using the Hadoop
framework?
A: 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
Interview Guide
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.
Q. Can you tell me about NameNode? What happens if NameNode

crashes or comes to an end?
A: It is the centre-piece or central node of the Hadoop Distributed File

System(HDFS), and it does not store actual data. It stores metadata. For
example, the data being stored in DataNodes on which rack and which
DataNode the information is stored. It tracks the different files present in
clusters. Generally, there is one NameNode, so when it crashes, the system may
not be available.
Q. Are you familiar with the concepts of Block and Block Scanner in
HDFS?
A: You'll want to answer by describing that Blocks are the smallest unit of a
data file. Hadoop automatically divides huge data files into blocks for secure
storage. Block Scanner validates the list of blocks presented on a DataNode.
Q. What happens when Block Scanner detects a corrupted data block?
A: 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.
Q. What are the two messages that NameNode gets from DataNode?
A: NameNodes gets information about the data from DataNodes in the form of
messages or signals.
The two signs are:
1. Block report signals which are the list of data blocks stored on DataNode and
its functioning.
2. Heartbeat signals that the DataNode is alive and functional. It is a periodic
report to establish whether to use NameNode or not. If this signal is not sent, it
implies DataNode has stopped working.
Q. Can you elaborate on Reducer in Hadoop MapReduce? Explain the core

methods of Reducer?
Interview Guide
A: Reducer is the second stage of data processing in the Hadoop Framework. The
Reducer processes the data output of the mapper and produces a final output
that is stored in HDFS.
The Reducer has 3 phases:
1. Shuffle: The output from the mappers is shuffled and acts as the input for
Reducer.
2. Sorting is done simultaneously with shuffling, and the output from different
mappers is sorted.
3. Reduce: in this step, Reduces aggregates the key-value pair and gives the
required output, which is stored on HDFS and is not further sorted.
There are three core methods in Reducer:

1. Setup: it configures various parameters like input data size.
2. Reduce: It is the main operation of Reducer. In this method, a task is defined for
the associated key.
3. Cleanup: This method cleans temporary files at the end of the task.
Q. How can you deploy a big data solution?
A: While asking this question, the recruiter is interested in knowing the steps you
would follow to deploy a big data solution. You should answer by emphasizing
on the three significant steps which are:
1. Data Integration/Ingestion: In this step, the extraction of data using data
sources like RDBMS, Salesforce, SAP, MySQL is done.
2. Data storage: The extracted data would be stored in an HDFS or NoSQL
database.
3. Data processing: The last step should be deploying the solution using
processing frameworks like MapReduce, Pig, and Spark.
Q. Which Python libraries would you utilize for proficient data processing?
A: 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.
Q. Can you differentiate between list and tuples?
A: Again, this question assesses your in-depth knowledge of Python. In Python,

List and Tuple are the classes of data structure where Lists are mutable and
can be edited, but Tuples are immutable and cannot be modified. Support your
points with the help of examples.
Interview Guide
Q. How can you deal with duplicate data points in an SQL query?
A: 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.
Q. Did you ever work with big data in a cloud computing environment?
A: Nowadays, most companies are moving their services to the cloud. Therefore,
hiring managers would like to understand your cloud computing capabilities,
knowledge of industry trends, and the future of the company's data.
You must answer it stating that you are prepared for the possibility of working
in a virtual workspace as it offers many advantages like:
Flexibility to scale up the environment as required,
Secure access to data from anywhere
Having backups in case of an emergency
Q. How can data analytics help the business grow and boost revenue?
A: 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.
Interview Guide
GET YOUR DATA CAREER GOING AND

SUCCEED AS A DATA ENGINEER
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From fundamentals to advanced techniques, learn the ins and outs of this
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Interview Guide
INDIA USA
Simplilearn Solutions Pvt Ltd. Simplilearn Americas, Inc.
# 53/1 C, Manoj Arcade, 24th Main, 201 Spear Street, Suite 1100,
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2nd Sector, HSR Layout United States
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Call us at: 1800-212-7688
www.simplilearn.com

Interview Data Engineer

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Interview Data Engineer

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Interview Guide

Q: What is Data Engineering?

Q. Why did you choose a career in Data Engineering?

Q. How Does a Data Warehouse D

Q. What Do *args and **kwargs Mean?

A: If you’re interviewing for a more advanced role, you should be prepared to

Q. As a Data Engineer, How Have You Handled a Job-Related Crisis?

team members have access to what they need.

Q. Do You Have Any Experience with Data Modeling?

Q. What are the essential skills required to be a data engineer?

Q. Are you experienced in Python, Java, Bash, or other scripting

A: This question is asked to emphasize the importance of understanding

Q. Can you differentiate between a Data Engineer and Data Scientist?

A: With this question, the recruiter is trying to assess your understanding of

Q. What, according to you, are the daily responsibilities of a data

Q. What is your approach to developing a new analytical product as a

Q. What was the algorithm you used on a recent project?

Q. What tools did you use in a recent project?

A: Interviewers want to assess your decision-making skills and knowledge about

Q. Have you ever transformed unstructured data into structured data?

Q. What is Data Modelling? Do you understand different Data Models?

A: Design schemas are the fundamentals of data engineering, and interviewers

Q. How would you validate a data migration from one database to

You should be able to speak about appropriate validation types in different

A: This question is most commonly asked by hiring managers to verify your

Q. Can you tell me about NameNode? What happens if NameNode

A: It is the centre-piece or central node of the Hadoop Distributed File

Q. What happens when Block Scanner detects a corrupted data block?

Q. Can you elaborate on Reducer in Hadoop MapReduce? Explain the core

There are three core methods in Reducer:

Q. How can you deploy a big data solution?

Q. Can you differentiate between list and tuples?

A: Again, this question assesses your in-depth knowledge of Python. In Python,

GET YOUR DATA CAREER GOING AND

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