General Overview of Amazon Business Analyst Interview
Being a business analyst is a pretty sweet job. You get to solve real-life problems without having to code or other tech stuff. But, you will need a little tech knowledge in the form of SQL skills to join the team of Amazon business analysts changing the world. Find out the different interview questions to expect for the Amazon Business Analyst role in this article.
Knowledge of SQL is an essential part of the Amazon business analyst interview. At Amazon, they believe workers are representatives of the company, and business analysts need SQL to play their part effectively to ensure the growth of the company.
If you are applying for a role as a business analyst at Amazon, you should expect SQL questions in your interview. Interviews at Amazon have a unique structure that is used for almost every role. The difference is in the questions asked.
The Business Analyst interview consists of a phone screen, technical interview, and on-site interview. The on-site interview consists of 3-to-4 back-to-back interviews with typically one dedicated to a technical assessment. Each of these interview phases has different questions.
The phone screen focuses on your application and resume. The technical and on-site interview go in-depth to analyze your skills and suitability for the role. SQL-based questions are an essential part of the technical and on-site interviews.
While SQL is an essential aspect of the whole interview, the Amazon business analyst interview has a unique structure that consists of the following:
Phone Screen
This stage is the initial aspect of the main interview. Only those whose applications have been selected will begin with this process. The focus is on your suitability for the role during the phone screening.
The interviewer will focus on your skills, resume, and past experience. They want to know your motivation for applying for the job and if you are a fit for it. Ensure that your answers follow the STAR format and that you’re ready to provide 2-3 examples of relevant experience as it relates to their Amazon Leadership Principles.
SQL Technical Interview
This aspect of the interview focuses on your SQL skills. Expect questions that will require you to solve complex problems within a short timeframe. The typical functions used range from basic joins to complex window functions. The aim is to see how you bring your technical skills to bear in solving technical issues under a constrained time limit.
On-site Interview
This stage is the final and most rigorous aspect of the interview. You will have 3 to 4 interview sessions, each taking up to 45 minutes. You have to be patient and put in your best during the on-site interview because it will determine if you will get the job or not. The different interview rounds you will have are mainly three, including:
Round 1: 2nd SQL Assessment
This 2nd coding round is to examine a more advanced level of your technical experience. Practice leveraging SQL playgrounds like BigTechInterviews.com to get exposure to Amazon-like SQL questions. It will help you understand the concepts Amazon will be testing you on better. Remember, the interviewer not only cares about your answer but also how you approach and solve the problem. It’s important to list out all the necessary steps and logic as you walk through your solution.
Round 2: Behavioural
Aside from your technical skills, you have to be culturally fit to handle the job. Amazon will test your behavioral skills based on their 16 leadership principles.
Round 3: Bar Raiser
This stage is the last session, the final loop, after which candidates will be selected, and the successful ones will be employed.
How to Prepare for Amazon Business Analyst SQL Interview
Passing the Amazon business analyst SQL interview requires thorough practice. Some platforms have prepared everything you need to ace the Amazon business analyst interview. Here are a few tips to properly prepare for the Amazon business analyst SQL interview:
Best Places to Practice
Locate the best places to practice the interview questions before the actual interview. One of the best platforms to practice is BigTechInterviews.com. We’re dedicated to helping people aspiring for the roles of business analyst, data analyst, data scientist, and more at Amazon.
Example SQL Questions
You need to access Amazon-like SQL questions to help you prepare properly for the interview. An essential aspect of preparing for the interview is practicing with similar questions.
Even if you are not asked the same question word for word, you will be asked similar concepts, and your attempt at answering these practice questions will put you in a better position to answer the actual questions during the live interview.
Some sample SQL interview questions are:
What is a foreign key?
A foreign key is a field or collection of fields on a table that refer to the primary key on another table. This constraint imposes referential integrity which ensures that links are not destroyed between tables. The table with the foreign key is called the child key while the one with the primary key is called the parent table.
What are the 3 most common products per warehouse?
Explain what database normalization is and its importance
Database normalization has to do with the arrangement of databases to enhance the integrity and free flow of data. You explain the advantages of normalization, which include elimination of data no longer needed, simplification of data, ensuring data coherence and cohesion, and proper data storage.
Explain the set operators in SQL
Set operators are used in connecting and getting results from two tables with similar columns and datatypes. Some set operators include minus, intersect, Union all, and Union.
Explain the types of joins in SQL
Explain the two major types of joins: operator and concept joins. While operator joins include equi and non-equi joins, concept joins include self joins, inner and outer joins, etc.
Describe the different types of joins
Here you have to go deeper than you did in the previous question. You have to explain what inner and outer join and different types are.
Explain DDL and some DDL statements
Here, you are expected to define DDL, which stands for data definition language, and give examples of DDL statements, including drop, alter, and create.
You may be asked to differentiate between 2 types of joins
Here, you have to explain the specific types of joins in detail and point out their areas of difference.
For example: Left join vs right join – Left join returns all the rows from the left table whether they match with the right table or not. Right join return all the rows from the right table whether they match or not. The main difference between these two joins is that they include unmatched rows. Left join includes unmatched rows on the left and right join includes unmatched rows on the right.
You can also expect questions from the index and the different types of indexes.
Questions like these are easy to answer. You have to explain what an index is and list the different types, including a normal, unique, composite, function-based, and clustered index.
You will be asked to differentiate between a computer node and a leader node.
You define what a computer node is and what a leader node is. Then you point out their differences.
When preparing using these questions, it is advisable to note down your response and check with the accurate source to know how correct you are. It would help if you kept checking your performance to note your progress. Keep a practice note until after the interview. You can practice before someone and let the person grade your performance.
Conclusion
The SQL interview questions for a business analyst position at Amazon are easy to scale if you have the right preparation guide. SQL questions usually feature in interviews for such positions as a business analyst, data scientist, data engineer, and other related roles at Amazon.
