**Architectural Logic**: Normalize for writes; denormalize for analytics. **OLTP**: users (user_id PK, email, created_at); artists (artist_id PK, name); tracks (track_id PK, artist_id FK, title, duration); playlists (playlist_id PK, user_id FK, name); playlist_tracks (playlist_id, track_id, position). **Analytics**: fact_listening (user_id, track_id, played_at, duration_played)—partition by played_at. dim_user, dim_artist, dim_track, dim_date....
The complete answer continues with detailed implementation patterns, architectural trade-offs, and production-grade considerations. It covers performance optimization strategies, common pitfalls to avoid, and real-world examples from companies like media.net. The answer also includes follow-up discussion points that interviewers commonly explore.
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