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Home/Questions/SQL/Describe a recent project where you used AWS services extensively. What was your role, and what challenges did you face?

Describe a recent project where you used AWS services extensively. What was your role, and what challenges did you face?

SQLhard0.4 min read

**Situation**: Built a data platform on AWS for real-time analytics serving 100M events/day. **Task**: Lead design and implementation; deliver sub-minute latency for critical dashboards. **Action**: Architected S3 (raw), Glue (ETL, catalog), Athena (ad-hoc), Redshift (curated),...

🤖 Analyze Your Answer
Frequency
Low
Asked at 1 company
Category
487
questions in SQL
Difficulty Split
130E|271M|86H
in this category
Total Bank
1,863
across 7 categories
Asked at these companies
EPAM
Key Concepts Tested
etlpartition

Why This Question Matters

This hard-level SQL question appears frequently in data engineering interviews at companies like EPAM. While less common, it tests deeper understanding that distinguishes strong candidates. Mastering the underlying concepts (etl, partition) will help you answer variations of this question confidently.

How to Approach This

This is a senior-level question that tests architectural thinking. Lead with the high-level design, then drill into specifics. Discuss trade-offs explicitly - there is rarely one correct answer. Show awareness of scale, fault tolerance, and operational complexity.

Expert Answer
88 words

Situation: Built a data platform on AWS for real-time analytics serving 100M events/day. Task: Lead design and implementation; deliver sub-minute latency for critical dashboards. Action: Architected S3 (raw), Glue (ETL, catalog), Athena (ad-hoc), Redshift (curated), Kinesis (streaming). Challenges: (1) Schema evolution in Glue—addressed with schema registry. (2) Kinesis shard scaling—implemented auto-scaling. (3) Athena cost—partitioning and lifecycle policies. (4) Used Terraform for IaC; separate dev/staging/prod. Result: Platform ingested 100M events/day; sub-minute latency; cost alerts and tagging in place. Leadership: Drove architectural decisions; coordinated with security for IAM and encryption.

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