Reviewed by Aditya Kumar · Last reviewed 2026-03-24
**Solution (Window)**: ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY student_id, year ORDER BY score DESC); filter rn=1. Handles ties (picks one). **Alternative**: MAX with GROUP BY + JOIN if only max score needed. RANK/DENSE_RANK for different tie behavior....
This medium-level General/Other question appears frequently in data engineering interviews at companies like Deolite. While less common, it tests deeper understanding that distinguishes strong candidates. Mastering the underlying concepts (join, partition, sql) will help you answer variations of this question confidently.
Break this problem into components. Identify the core trade-offs involved, then walk the interviewer through your reasoning step by step. Demonstrate awareness of edge cases and production considerations - this is what separates good answers from great ones. The expert answer includes a code example that demonstrates the implementation pattern.
Solution (Window): ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY student_id, year ORDER BY score DESC); filter rn=1. Handles ties (picks one).
Alternative: MAX with GROUP BY + JOIN if only max score needed. RANK/DENSE_RANK for different tie behavior.
Code:
WITH ranked AS (
SELECT *, ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY student_id, year ORDER BY score DESC) AS rn
FROM scores)
SELECT * FROM ranked WHERE rn = 1;Pro-Move: Explain ROW_NUMBER vs RANK vs DENSE_RANK—shows SQL depth.
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According to DataEngPrep.tech, this is one of the most frequently asked General/Other interview questions, reported at 1 company. DataEngPrep.tech maintains an editor-reviewed database of 1,863 data engineering interview questions across 7 categories.