**Why it matters**: At scale, design choices directly impact reliability, latency, and cost. Wrong decisions compound across jobs and teams.
Auto Loader uses a cloud-based file notification service (e.g., S3 event notifications, GCS Pub/Sub) or directory listing to track which files were already processed. It maintains a checkpoint (default: `_checkpoints/`) with file paths and modification times....
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 TCS. The answer also includes follow-up discussion points that interviewers commonly explore.
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