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Unix scripting in data engineering?

Python/Codinghard0.5 min readPremium

**Why Unix in Data Eng:** File staging, cleanup, lightweight transforms before Spark. find, awk, sed, xargs, cron—ubiquitous, no runtime deps. **Use Cases:** find /data -name '*.csv' -mtime +7 | xargs gzip. awk -F',' '{print $1,$3}' for column extraction. sed for bulk replace....

🤖 Analyze Your Answer
Frequency
Low
Asked at 1 company
Category
179
questions in Python/Coding
Difficulty Split
127E|24M|28H
in this category
Total Bank
1,863
across 7 categories
Asked at these companies
Comcast
Key Concepts Tested
pythonspark

Why This Question Matters

This hard-level Python/Coding question appears frequently in data engineering interviews at companies like Comcast. While less common, it tests deeper understanding that distinguishes strong candidates. Mastering the underlying concepts (python, spark) 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
90 words

Why Unix in Data Eng: File staging, cleanup, lightweight transforms before Spark. find, awk, sed, xargs, cron—ubiquitous, no runtime deps.

Use Cases: find /data -name '.csv' -mtime +7 | xargs gzip. awk -F',' '{print $1,$3}' for column extraction. sed for bulk replace. Cron for scheduling: 0 2 /scripts/ingest.sh.

Scalability: Shell for single-node, pre-processing. For distributed: Spark. Best practice: set -e (exit on error), validate paths, log to file. Combine: shell orchestrates, Python/Spark does heavy lifting.

find /data -name '*.csv' -mtime +7 | xargs -I {} gzip {}

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According to DataEngPrep.tech, this is one of the most frequently asked Python/Coding interview questions, reported at 1 company. DataEngPrep.tech maintains a curated database of 1,863+ real data engineering interview questions across 7 categories, verified by industry professionals.

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