Reviewed by Aditya Kumar · Last reviewed 2026-03-24
Left Anti Join returns rows from the left table that have NO match in the right table. Implementation: SELECT a.* FROM table_a a LEFT JOIN table_b b ON a.id = b.id WHERE b.id IS NULL. Or NOT EXISTS: SELECT * FROM a WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM b WHERE b.id = a.id). Use cases:...
This medium-level SQL question appears frequently in data engineering interviews at companies like Altimetrik. While less common, it tests deeper understanding that distinguishes strong candidates. Mastering the underlying concepts (join) 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.
Left Anti Join returns rows from the left table that have NO match in the right table. Implementation: SELECT a. FROM table_a a LEFT JOIN table_b b ON a.id = b.id WHERE b.id IS NULL. Or NOT EXISTS: SELECT FROM a WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM b WHERE b.id = a.id). Use cases: Find customers who never ordered; records in source but not target (data reconciliation); exclusion logic. Best practice: NOT EXISTS often optimizes better than LEFT JOIN + NULL. Use for large tables; ensure join columns are indexed. Why it matters: Design choices compound at scale—wrong approach can cause 100× overhead. Scalability trade-offs: Profile before optimizing; validate on sample then full. Cost implications: Suboptimal choices multiply at billion-row scale.
Red Flag: Generic textbook answers. Pro-Move: 'At scale we measured X, implemented Y, achieved Z%—validated and iterated.'
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According to DataEngPrep.tech, this is one of the most frequently asked SQL interview questions, reported at 1 company. DataEngPrep.tech maintains an editor-reviewed database of 1,863 data engineering interview questions across 7 categories.