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Model data for an ads platform

NetflixSoftware Engineer · Onsite
MediumSoftware EngineerOnsiteSystem Design

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This question evaluates proficiency in data modeling and database schema design for advertising systems, including entity-relationship modeling, privacy-aware user identifier handling, and delivery/tracking log representation.

Design a data model (logical schema) for an advertising platform.

Include core entities such as:

  • Business/account (advertiser)
  • Campaign and budget
  • Ad group / line item (if applicable)
  • Creative and assets
  • Targeting (audiences, geo, device, etc.)
  • User (or user identifiers) and privacy constraints
  • Delivery logs: impressions, clicks, conversions

Explain:

  • Key relationships (1:N, N:M) and how you represent them.
  • How the schema supports the major flows:
  1. Intake/creation flow (advertiser creates campaigns/creatives)
  2. Serving flow (ad selection at request time)
  3. Tracking flow (impression/click/conversion logging and attribution)
  • Any indexing/partitioning choices you would make for scale and reporting.