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Write conditional aggregates with CASE WHEN

PayPalData Scientist · Onsite
MediumData ScientistOnsiteData Manipulation (SQL/Python)

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Write conditional aggregates with CASE WHEN evaluates SQL or pandas logic, joins, grouping, window functions, null handling, edge cases, and validation in a realistic interview setting. A strong answer states assumptions, handles edge cases, explains trade-offs, and shows how to validate the result clearly.

Write a query that produces conditional aggregates using CASE WHEN (e.g., counts of approved vs declined transactions per merchant and the sum of amounts flagged for review). Explain why CASE WHEN is the portable approach across SQL dialects compared with dialect-specific boolean-to-integer coercion (e.g., SUM(column = 'x')). Discuss readability and maintainability trade-offs.