Dataford
Interview QuestionsInterview GuidesExperiencesMock InterviewsPricing
Get started
Dataford
Popular roles
Software EngineerData AnalystData ScientistData EngineerBusiness AnalystAI EngineerMachine Learning EngineerProduct Manager
Browse
Browse All RolesEvery role hub, from analyst to MLBrowse All CompaniesCompany-specific interview loopsAll Interview GuidesThe full guide library
Top questions by role
Software EngineerData AnalystData ScientistData EngineerBusiness AnalystAI EngineerMachine Learning EngineerProduct Manager
Top questions by skill
SQLPythonStatisticsMachine LearningA/B TestingSystem DesignGenerative AIProduct SenseMetricsBehavioral
Browse all questions →Try a mock interview
Experiences
Practice
Mock InterviewsTimed interview simulations with feedbackSuccess PathYour 6-week structured planModulesCurated lessons by topicWebinarsTalks from ex-Big Tech data leadsPlaygroundA free-form scratch editor
Learn
BlogInterview strategy and career adviceTech Job Market ReportHiring trends across data and AI rolesFor UniversitiesDataford for career centersAbout DatafordWho we are and how we build
Pricing
Build my plan
Find Spending Variance Drivers by Department
00:00
5 left

Find Spending Variance Drivers by Department

HardSQL · PostgreSQL

Problem

You are given monthly spending data for several departments across two fiscal years. Write a PostgreSQL query that identifies the departments responsible for the largest increase in spending in the latest month compared with the prior month, and show each department’s variance contribution alongside the total variance across all departments.

Return only departments with a positive variance contribution, ranked from largest to smallest contribution. Use the latest month present in the data as the comparison point.

Schema

department_spend
ColumnTypeDescription
spend_idPKINTPrimary key for each spend record
department_idINTDepartment identifier
spend_monthDATEFirst day of the spend month
actual_spendDECIMAL(12,2)Actual spend for the month
budget_spendDECIMAL(12,2)Budgeted spend for the month
departments
ColumnTypeDescription
department_idPKINTPrimary key for department metadata
department_nameVARCHAR(100)Department name
division_nameVARCHAR(100)Division name
Tablesdepartment_spenddepartments
Interviewer

Your question is Find Spending Variance Drivers by Department. Start with the requirements and the two tables in the Question tab.

Run and submit as often as you like. When you're ready, talk me through your approach or go straight to the code.

You need to log in / sign up to run or submit.
CodePostgreSQL
Sign up free to run your codeLog inLn 1
Run your query to see results here.