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Updated weekly · Last refresh Sep 22

Alibaba Group Data Engineer Interview Questions

The questions to prepare for a Alibaba Group Data Engineer interview. Questions from real interview reports rank first. Updated daily.

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1
SQL & Data ManipulationStart here. 4 questions + 1 drill · ~47 min
7-Day Rolling Active UsersMedium
Practice

Compute daily active users and a 7-day rolling average using a CTE, distinct counts, and window functions.

Window FunctionsDate FunctionsRunning TotalsAlibaba Group
Window Ranking in Ticket QueuesMedium

Explain SQL window functions and when to use ROW_NUMBER() versus DENSE_RANK() for ranked ticket analysis.

Window FunctionsRankingrow_numberAlibaba Group
Top Purchasing Categories QueryMedium
Practice
Practice drill

Write a SQL query to find the top three purchasing categories for users who registered in the last thirty days at Alibaba Group. Use completed purchases w...

Date FunctionsJoinssqlAlibaba Group
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2
Coding6 questions · ~55 min
Sorting Algorithm Complexity ComparisonEasy

Explain and compare the time and space complexities of common sorting algorithms and when each is appropriate.

MathArraysSortingAlibaba Group
Efficient Top-10 From BillionsHard

Tests your approach to scalable frequency counting and top-k extraction under large data constraints.

Data StructuresAlgorithmsAlibaba Group
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3
Pipelines15 questions · ~137 min
Choosing Row vs Column FormatsMedium

How to choose between row-oriented and column-oriented formats across different stages of a data pipeline.

performanceCloudData ModelingAlibaba Group
Consistency Across Data SourcesMedium

Approach for keeping records aligned and trustworthy when multiple source systems feed the same pipeline.

InfrastructureQualityAlibaba Group
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4
Behavioral & Leadership12 questions · ~110 min
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5
More topics2 questions · ~18 min
Architecture of a Complex PipelineMedium

Tests your end-to-end pipeline design thinking, tradeoffs, and operational considerations.

recent projectstechnical experiencearchitectureAlibaba Group
B-Tree vs B+ Tree IndexingMedium

Tests your understanding of index data structures and why they matter for database performance.

indexestechnical depthAlibaba Group
The finish line: interview-readyComplete all 39 questions plus 1 hands-on drill to finish this plan.