Interview Guides
Data analysts often work with normalized operational databases but consume denormalized reporting models in dashboards and marts. Interviewers ask this to check whether you understand both data integrity and query performance trade-offs.
Explain the concept of database normalization and describe a scenario where denormalization would be preferred for reporting. You should cover what normalization tries to prevent, the common trade-offs involved, and how a denormalized structure can make analytical queries easier or faster.
Answer at a practical level suitable for analytics engineering or SQL-heavy reporting work. A strong response should mention normal forms at a high level, data redundancy, update anomalies, and a realistic reporting example such as a star schema or pre-joined reporting table used in Infosys Cobalt data platforms or enterprise dashboards.
