SQL for a Given Scenario | Dataford Interview Questions

What would the SQL look like for a scenario presented by the interviewer?

Use the provided companies, payroll_runs, and payroll_items tables. Return company-level totals for completed payroll runs during the first quarter of 2025, including companies with no qualifying activity.

Output

One row per company with company_id, company_name, paid_workers, and total_gross_pay
Include every company, using zero for companies without qualifying payroll items
Sort by total_gross_pay descending, then company_id ascending

Schema

companies

Column	Type	Description
company_idPK	INT	Unique company identifier
company_name	VARCHAR(120)	Company display name

payroll_runs

Column	Type	Description
payroll_run_idPK	INT	Unique payroll run identifier
company_id	INT	Company associated with the payroll run
payroll_date	DATE	Payroll processing date
status	VARCHAR(20)	Payroll run status

payroll_items

Column	Type	Description
payroll_item_idPK	INT	Unique payroll item identifier
payroll_run_id	INT	Payroll run containing the item
employee_id	INT	Employee associated with the item
gross_pay	NUMERIC(12,2)	Gross pay amount for the employee

Your question is SQL for a Given Scenario. Start with the requirements and the three tables in the Question tab.

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Problem