70+ Avalara Technologies Interview Questions and Answers

Inner join of two tables with 5 and 3 entries can result in a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 3 entries.

• Inner join returns only the matching rows from both tables.

• The maximum number of entries in the result will be equal to the number of matching rows.

• If there are no matching rows, the result will have 0 entries.

• In this case, the maximum number of entries will be 3, as there can be at most 3 matching rows.

PhonePe's 9 billion dollar valuation is due to its innovative digital payment solutions and strategic partnerships.

• PhonePe's user-friendly interface and seamless integration with popular e-commerce platforms like Flipkart and Ola have contributed to its success.

• The company's focus on expanding its merchant network and offering cashback incentives to users has also helped it gain a competitive edge.

• PhonePe's ability to adapt to changing market trends and introduce new features...read more

Developed a mobile app for a food delivery service.

• The app had a client-side and a server-side component.

• The client-side was developed using React Native and Redux.

• The server-side was developed using Node.js and MongoDB.

• The app used Google Maps API for location tracking and delivery tracking.

• The app had a payment gateway integration with Stripe.

• The app had a rating and review system for restaurants and delivery drivers.

As a Product Manager for a logistics company, I would collect payments and address user problems.

• Identify common payment issues and streamline payment process

• Gather feedback from users to understand their problems and pain points

• Develop solutions to improve user experience and increase customer satisfaction

• Implement tracking and reporting tools to monitor payment and user issues

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of payment solutions

A digital campaign for an e-commerce brand should be structured with clear goals, target audience, channels, and metrics.

• Define campaign goals and KPIs

• Identify target audience and create buyer personas

• Choose relevant channels (e.g. social media, email, search)

• Develop creative assets and messaging

• Set up tracking and measurement tools

• Optimize campaign based on data and insights

Two lines are enough to cut a cake into 3 pieces.

• You need to make two cuts in the cake to get three pieces.

• The first cut should be made horizontally across the middle of the cake.

• The second cut should be made vertically through the center of the cake.

• This will give you three equal pieces of cake.

Razorpay audience is different from d2c brands due to their payment processing focus.

• Razorpay's audience is primarily interested in payment processing solutions, while d2c brands focus on selling their products directly to consumers.

• Razorpay's audience may include businesses of all sizes, while d2c brands typically target individual consumers.

• Razorpay's audience may be more interested in B2B solutions, while d2c brands focus on B2C solutions.

• Examples of d2c brands include War...read more

The system or process of a software company involves various stages from planning to deployment.

• The process starts with requirement gathering and analysis.

• Then comes the design and development phase.

• Testing and quality assurance is an important part of the process.

• Deployment and maintenance are the final stages.

• Agile and DevOps methodologies are commonly used.

• Tools like JIRA, Git, Jenkins, etc. are used for project management and automation.

Design a Pay Later feature for an e-commerce website

• Allow customers to defer payment for a set period of time

• Offer different payment options such as monthly installments or a lump sum payment

• Implement credit checks to ensure customers are eligible for Pay Later feature

• Track metrics such as conversion rates, average order value, and default rates

• Trade-offs include potential increase in default rates and potential impact on cash flow

I do not try every new framework that comes in the market, but I do stay updated on the latest trends and evaluate them based on project requirements.

• I prioritize learning frameworks that align with the project needs

• I assess the pros and cons of new frameworks before deciding to use them

• I stay updated on industry trends and experiment with new frameworks in personal projects

Selling to large enterprises in India can be lucrative but requires patience and understanding of the market dynamics.

• Understanding the hierarchical structure and decision-making process in large Indian enterprises is crucial.

• Building strong relationships with key stakeholders is essential for successful sales.

• Adapting to the diverse cultural and regional differences within India is important for effective communication and negotiation.

• Offering customized solutions and demons...read more

Tuple and list are two data structures in Python with different properties.

• Tuple is immutable while list is mutable

• Tuple uses () while list uses []

• Tuple is faster than list for accessing elements

Stay updated by regularly reading tech blogs, attending conferences, taking online courses, and networking with other professionals.

• Read tech blogs regularly (e.g. TechCrunch, Mashable)

• Attend tech conferences and workshops

• Take online courses and tutorials (e.g. Udemy, Coursera)

• Network with other professionals in the field (e.g. LinkedIn, Meetup)

Inner join returns only the matching records from both tables, while outer join returns all records from both tables.

• Inner join combines rows from two tables based on a related column.

• Outer join combines rows from two tables and includes unmatched rows from one or both tables.

• Inner join is used to retrieve data that exists in both tables.

• Outer join is used to retrieve data that may or may not exist in both tables.

• Examples: Inner join - SELECT * FROM table1 INNER JOIN table2 O...read more

Key concepts in joining tables using PySpark

• Understanding the different types of joins: inner join, outer join, left join, right join

• Specifying the join condition using 'on' or 'using' clauses

• Handling duplicate column names after joining by aliasing or dropping columns

• Utilizing broadcast joins for small tables to improve performance

Experiments that failed and succeeded in performance marketing

• Failed: A/B testing on ad copy variations resulted in no significant difference in click-through rates

• Succeeded: Implementing a retargeting campaign resulted in a 20% increase in conversion rates

• Failed: Testing a new landing page design resulted in a decrease in conversion rates

• Succeeded: Implementing a referral program resulted in a 30% increase in customer acquisition

• Failed: Running ads on a new platform resulted...read more

The first step to begin a software is to identify the problem and gather requirements.

• Identify the problem that needs to be solved

• Gather requirements from stakeholders

• Analyze and prioritize requirements

• Design a solution architecture

• Choose appropriate technologies and tools

• Develop and test the software

• Deploy and maintain the software

AI stands for artificial intelligence, which is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines.

• AI involves machines performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation.

• AI systems can learn from data, adapt to new inputs, and perform tasks autonomously.

• Examples of AI include virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa, self-driving cars, and recommendation systems like those...read more

A media plan for an education brand with a budget of 10l.

• Identify target audience and their preferred media channels

• Allocate budget based on ROI potential of each channel

• Utilize a mix of digital and traditional media for maximum reach and impact

• Track and analyze performance regularly to optimize the plan

• Examples: Google Ads, Facebook Ads, YouTube Ads, TV commercials, billboards, print ads

Increasing customer retention rate by 20% within 6 months

• Implemented personalized follow-up strategies for existing customers

• Analyzed customer feedback to identify pain points and address them effectively

• Introduced loyalty programs to incentivize repeat purchases

Optimizing code involves identifying and fixing bottlenecks to improve performance and efficiency.

• Identify and remove unnecessary code or functions

• Use efficient algorithms and data structures

• Minimize network requests and optimize asset loading

• Implement caching mechanisms

• Profile and analyze code performance

To calculate retained, revived, and new customers per month basis, joins in SQL and dense rank are used.

• To calculate retained, revived, and new customers per month basis, you would typically use SQL queries to join different tables containing customer data.

• Joins in SQL are used to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column between them.

• Dense rank is a function in SQL that assigns a rank to each row within a partition of a result set, with no gaps in the ra...read more

Write integration testcases for A-->B-->C microservices

• Test the communication between A and B microservices

• Test the data flow from B to C microservices

• Verify the response of C microservice based on input from A

• Check for error handling and edge cases in the integration flow

The payments industry involves the processing and transfer of funds between individuals, businesses, and financial institutions.

• It includes various payment methods such as credit/debit cards, mobile payments, e-wallets, and bank transfers.

• The industry is regulated by government bodies and financial institutions to ensure security and compliance.

• The payments industry is constantly evolving with the introduction of new technologies and innovations.

• Examples of major players in t...read more

To handle work pressure in difficult scenarios, it is important to prioritize tasks, communicate effectively, take breaks, and seek support when needed.

• Prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance

• Communicate with team members and supervisors about challenges and seek help if needed

• Take short breaks to recharge and refocus

• Seek support from colleagues, mentors, or mental health professionals if feeling overwhelmed

To design a hypothetical model, start by defining the problem, conducting market research, creating user personas, brainstorming ideas, prototyping, testing, and iterating.

• Define the problem statement and goals of the product

• Conduct market research to understand the target audience and competition

• Create user personas to empathize with the users' needs and behaviors

• Brainstorm ideas and features that address the problem statement

• Prototype the design to visualize the product and...read more

Conditional formatting in Excel allows users to format cells based on specified conditions.

• Select the range of cells you want to apply conditional formatting to

• Go to the 'Home' tab and click on 'Conditional Formatting'

• Choose the desired formatting option, such as color scales, data bars, or icon sets

• Set the conditions for when the formatting should be applied, such as greater than, less than, or equal to a certain value

• Preview the formatting before applying it to the selected...read more

I use a combination of CRM software, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and cold calling to prospect potential clients.

• Utilize CRM software to track leads and manage customer relationships

• Leverage LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify and connect with decision makers

• Engage in cold calling to directly reach out to prospects

• Attend networking events and industry conferences to expand professional network

Create and delete a node in a linked list and print the updated list.

• Create a Node class with data and next pointer attributes

• Create a LinkedList class with head attribute and methods to add, delete and print nodes

• To delete a node, traverse the list and update the next pointer of the previous node to skip the node to be deleted

• Print the list by traversing and printing the data of each node

The new scenario in global payments could involve increased adoption of digital wallets, blockchain technology, and real-time payments.

• Increased adoption of digital wallets for convenient and secure transactions

• Integration of blockchain technology for transparent and efficient cross-border payments

• Shift towards real-time payments to improve speed and efficiency of transactions

Razorpay is a payment gateway company based in India.

• Founded in 2014 by Shashank Kumar and Harshil Mathur.

• Provides payment solutions for businesses of all sizes.

• Offers features like recurring payments, international payments, and more.

• Has over 800,000 businesses using their platform.

• Has partnerships with major banks and financial institutions.

• Received funding from investors like Sequoia Capital and Mastercard.

• Won several awards for their innovative payment solutions.

SQL queries work by parsing and executing commands to retrieve data from databases.

• SQL query is written in a specific syntax to communicate with databases.

• The query is parsed by the database management system to understand the command.

• The database engine then executes the query to retrieve the requested data.

• Queries can involve selecting, updating, inserting, or deleting data from tables.

• Example: SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE condition;

To convince a customer to buy the product, highlight the benefits, address their needs, provide social proof, and offer a special promotion.

• Highlight the key benefits of the product that meet the customer's needs

• Address any concerns or objections the customer may have

• Provide social proof such as testimonials or case studies to build credibility

• Offer a special promotion or discount to incentivize the purchase

I would improve a product by conducting user research, analyzing feedback, and iterating on features.

• Conduct user research to understand pain points and needs

• Analyze feedback from customers to identify areas for improvement

• Iterate on features based on research and feedback

• Implement A/B testing to validate changes before full rollout

The order of execution in SQL is: FROM, WHERE, GROUP BY, HAVING, SELECT, ORDER BY.

• 1. FROM: Specifies the tables involved in the query.

• 2. WHERE: Filters the rows based on specified conditions.

• 3. GROUP BY: Groups the rows that have the same values into summary rows.

• 4. HAVING: Filters groups based on specified conditions.

• 5. SELECT: Selects the columns to be included in the result set.

• 6. ORDER BY: Sorts the result set based on specified columns.

The Total Addressable Market (TAM) can be found by analyzing market size, industry trends, and customer segments.

• Analyze market size by researching industry reports and data

• Identify customer segments and their needs

• Consider market trends and growth potential

• Use tools like market research surveys and data analysis

• Consult with industry experts and colleagues for insights

HDFS stands for Hadoop Distributed File System, a distributed file system designed to store and manage large amounts of data across multiple machines.

• HDFS is part of the Apache Hadoop project

• It is designed to be highly fault-tolerant and scalable

• Data is stored in blocks across multiple nodes in a cluster

• HDFS is commonly used for big data processing and analytics

Software development is a continuous learning process.

• Software development is constantly evolving and requires continuous learning to keep up with new technologies and best practices.

• Developers must stay up-to-date with programming languages, frameworks, and tools.

• Learning about software also involves understanding the importance of testing, documentation, and collaboration.

• Examples of new technologies include cloud computing, machine learning, and blockchain.

• Examples of best...read more

Revenue leakage can be plugged by implementing strong controls, conducting regular audits, and utilizing technology.

• Implement strong controls and processes to prevent revenue leakage

• Conduct regular audits to identify and address any potential leakage points

• Utilize technology such as revenue management software to track and monitor revenue streams

• Train employees on revenue protection measures to minimize leakage

• Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to quickly identify any ...read more

Designing an in-memory database involves optimizing data storage and retrieval for fast performance.

• Use data structures like hash tables or B-trees for efficient indexing and searching

• Implement caching mechanisms to reduce disk I/O and improve read/write speeds

• Consider data durability and consistency mechanisms to prevent data loss in case of system failures

Upselling/cross selling involves offering customers additional products or services to increase sales.

• Understand customer needs and preferences

• Recommend complementary products or services

• Highlight the benefits of the additional offerings

• Provide personalized recommendations based on customer purchase history

• Offer bundle deals or discounts for purchasing multiple items

• Train sales staff on effective upselling/cross selling techniques

The best time to buy or sell stock depends on various factors such as market conditions, company performance, and personal financial goals.

• Consider buying stocks when the market is down and selling when it is up to maximize profits.

• Research the company's financial health, growth potential, and industry trends before making a decision.

• Set clear investment goals and risk tolerance to determine the best time to buy or sell stocks.

• Diversify your portfolio to reduce risk and prote...read more

Design an ad-click aggregation service for tracking and analyzing ad clicks.

• Use a distributed system to handle high volume of ad click data

• Implement real-time processing for immediate insights on ad performance

• Utilize a database to store aggregated ad click data for reporting and analysis

Reverse the first K characters of a given string.

• Take the first K characters of the string.

• Reverse the selected substring.

• Concatenate the reversed substring with the rest of the original string.

The payment industry encompasses various methods and technologies used for financial transactions.

• Includes credit cards, debit cards, mobile payments, online payments, and cryptocurrencies

• Involves payment processors, payment gateways, and merchant accounts

• Regulated by financial institutions and government bodies

• Constantly evolving with advancements in technology and consumer preferences

Prioritising work involves assessing deadlines, importance, and impact on overall goals.

• Identify urgent tasks with tight deadlines

• Consider the importance and impact of each task on overall goals

• Delegate tasks that can be handled by others

• Use tools like to-do lists or project management software to stay organized

• Regularly reassess priorities as new tasks arise

Rank assigns unique ranks to each distinct value, while dense rank assigns consecutive ranks to each distinct value.

• Rank leaves gaps between ranks if there are ties, while dense rank does not

• Rank(1, 2, 2, 3) would result in 1, 2, 4, 3

• Dense Rank(1, 2, 2, 3) would result in 1, 2, 2, 3

Implement Stack class in Java.

• Create a class with an array to store elements

• Implement push() method to add elements to the stack

• Implement pop() method to remove and return top element

• Implement peek() method to return top element without removing

• Implement isEmpty() method to check if stack is empty

Types of KYC include customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence, and ongoing monitoring.

• Customer Due Diligence (CDD) - verifying the identity of the customer and assessing their risk level

• Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) - conducting additional checks on high-risk customers

• Ongoing Monitoring - continuously monitoring customer transactions and behavior for suspicious activity

OPGSP and LRS are two routes of payments used in business transactions.

• OPGSP stands for Online Payment Gateway Service Provider, which allows businesses to accept online payments from customers.

• LRS route refers to the Liberalized Remittance Scheme, which allows individuals to remit money abroad for various purposes such as education, medical treatment, etc.

• OPGSP is commonly used by e-commerce websites for processing online transactions.

• LRS route is used by individuals to send...read more

Factorial calculation using tabulation in dynamic programming

• Create an array to store factorial values up to n

• Initialize the array with base cases (0! = 1, 1! = 1)

• Iterate from 2 to n and calculate factorial using previous values in the array

• Return the factorial value at index n

Water level problem - how to measure water level in a tank?

• Use a water level sensor

• Install a float switch

• Use a pressure sensor

• Measure the weight of the water in the tank

• Use ultrasonic sensors to measure the distance between the water surface and the top of the tank

Merge overlapping intervals to create a new set of non-overlapping intervals.

• Sort the intervals based on the start time.

• Iterate through the intervals and merge overlapping intervals.

• Return the merged intervals as the final result.

Analog clock can be built using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to display current time.

• Create a circular clock face using HTML and CSS

• Use JavaScript to get current time and update clock hands accordingly

• Rotate clock hands based on current time

Introducing our revolutionary smart home security system that provides 24/7 monitoring and instant alerts.

• Highlight the key features of the product such as 24/7 monitoring, instant alerts, and easy installation

• Explain how the product can enhance safety and peace of mind for homeowners

• Mention any special promotions or discounts available for a limited time

Finding the median value from an array of strings.

• Sort the array in ascending order

• If the array length is odd, return the middle element

• If the array length is even, return the average of the middle two elements

Design a system to rate and review products or services.

• Allow users to rate products on a scale of 1-5 stars.

• Include written reviews for users to provide more detailed feedback.

• Implement a system to filter and display reviews based on relevance or helpfulness.

• Consider incorporating user profiles and past review history to personalize recommendations.

Validate if a given string of parentheses is valid or not

• Use a stack to keep track of opening parentheses

• Pop from stack when encountering a closing parenthesis

• Return false if stack is not empty at the end

Design a high-performance in-memory cache system for storing and retrieving data efficiently.

• Use a hash table or a key-value store to store data in memory

• Implement caching strategies like LRU (Least Recently Used) or LFU (Least Frequently Used) to manage cache eviction

• Consider using a distributed cache for scalability and fault tolerance

• Optimize cache size and expiration policies based on the application's data access patterns

High Level Design (HLD) round with system design involves designing the overall architecture of a system.

• Understand the requirements and constraints of the system

• Identify the key components and their interactions

• Design the data flow and communication between components

• Consider scalability, reliability, and performance

• Create diagrams to visualize the architecture, such as UML diagrams or flowcharts

In-memory SQL databases store data in memory for faster access and processing.

• In-memory databases keep all data in RAM for quicker retrieval compared to disk-based databases.

• Examples include SQLite in-memory database and Redis.

• They are commonly used for caching, real-time analytics, and temporary data storage.

Valuation methods are used to determine the worth of a company or asset.

• Common valuation methods include discounted cash flow (DCF), comparable company analysis (CCA), and precedent transactions analysis.

• DCF involves estimating the future cash flows of a company and discounting them back to present value.

• CCA compares the target company to similar publicly traded companies to determine its value.

• Precedent transactions analysis looks at the prices paid for similar companies in ...read more

Types of join in SQL include inner join, outer join (left, right, full), cross join, and self join.

• Inner join: returns rows when there is a match in both tables

• Outer join: returns all rows from one table and matching rows from the other table

• Cross join: returns the Cartesian product of the two tables

• Self join: joins a table with itself

Design a scheduler for managing tasks and resources efficiently.

• Define the tasks to be scheduled and their priority levels

• Implement a scheduling algorithm like Round Robin, First Come First Serve, or Priority Scheduling

• Allocate resources based on task requirements and availability

• Handle task dependencies and deadlines to ensure timely execution