Calculate Longest Transaction Streak for Each User

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PracHub provides an interactive SQL console where you can write and test queries against real database schemas. Get instant feedback and compare your solution with the expected output.

Q: What difficulty level is this coding question?

This is a Medium difficulty Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) question, commonly asked during Technical Screen rounds at Capital One.

Q: What role is this question designed for?

This question is commonly asked for Data Scientist candidates at Capital One during technical interviews.

Question

transactions

+---------------+---------+--------+----------------+-----------+----------+
| transaction_id| user_id | amount | transaction_date| merchant  | status   |
+---------------+---------+--------+----------------+-----------+----------+
| 1001          |  11     | 23.50  | 2023-05-01     | Amazon    | success  |
| 1002          |  11     |  9.99  | 2023-05-02     | Spotify   | success  |
| 1003          |  11     | 42.10  | 2023-05-04     | Walmart   | success  |
| 2001          |  20     | 19.99  | 2023-05-02     | Netflix   | failed   |
| 2002          |  20     | 15.75  | 2023-05-03     | Target    | success  |
+---------------+---------+--------+----------------+-----------+----------+

##### Scenario

OA round: SQL challenge on customer transactions data; task is to derive meaningful user-level insights.

##### Question

For each user, calculate the longest streak (in days) of consecutive successful transactions and output user_id with longest_streak ordered desc; ignore failed or reversed transactions.

##### Hints

Gap-and-islands or window functions (LAG, DATE_DIFF) can identify consecutive-day groups.

PracHub · Accepted Answer

This question evaluates proficiency in data manipulation and time-series sequence analysis, specifically measuring the longest run of consecutive successful transactions per user from transactional logs.

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Quick Overview