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This question evaluates a candidate's ability to parse and aggregate access logs, handle date/time normalization and deduplication across calendar days, and design memory-efficient, scalable solutions using SQL or Python.

  • Medium
  • Amazon
  • Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)
  • Software Engineer

Find returning users from access logs

Company: Amazon

Role: Software Engineer

Category: Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)

Difficulty: Medium

Interview Round: Onsite

Given a large user access log, parse it and identify which user_ids are returning customers—i.e., they have at least one visit on two or more distinct calendar days. Assume log lines contain an ISO 8601 timestamp, user_id, and URL; if the format is different, state your assumptions. Implement a solution in Python or SQL. Address: time‑zone normalization, deduping multiple hits on the same day, memory for large files (streaming vs batch), and complexity. Provide unit tests and example input/output.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates a candidate's ability to parse and aggregate access logs, handle date/time normalization and deduplication across calendar days, and design memory-efficient, scalable solutions using SQL or Python.

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

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