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Design an ads data model

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates a candidate's ability to design scalable data models and system architecture for an ads platform, including entity relationships, OLTP versus OLAP boundaries, event logging and deduplication, indexing and partitioning considerations, and analytics-ready schemas.

  • medium
  • Netflix
  • System Design
  • Software Engineer

Design an ads data model

Company: Netflix

Role: Software Engineer

Category: System Design

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Onsite

## System Design / Data Modeling: Ads Data Model Design the **data model** (logical schema) for an ads platform that supports: - Advertisers creating **campaigns** with **line items** and **creatives** - Targeting (geo, device, content/genre, audience segments) - Budgeting and pacing - Serving and logging events: **impression**, **click**, and optionally **conversion** - Reporting and analytics: spend, delivery, frequency, reach, and performance breakdowns ### What to produce - Key entities and relationships (ER-style description). - Which parts belong to: - an OLTP store (serving/control plane) - an event log / OLAP store (analytics) - Primary keys, important indexes, and partitioning/sharding considerations. - How you would model: - creative rotation and experiments - deduplication/idempotency for events - slowly changing dimensions (e.g., targeting changes) Assume large scale (global traffic) and that reporting must be available with low delay (minutes).

Quick Answer: This question evaluates a candidate's ability to design scalable data models and system architecture for an ads platform, including entity relationships, OLTP versus OLAP boundaries, event logging and deduplication, indexing and partitioning considerations, and analytics-ready schemas.

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Netflix
Sep 30, 2025, 12:00 AM
Software Engineer
Onsite
System Design
27
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System Design / Data Modeling: Ads Data Model

Design the data model (logical schema) for an ads platform that supports:

  • Advertisers creating campaigns with line items and creatives
  • Targeting (geo, device, content/genre, audience segments)
  • Budgeting and pacing
  • Serving and logging events: impression , click , and optionally conversion
  • Reporting and analytics: spend, delivery, frequency, reach, and performance breakdowns

What to produce

  • Key entities and relationships (ER-style description).
  • Which parts belong to:
    • an OLTP store (serving/control plane)
    • an event log / OLAP store (analytics)
  • Primary keys, important indexes, and partitioning/sharding considerations.
  • How you would model:
    • creative rotation and experiments
    • deduplication/idempotency for events
    • slowly changing dimensions (e.g., targeting changes)

Assume large scale (global traffic) and that reporting must be available with low delay (minutes).

Solution

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