Implement transaction network queries
Company: Square
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: hard
Interview Round: Technical Screen
## Problem
You are building a small in-memory library to track **pairwise customer transactions** and answer connectivity questions about who has transacted with whom.
Model each transaction as an interaction between **exactly two** customers (e.g., `"Jim pays Pam"`). Once two customers transact, they are considered directly connected. Treat the relationship as **undirected** (if A transacts with B, then B has transacted with A).
Design a class (e.g., `Transactions`) that supports the following capabilities.
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## Part 1 — Direct/indirect existence query ("ever transacted together")
Implement an operation to record a transaction between two customers, and a query:
- `haveEverTransactedTogether(x, y) -> bool`
Return `true` if and only if customers `x` and `y` have **ever** been part of the **same connected component** in the transaction graph **at the time of the query** (i.e., based on all transactions recorded so far).
### Example
1. `haveEverTransactedTogether(Jim, Pam) -> false`
2. Record: `Jim` transacts with `Pam`
3. `haveEverTransactedTogether(Jim, Pam) -> true`
4. Record: `Pam` transacts with `Michael`
5. `haveEverTransactedTogether(Michael, Jim) -> true` (because Michael—Pam—Jim forms a connected component)
---
## Part 2 — Full network query
Implement:
- `findNetwork(person) -> list/set`
A person’s **network** is everyone who is reachable from that person via one or more transactions (i.e., all nodes in the same connected component), **excluding the person themself**.
### Example 1 (two disconnected components)
Transactions: `(a,b), (b,c), (a,d), (d,e), (g,f)`
- `findNetwork(a) -> {b,c,d,e}`
- `findNetwork(g) -> {f}`
### Example 2 (loop)
Transactions: `(a,b), (b,d), (d,c), (c,a)`
- `findNetwork(a) -> {b,c,d}`
---
## Part 3 — Network query with degree limit
Extend the previous method to accept a second parameter `n`:
- `findNetwork(person, n) -> list/set`
Return all customers within **at most `n` degrees of separation** from `person`, excluding `person`.
- Degree 1: direct transaction partners
- Degree 2: partners of partners, etc.
### Example 1
Transactions: `(a,b), (b,c), (a,d), (d,e), (g,f)`
- `findNetwork(a, 1) -> {b,d}`
- `findNetwork(g, 1) -> {f}`
### Example 2 (loop)
Transactions: `(a,b), (b,d), (d,c), (c,a)`
- `findNetwork(a, 1) -> {b,c}`
### Example 3
Transactions: `(a,b), (b,c), (c,d), (b,e), (c,f), (d,g), (f,g), (g,h)`
- `findNetwork(d, 2) -> {c,g,b,f,h}`
- `findNetwork(h, 3) -> {g,d,f,c}`
- `findNetwork(a, 1) -> {b}`
---
## Notes / expectations
- You may assume customer identifiers are strings.
- The class should support adding transactions over time and answering queries at any point.
- Clearly define any helper methods and choose appropriate data structures.
- Be careful about cycles and repeated visits when exploring the network.
Quick Answer: This question evaluates the ability to model and query dynamic graph connectivity and reachability for pairwise transactions, testing competencies in graph representation, dynamic data structures, and reachability queries within the Coding & Algorithms domain and emphasizing practical application of algorithmic concepts.