How can you crack an Azure Data Engineer interview? The key is simple—practice, practice, and more practice! This guide makes it easy for you by sharing 25+ essential Azure Data Engineer interview questions that are likely to come up. We have also included clear answers and handy tips to help you succeed in your interview.
Let’s get you prepared and confident for your big day!
Fun Fact: The demand for Azure Data Engineers is on the rise, with 42% of companies planning to hire more in the coming year.
Basic Azure Data Engineer Interview Questions
Here are some commonly asked basic-level interview questions for Azure Data Engineer and their answers.
- What is Azure Data Factory?
Azure Data Factory is a cloud-based data integration service. It lets you create, schedule, and manage data workflows. You can use it to move data between different sources and process it.
- What is the role of an Azure Data Engineer?
Azure Data Engineers build and manage data pipelines. They transform raw data into useful formats for analysis and reporting. Their job involves working with tools like Azure Data Factory and Azure Synapse Analytics.
- What is Azure Synapse Analytics?
Azure Synapse Analytics is a data integration and analytics platform. It combines big data and data warehousing capabilities. You can query data using SQL or Spark for quick analysis.
- How is Azure Data Lake used?
Azure Data Lake is a storage service for large datasets. It supports unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data. It’s often used for big data analytics and machine learning.
- What are Azure Databricks?
Azure Databricks is a collaborative platform for data engineering, machine learning, and analytics. It’s built on Apache Spark and integrates seamlessly with other Azure services.
- What is the difference between Azure SQL Database and SQL Server?
Azure SQL Database is a cloud-based database service. SQL Server is an on-premises database solution. Azure SQL Database is fully managed by Microsoft, while SQL Server requires manual maintenance.
Also Read - Top 35+ Azure Databricks Interview Questions and Answers
Azure Data Engineer Questions for Freshers
These are some important Azure Data Engineer interview questions and answers for freshers.
- What are the main components of Azure Data Factory?
Azure Data Factory has pipelines, activities, datasets, linked services, and triggers. Pipelines are the workflows. Activities are the tasks, and linked services define the connections to data sources.
- What is a data pipeline?
A data pipeline is a sequence of steps to move and transform data. It often involves extracting data, processing it, and loading it into a target system.
- How does Azure Stream Analytics work?
Azure Stream Analytics processes real-time data streams. It lets you analyze data from sources like IoT devices and applications. You can use SQL-like queries to get insights in real-time.
- What is the use of Azure Blob Storage?
Azure Blob Storage is used to store large amounts of unstructured data. This includes documents, images, and videos. It’s ideal for backups, streaming, and big data analytics.
- What are linked services in Azure Data Factory?
Linked services are configurations that define connections to data stores. They act as bridges between Azure Data Factory and external data sources like SQL databases or cloud storage.
- What is the difference between structured and unstructured data?
Structured data is organized into tables with rows and columns, like in databases. Unstructured data lacks this organization and includes files like images, videos, and documents.
Azure Data Engineer Interview Questions For Experienced
Now, let’s take a look at Azure Data Engineer interview questions and answers for experienced.
- What are Delta Tables in Azure Databricks?
Delta Tables bring ACID compliance to big data workflows. They allow updates, deletes, and inserts on large datasets, which isn’t possible with traditional data lakes.
- How do you optimise data pipelines for better performance?
This is one of the most common Azure Data Engineer interview questions for 2 years experienced candidates.
“I optimise pipelines by reducing unnecessary transformations and avoiding data movement where possible. I use partitioning to process data in parallel and caching for frequently used datasets. Additionally, I monitor pipeline performance using Azure Monitor and adjust configurations like data flow compute settings when needed.”
- What is PolyBase in Azure Synapse Analytics?
PolyBase is a feature that allows querying external data sources directly from Azure Synapse. It eliminates the need to load data into Synapse first.
- How do you handle schema changes in Azure Data Factory?
“When schema changes occur, I use Data Flow’s schema mapping to adjust field mappings dynamically. If the changes are frequent, I create parameterised datasets and pipelines to handle variations. This allows me to adapt to changes without modifying the pipeline logic frequently.”
- What is the role of Azure Key Vault in data engineering?
Azure Key Vault is essential for securing secrets like API keys, connection strings, and certificates. We can use it in data pipelines to retrieve credentials dynamically, so sensitive information isn’t hardcoded.
Azure Data Engineer Scenario Based Interview Questions
Here are some important scenario based Azure Data Engineer interview questions and answers.
- How would you design a data pipeline for daily sales reports?
“I would use Azure Data Factory to automate the workflow. First, I’d connect to the data source, like an SQL database or API. Then, I’d use Data Flow to clean and transform the data. Finally, I’d load it into Azure Synapse Analytics, where reports can be generated.”
- How do you handle failed activities in an Azure Data Factory pipeline?
“If an activity fails, I configure retries to deal with transient issues. For critical tasks, I add error-handling branches that log the error details to Azure Monitor or a storage account. This helps me identify the root cause and fix issues without disrupting the entire pipeline.”
- What would you do if a dataset grows exponentially in size?
“When a dataset grows rapidly, I switch to partitioning or sharding to process smaller chunks of data. I also migrate data to Azure Data Lake for cost-effective storage and leverage compression techniques. Additionally, I monitor and optimise transformations to handle the increased data volume efficiently.”
- How do you migrate an on-premises SQL database to Azure?
“I’d start with an assessment using the Azure Migrate tool to identify potential issues. Then, I’d use the Azure Database Migration Service in online mode to minimise downtime. After migration, I test the database thoroughly to verify data consistency and performance.”
Azure Databricks Interview Questions for Data Engineer
Here are some common Azure Databricks interview questions for Data Engineers.
- What are the key components of Azure Databricks architecture?
Azure Databricks has three key components:
- Workspace: A collaborative environment for notebooks and experiments.
- Clusters: Scalable compute resources to run Spark jobs.
- Jobs: Tools to automate and schedule workflows.
- How do you handle big data in Azure Databricks?
“I handle big data by using Spark’s distributed processing. I partition datasets to process them in parallel. I also optimise jobs using techniques like caching, broadcast joins, and adaptive query execution.”
Also Read - Top 35+ Azure Databricks Interview Questions and Answers
Azure Cloud Data Engineer Interview Questions
- What is Azure Event Hubs, and how is it used in data engineering?
“Azure Event Hubs is a real-time event streaming platform. I use it to collect and process large volumes of data from IoT devices, applications, or logs. It works well with services like Azure Stream Analytics and Databricks.”
- What is the use of Azure Data Lake Storage?
Azure Data Lake Storage is designed for big data analytics. It can handle massive amounts of unstructured, semi-structured, and structured data. I use it for scalable and cost-effective storage of raw and processed datasets.
TCS Azure Data Engineer Interview Questions
You can expect these common interview questions on Azure Data Engineer at TCS.
- How do you handle data orchestration in Azure Data Factory?
“I use Azure Data Factory’s pipeline feature to orchestrate data workflows. I design pipelines that handle dependencies, triggers, and monitoring. I use activities like Copy Data, Data Flow, and Stored Procedures to build end-to-end data processes, ensuring smooth data integration.”
- Can you describe your experience with Azure SQL Data Warehouse and how you would apply it in a TCS project?
“I haven’t worked on TCS projects yet, but I have used Azure SQL Data Warehouse (Azure Synapse) to manage large datasets. I would apply it at TCS by leveraging its scalability for efficient data storage and querying. I’d also use partitioning and indexing to optimise performance and guarantee quick data retrieval.”
Microsoft Azure Data Engineer Interview Questions
At Microsoft, you might come across these Data Engineer Azure interview questions.
- How do you approach data governance and compliance in Azure?
“I follow best practices for data governance by using Azure Purview to manage metadata and track data lineage. I also use Azure Data Lake’s ACLs (Access Control Lists) to implement fine-grained access control. For compliance, I make sure that data is encrypted and implement retention policies.”
- How would you implement real-time analytics for a Microsoft Azure project using Azure Stream Analytics?
“In a Microsoft context, where real-time insights are often critical, I would use Azure Stream Analytics to process and analyse real-time data streams. This could be useful for monitoring system performance or customer interactions. I would build scalable, low-latency pipelines to integrate with Azure Event Hubs, providing instant insights to stakeholders for data-driven decision-making.”
Tips to Answer Azure Data Engineer Interview Questions
Here are some helpful tips you can follow to answer Azure Data Engineer interview questions:
- Keep your answers clear and concise, highlighting key points.
- Show problem-solving skills with real-world examples.
- Use relevant terminology, but avoid jargon that might confuse the interviewer.
- Stay up-to-date with the latest Azure features and best practices.
- Be confident, but also humble and open to learning new tools.
Also Read - Top 25+ DevOps Interview Questions and Answers
Wrapping Up
Getting ready for Azure Data Engineer interviews is all about understanding the basics and practising your answers. It will help you feel confident and ready for any question. If you are looking for great IT jobs, including Azure Data Engineer roles in India – check out Hirist. It is a user-friendly job portal where you can find the best opportunities in tech.
