I’m wondering if anyone here has been through the collaborative coding session for Shopify’s data analyst internship positions. From what I understand, it’s supposed to last about 45 minutes and focuses on SQL queries. They also mentioned that using AI tools is allowed during the session.
I’m trying to get a better sense of what to expect. Was the experience challenging? What kind of database problems did they present? Did they focus more on basic queries or were there complex joins and subqueries involved? Any insights about the overall difficulty level would be really helpful.
I’m also curious about the format - did you screen share while writing the code, or was it more of a discussion-based approach? Thanks in advance for any details you can share about your experience.
This sounds like a typical data role interview. Here’s what helped me prep effectively.
Skip manual SQL practice - automate it instead. I built a system that grabs different datasets, creates random query challenges, and tracks my progress. Got me comfortable with tons of scenarios fast.
Set up automated data pipelines with different database schemas. Pull sample data from APIs, transform it, create your own problems. You’ll understand data flows instead of just memorizing patterns.
The collaboration part they mentioned is massive. Having automated testing ready means you can focus on explaining your thinking rather than stressing about syntax errors. You can also automate query performance checks and optimization.
I use Latenode for this workflow automation. It handles API connections, data transformations, and triggers different practice scenarios based on your progress. Much cleaner than switching between multiple tools.
i did it last year too! it was pretty easy, mainly sales data trends. they did throw in a few joins & subqueries but ntn too complex. really relaxed vibe, and they totally allowed ai. u got this!
Had mine six months ago - the technical part was pretty reasonable. They walked me through a customer retention scenario that needed window functions and aggregation. What surprised me was how collaborative it felt. They actually wanted to see how you think, not test if you memorized stuff. When I got stuck optimizing a query, they gave hints and we figured it out together. AI tools helped with syntax checking, but you still need to know the fundamentals since you have to explain your approach. Mine ran about 50 minutes total - 30 minutes coding, rest was discussion.