Ctrl K
Backend · Mid-level · Theory

The orders list page has started taking several seconds to load, and in the logs you see hundreds of near-identical SQL queries per HTTP request. What's going on, and how would you fix it?

~4 min by voice

How to approach it

This checks whether you recognize the N+1 problem from its symptoms, understand how it arises in an ORM, and can fix it systematically: confirm it by measuring, choose between a JOIN and batch loading, and protect against regressions.

Have you seen this question in a real interview?
Answers0
Avg. score—
Strong—
Practiced0
Topics
Similar questionsYou have a query with window functions over a billion-row events table, and it takes forty minutes. How would you investigate, and what would you optimize? SeniorA query that used to run in milliseconds now takes seconds after the table grew to tens of millions of rows. How would you investigate, and what can you do about it? Mid-levelWhat are a primary key and a foreign key? And how would you model a many-to-many relationship, for example students and courses? JuniorIn which cases would you deliberately denormalize a database schema, and what's the price you pay for it? Mid-levelIn production, a query against a 200-million-row orders table suddenly started taking seconds instead of milliseconds. How would you investigate, and what can you do with indexes? Senior

Answer by voice

The interviewer will ask this question and listen. Think out loud and ask for a hint if you need one. When you're done, pause or tap “That's my answer”. In about a minute, your score and the points you covered show up here.

Sign in to answer

Best with headphones · ~4 min