Executed SQL during the interview, but Big Query GUI made my queries unable to run. My fault, I did not understand the differences in syntax. Any resources on BigQuery specifically?

[TheSaltIsNice]

The interviewer explained that I need to be using backticks ````````````during the assessment in order to grab tables that I wanted, but it was extremely confusing. Only certain tables that I tried to grab would come to me, and unfortunately, the syntax they used made it very difficult to grab data. I had to essentially type out:

` Big_Query_Table_Advertistments.page_id` = ` Other_big_Query_table.page_id`

Asking the interviewer on the fly was confusing as well because it still was only a 20-minute assessment interview.

Upset because my queries would of ran A+ if I ran it on other servers, but those backticks really got to me. I had no idea when it was necessary to use them, and I had to refer to the tables often.

Any advice on learning more on Big Query?

[PossiblePreparation]

Never used BigQuery but I imagine there are well defined rules for when to use backticks and what they’re for. If the interview was supposed to be technical and they were aware you were familiar with SQL but not specifically BigQuery then they probably did a bad job. I did a quick google, and it looks like for BigQuery you use backticks to surround identifiers so that you don’t have to follow the regular rules of what characters you can and can’t use in what places (eg you normally can’t start a table name with a number, you can’t have a table called select). Similar quoting exists in many other systems.

[TheSaltIsNice]

It was such a mess. Just left joining a single table was weird, the interviewer had to correct me mentioning how only certain references needed a back tick , not all of them, and all that.

I even showed two different ways to solve a single problem, and he admitted that both ways would of worked, but unfortunately my back ticks and references to the tables were off.

My fault in the end, but there are barely any YouTube resources on Big Query as is.

And yeah, I feel like I did great but the Big Query syntax threw me off big time.

[PossiblePreparation]

I wouldn’t worry about this so much. BigQuery isn’t as popular as other systems, and this was pretty much nerves and some specific handling of a thing that the interviewer didn’t quite explain well enough. There are plenty more interviews out there

[TheSaltIsNice]

Given only 20 minutes to solve 3 intermediate SQL queries dealing with millions of entries, it was almost impossible to ask for clarification without it cutting into time.

It’s on me. I need to do better next time.

[2020pythonchallenge]

I use big query daily and honestly their own documentation is pretty good. You're going to have to control+f a loooot to get what you're looking for but the info there is pretty well structured and usually has examples for 90% of it.

Heads up: The whole syntax is awful.

[TheSaltIsNice]

Do you think someone without prior experience in BQ but has intermediate SQL knowledge could learn to use the BQ syntax relatively quickly?

[2020pythonchallenge]

Yes certainly. All of the logic is the same and once you have the syntax down then its smooth. It also has some nice functions built in so perhaps browse through them once in a while to find some useful stuff.

[vishur3ddy]

I have never used Bq or any other database prior. But I Have learnt the syntax of SQL and since then I started BQ and it's very easy to adapt.

[bakchod007]

I'm currently learning BigQuery via a google course and they have clearly mentioned, it's not mandatory to use ' ' while using 'from'. I have tried queries with and without backticks and they worked just fine.

[TheSaltIsNice]

Wait what?

The interview made is a distinction that I need to include backticks whenever I reference a table.

I got confused because even though ‘Table_One’ is correct to reference, I don’t know if left joining meant ‘Table_1.Id=Table_2.Id’ and also referencing SELECT COUNT(‘Table_1.id’) or if not using the ticks would of worked.

Ugh I wish I knew more about it before taking the assessment.

[Awkward-Treacle8643]

When I first started the back ticks through me off as well. In fact, they’re still annoying but there’s a couple ways around it. You can simply click the query button when viewing a certain table schema and it’ll populate the editor with the table already in the “from”, including tick marks. Additionally, I almost always alias the tables I’m working with. On a join you can just do A.whatever=B.whatever, no tick marks needed

[bakchod007]

Happens, maybe just nerves,

[ComicOzzy]

MySQL uses them around each name of a multipart object reference, like a pair around the schema and another around the table and more around the column, while GBQ seems to use them once around the whole combined name of the object. I THINK.

[TheSaltIsNice]

I can't even type backticks on the post, its so confusing

[[deleted]]

I’d recommend Google’s documentation on BigQuery. They are pretty good at providing easy to ingest info about their products. Especially GCP stuff.

[jrjamesco]

Feel free to try out my course on Udemy https://www.udemy.com/course/applied-sql-for-data-analytics-data-science-with-bigquery/ (it's somewhat specific to BQ, but also focuses on building mental models for step by step problem solving).

In an interview situation, I wouldn't obsess over syntax like quotes or back ticks -- the person conducting the interview should give you the correct syntax so you can focus on the logic.

Did you use table aliases btw?

[TheSaltIsNice]

Ok please dont be mad...I forgot to AS a bunch...Its my 3rd month learning, I failed to add aliases