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Recursive Org Chart Traversal
Using a recursive CTE, build the full org chart starting from the CEO (manager_id IS NULL). Show emp_id, name, department, manager_id, and org_level (CEO = 1, their reports = 2, etc.). Sort by org_level then name. Recursive CTEs are tested at Google and Amazon for hierarchical data problems.
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Schema
employees
| emp_id | name | department | position | salary | hire_date | manager_id | performance_rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alice Johnson | Engineering | Senior Developer | 95000 | 2019-03-15 | 5 | 4.5 |
| 2 | Bob Smith | Engineering | Developer | 75000 | 2020-06-01 | 1 | 3.8 |
| 3 | Carol Williams | Marketing | Marketing Manager | 85000 | 2018-09-20 | NULL | 4.2 |
Expected output: CEO: level 1, VP: level 2, Engineer: level 3
Hint
Concepts
SELECT CTE Recursive CTE JOIN UNION
Practise the topic: SQL practice questions · CTE practice · JOIN practice · Advanced SQL interview questions
In these company practice sets
Amazon · Databricks · Google · Plaid · Snowflake
A SQL Quest challenge matched to patterns reported for these companies — not a question any of them has published.
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