SFMC SQL interview question and

answers

1. Query to display all the 'unique opens for a specific email in

the last 30 days':
sql
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SELECT SubscriberKey, EmailName, COUNT(DISTINCT OpenDate) AS
UniqueOpens
FROM _Open
WHERE EmailName = 'SpecificEmailName'
AND OpenDate >= DATEADD(DAY, -30, GETDATE())
GROUP BY SubscriberKey, EmailName
ORDER BY SubscriberKey;
This query will return the count of unique opens for a specific email in the
last 30 days by each subscriber.

2. Different types of joins in SQL:

SQL supports several types of joins to combine records from two or more
tables based on a related column. These include:
INNER JOIN: Returns records that have matching values in both tables.
LEFT JOIN (or LEFT OUTER JOIN): Returns all records from the left table
and the matched records from the right table. If there's no match, NULL
values are returned for columns from the right table.
RIGHT JOIN (or RIGHT OUTER JOIN): Returns all records from the right
table and the matched records from the left table. If there's no match,
NULL values are returned for columns from the left table.
FULL JOIN (or FULL OUTER JOIN): Returns records when there's a
match in either left or right table. It returns NULL for non-matching rows
from both tables.
CROSS JOIN: Returns the Cartesian product of the two tables, i.e., every
row of the first table is combined with every row of the second table.
3. Difference between an INNER and a FULL OUTER JOIN:
INNER JOIN: Returns only the rows that have matching values in both
tables. If no match is found, the row is excluded from the result set.
Example:
If you have two tables, Table A and Table B, an INNER JOIN will return only
those records where there is a match in both tables.
FULL OUTER JOIN: Returns all rows when there is a match in one of the
tables. If there is no match, NULL values are returned for the columns of
the table that does not have a matching row.
Example:
With FULL OUTER JOIN, even if there is no match between Table A and
Table B, rows from both tables will be returned with NULLs where there is
no match.

4. Filtering Customer Records with LIKE keyword to end with "s":

sql
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SELECT *
FROM Customers
WHERE CustomerName LIKE '%s';
This query filters customers whose name ends with "s" using the LIKE
keyword.

5. Retrieving all subscribers who have not opened any emails in

the last 90 days using SQL in Salesforce Marketing Cloud:
sql
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SELECT s.SubscriberKey, s.EmailAddress
FROM Subscribers s
LEFT JOIN _Open o ON s.SubscriberKey = o.SubscriberKey
WHERE o.OpenDate IS NULL
AND s.SubscriberKey NOT IN
(SELECT SubscriberKey
FROM _Open
WHERE OpenDate >= DATEADD(DAY, -90, GETDATE()));
This query finds subscribers who have not opened any emails in the last
90 days by performing a LEFT JOIN on the _Open table and filtering where
OpenDate is NULL.

6. Updating a Data Extension with new subscriber data using SQL:

sql
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UPDATE YourDataExtension
SET Column1 = 'new_value', Column2 = 'new_value'
WHERE SubscriberKey = 'specific_subscriber_key';
This query updates a data extension by setting new values for specified
columns where the SubscriberKey matches.

7. Calculating the total number of unique clicks for a specific

email campaign using SQL:
sql
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SELECT EmailName, COUNT(DISTINCT SubscriberKey) AS UniqueClicks
FROM _Click
WHERE EmailName = 'SpecificEmailName'
GROUP BY EmailName;
This query calculates the total number of unique clicks for a specific email
campaign by counting distinct SubscriberKey values.

8. Extracting a list of subscribers who have clicked on a specific

link in an email using SQL:
sql
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SELECT DISTINCT SubscriberKey
FROM _Click
WHERE LinkName = 'SpecificLink'
AND EmailName = 'SpecificEmailName';
This query extracts a list of subscribers who clicked on a specific link in a
specific email campaign.

9. Identifying subscribers who belong to multiple data extensions

using SQL:
sql
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SELECT SubscriberKey, COUNT(DISTINCT DataExtensionName) AS
DECount
FROM _Subscribers
GROUP BY SubscriberKey
HAVING COUNT(DISTINCT DataExtensionName) > 1;
This query identifies subscribers who belong to more than one data
extension by counting distinct data extension names associated with each
SubscriberKey.

10. Finding all Subscribers that joined within the last month:
sql
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SELECT SubscriberKey, EmailAddress
FROM Subscribers
WHERE JoinDate >= DATEADD(MONTH, -1, GETDATE());
This query retrieves subscribers who joined in the last month by checking
the JoinDate field.

11. Finding all Subscribers registered to an event within the next

month:
sql
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SELECT SubscriberKey, EventName
FROM EventRegistrations
WHERE EventDate >= GETDATE()
AND EventDate <= DATEADD(MONTH, 1, GETDATE());
This query finds all subscribers who have registered for events happening
within the next month.

12. Highest subscriber bounce count:

sql
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SELECT MAX(BounceCount) AS HighestBounceCount
FROM _Bounce;
This query returns the highest bounce count recorded for any subscriber.

13. For Datetime values, it will output 19 characters:

In SQL, datetime values are typically stored in the format YYYY-MM-DD
HH:MM:SS and output 19 characters (e.g., '2025-03-11 12:34:56').

14. Average subscriber bounce count:

sql
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SELECT AVG(BounceCount) AS AverageBounceCount
FROM _Bounce;
This query calculates the average bounce count for all subscribers.

15. Showing which Email Addresses exist on more than one

subscriber:
sql
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SELECT EmailAddress, COUNT(SubscriberKey) AS SubscriberCount
FROM Subscribers
GROUP BY EmailAddress
HAVING COUNT(SubscriberKey) > 1;
This query identifies email addresses that exist in multiple records in the
Subscribers table.
16. Checking if we have multiple Subscribers with the same Email
Address:
sql
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SELECT EmailAddress, COUNT(SubscriberKey) AS SubscriberCount
FROM Subscribers
GROUP BY EmailAddress
HAVING COUNT(SubscriberKey) > 1;
This query checks if there are any duplicate email addresses associated
with multiple SubscriberKey values.

17. Difference between HAVING vs WHERE:

WHERE: Filters rows before any aggregation is performed. It’s used to
filter individual records in a table.
HAVING: Filters records after aggregation is performed. It’s used to filter
the result of an aggregate function like COUNT(), SUM(), AVG(), etc.
Example:
sql
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-- WHERE filters rows before aggregation
SELECT EmailAddress
FROM Subscribers
WHERE Status = 'Active';

-- HAVING filters after aggregation

SELECT EmailAddress, COUNT(SubscriberKey)
FROM Subscribers
GROUP BY EmailAddress
HAVING COUNT(SubscriberKey) > 1;

18. Using LEN to find invalid records for Salesforce Contact ID as

Subscriber Key:
sql
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SELECT SubscriberKey
FROM YourDataExtension
WHERE LEN(SubscriberKey) <> 18;
This query identifies invalid SubscriberKey records in a data extension
where the SubscriberKey length is not equal to 18, which is the expected
length for Salesforce Contact IDs.

AMP script interview questions

for SFMC
1. What is AMPscript in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?

 Answer: AMPscript is a scripting language used in Salesforce Marketing Cloud to add

dynamic content and personalization to email messages, landing pages, and SMS messages.
It allows you to retrieve, manipulate, and display data from Data Extensions, personalize
email content, and manage subscriber interactions.

2. How do you personalize an email using AMPscript?

  Answer: AMPscript allows you to personalize emails by inserting dynamic content based on
subscriber attributes. For example, you can use the %%FirstName%% personalization string
or use AMPscript to pull data from Data Extensions.

Example:

amp

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%%[

VAR @firstName

SET @firstName = Lookup("SubscriberDE", "FirstName", "EmailAddress", emailaddr)

]%%

Hello, %%=v(@firstName)=%%!

This AMPscript looks up the subscriber's FirstName in a Data Extension and dynamically personalizes
the email greeting.

3. What is the difference between Lookup and LookupRows in AMPscript?

 Answer:

o Lookup: Retrieves a single value from a Data Extension based on a given set of
criteria. Example:
amp

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SET @result = Lookup("DEName", "ColumnName", "KeyColumn", "Value")

o LookupRows: Retrieves multiple rows from a Data Extension based on the provided
filter and returns them as a set of rows. Example:

amp

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SET @rows = LookupRows("DEName", "KeyColumn", "Value")

4. How can you display the first name of a subscriber from a Data Extension?

 Answer: You can use Lookup to fetch the subscriber's first name from a Data Extension and
display it in the email.

Example:

amp

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%%[

VAR @firstName

SET @firstName = Lookup("SubscriberDE", "FirstName", "Email", emailaddr)

]%%

Hello, %%=v(@firstName)=%%!

This will personalize the email with the subscriber’s FirstName based on the email address.

5. What is the purpose of If/Else statements in AMPscript?

 Answer: If/Else statements in AMPscript allow you to implement conditional logic, such as
showing or hiding content based on specific conditions.

Example:

amp

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%%[

IF AttributeValue("EmailOptIn") == "True" THEN

SET @message = "Thank you for subscribing!"

ELSE

SET @message = "Please subscribe to receive more updates."

ENDIF

]%%
%%=v(@message)=%%

This script checks if the EmailOptIn attribute is true and displays a corresponding message.

6. What is RedirectTo in AMPscript and how is it used?

 Answer: RedirectTo is used to redirect a subscriber to a different URL. It can be useful when
you want to track or log clicks in a way that doesn't directly load a destination page but
instead redirects after some tracking happens.

Example:

amp

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RedirectTo("https://www.example.com")

This AMPscript will redirect the user to the specified URL when executed.

7. How can you store a value in a variable using AMPscript?

 Answer: You can use the SET function to store values in AMPscript variables.

Example:

amp
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%%[

SET @firstName = "John"

SET @email = "[email protected]"

]%%

Hello, %%=v(@firstName)=%%! Your email is %%=v(@email)=%%.

This stores the values "John" and "[email protected]" in the variables @firstName and
@email, respectively.

8. What is InsertData and when do you use it in AMPscript?

 Answer: InsertData is used to insert data into a Data Extension. It's often used when
capturing form submissions or tracking data.

Example:

amp

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%%[

InsertData("FormDE", "FirstName", @firstName, "Email", @email)

]%%
This inserts a new row into the FormDE Data Extension with the provided values for FirstName and
Email.

9. How do you loop through multiple rows in AMPscript?

 Answer: You can use FOR loops to iterate through rows returned by LookupRows.

Example:

amp

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%%[

VAR @rows, @row, @i, @email

SET @rows = LookupRows("SubscribersDE", "Status", "Active")

SET @i = 1

FOR @i = 1 TO RowCount(@rows) DO

SET @row = Row(@rows, @i)

SET @email = Field(@row, "Email")

Output(Concat("Subscriber Email: ", @email))

NEXT @i
]%%

This script will loop through the SubscribersDE Data Extension, checking for active subscribers and
outputting their email addresses.

10. What is AttributeValue() in AMPscript?

 Answer: AttributeValue() is used to retrieve an attribute from a subscriber's profile or a Data

Extension. It allows you to check a subscriber's attribute (such as their name or preferences)
and display it dynamically in the email.

Example:

amp

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%%[

SET @firstName = AttributeValue("FirstName")

IF NOT EMPTY(@firstName) THEN

SET @message = Concat("Hello, ", @firstName)

ELSE

SET @message = "Hello!"

ENDIF

]%%
%%=v(@message)=%%

11. What is the difference between HTTPGet and HTTPPost in AMPscript?

 Answer:

o HTTPGet: This function is used to send a GET request to a URL, typically used for
retrieving data from a web service or API. Example:

amp

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SET @response = HTTPGet("https://api.example.com/data")

o HTTPPost: This function is used to send a POST request to a URL, often used for
submitting data to a web service or API. Example:

amp

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SET @response = HTTPPost("https://api.example.com/submit", "application/json", '{"name":

"John"}')

12. What are some best practices when using AMPscript?

 Answer:
 o Use Comments: Always add comments to your AMPscript code to make it more
readable.

o Handle Empty Data: Use IF/ELSE statements to handle cases where data might be
empty or missing.

o Avoid Hardcoding Data: Use dynamic data (such as from Data Extensions) instead of
hardcoding content, to personalize emails.

o Use AMPscript Variables: Declare and use variables for reusable content to avoid
repetition and make your scripts more efficient.

o Limit Server Calls: Avoid making multiple lookups or server calls in a single email to
prevent delays or unnecessary processing.

13. What is the DateAdd function in AMPscript?

 Answer: The DateAdd function adds or subtracts a specified amount of time (days, hours,
minutes, etc.) to a given date.

Example:

amp

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%%[

SET @currentDate = Now()

SET @futureDate = DateAdd(@currentDate, 7, "D") /* Add 7 days */

]%%
The future date is %%=v(@futureDate)=%%.

This adds 7 days to the current date and displays the future date.

14. How do you check if a value is empty in AMPscript?

 Answer: You can use the EMPTY() function to check if a value is empty.

Example:

amp

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%%[

IF EMPTY(@firstName) THEN

SET @firstName = "Guest"

ENDIF

]%%

Hello, %%=v(@firstName)=%%!

This checks if the @firstName variable is empty and sets it to "Guest" if true.
15. What is Concat used for in AMPscript?

 Answer: Concat is used to concatenate or combine two or more strings into a single string.

Example:

amp

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%%[

SET @firstName = "John"

SET @lastName = "Doe"

SET @fullName = Concat(@firstName, " ", @lastName)

]%%

Hello, %%=v(@fullName)=%%!

This will output "Hello, John Doe!".