Most data analytics courses start with theory. That's backwards.

Here are 3 queries I wish someone had drilled into me on day one:

1. The Revenue Cohort

SELECT DATE_TRUNC('month', signup_date) AS cohort,
       COUNT(DISTINCT user_id) AS users,
       SUM(revenue) AS total_revenue
FROM transactions
GROUP BY 1 ORDER BY 1;

This tells you which signup cohorts are actually generating revenue. If you can't write this in your sleep, you're not ready for interviews.

2. The Retention Check

SELECT a.user_id,
       a.first_purchase,
       MIN(b.purchase_date) AS second_purchase
FROM (SELECT user_id, MIN(purchase_date) AS first_purchase FROM orders GROUP BY 1) a
LEFT JOIN orders b ON a.user_id = b.user_id AND b.purchase_date > a.first_purchase
GROUP BY 1, 2;

Retention > acquisition. Every finance team cares about repeat behavior.

3. The Moving Average

SELECT date,
       revenue,
       AVG(revenue) OVER (ORDER BY date ROWS BETWEEN 6 PRECEDING AND CURRENT ROW) AS ma_7d
FROM daily_revenue;

Smooths out noise. Essential for any financial reporting dashboard.

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