Do not adjudicate, reconcile. Get both definitions in writing, then compare them on the same narrow slice, one day and one region, and trace the difference to specific rows. Nearly always the cause is a definition gap: gross versus net, refunds included or not, timezone boundaries, test orders, or currency conversion timing. Fix by agreeing one definition, publishing it, and building both dashboards from one shared model.
Why interviewers ask this
Interviewers want to see that you treat conflicting numbers as a definitional problem rather than a correctness contest, and that you handle the politics of it without picking sides or making anyone look foolish. The specific reconciliation method matters too: narrowing to the smallest slice that still differs and drilling to row level is what actually finds the cause quickly.
How to structure your answer
- Reframe it as a definitions problem, not a right and wrong problem.
- Collect both definitions and both queries explicitly.
- Narrow to the smallest slice where the numbers still differ.
- Trace to row level and name the specific cause.
- Prevent recurrence with one certified source and a documented metric.
Example answer
I would avoid the framing of who is right, because usually both are correct for the question they answered. I get both queries and both definitions written down, then narrow until the difference is small enough to inspect: one day, one region, and then the actual rows in one set and not the other. That normally takes half an hour and produces a specific answer rather than an argument. The causes repeat: one includes refunds and the other does not, one uses UTC and the other local time so a chunk of orders lands on a different day, one filters test accounts, or currency is converted at transaction rate versus month end rate. The last one I reconciled was a timezone boundary worth about 3% and both parties relaxed immediately once we could point at the rows. Then the durable fix is a single certified model that both dashboards read from, with the definition documented next to the number, so the same argument does not recur next quarter.
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See how it worksFollow-up questions to expect
- How would you get two teams to agree on one definition?
- What belongs in a metric definition document?
- How do you handle it when the certified number is the less flattering one?
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