Code RoomRow-level authorization in queries
HardPrep Room Coding #3585

Row-level authorization in queries

System designDistributed systemsSenior–Staff~50 min

Design authorization for a data-query platform where ABAC policies must filter ROWS, not just allow/deny a whole request: a query 'SELECT * FROM orders' should transparently return only the rows a user is allowed to see based on attributes (region, classification, ownership) — across billions of rows, where calling a policy engine per row is impossible. The policies are admin-authored and change without redeploy. Discuss how you push authorization down into the query, the partial-evaluation idea that turns a policy into a predicate, how you handle policy changes mid-flight, and where caching is safe.

What a strong answer looks like

Clarify scale and constraints first. Propose a clean component breakdown, then go deep on the hard parts (data model, bottlenecks, consistency, failure modes) and name the trade-offs you are making.

Clarify5:30 left
Estimate5:30 planned
Design16:30 planned
Deep dive13:30 planned
Failure9:00 planned
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Which questions mattered is sealed until you submit. Telling you now would just be handing over the edge cases.