What is a conditional aggregation in SQL?

Short answer: Conditional aggregation allows you to apply aggregate functions to a subset of data that meets a certain condition. This is usually done with a CASE expression.

Example code

SELECT department, SUM(CASE WHEN gender = 'M' THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS male_count, SUM(CASE WHEN gender = 'F' THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) AS female_count FROM employees GROUP BY department; This query counts the number of male and female employees in each department.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

ShopNest’s SQL Server database stores customers, products, and orders. Good indexes and clear foreign keys keep checkout queries fast and safe.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.