Relx Business Intelligence Interview Guide

Getting ready for a Business Intelligence interview at Relx? The Relx Business Intelligence interview process typically spans 4–6 question topics and evaluates skills in areas like data warehousing, ETL pipeline design, analytical problem solving, and communicating actionable insights to diverse audiences. Interview preparation is especially important for this role at Relx, as candidates are expected to navigate complex business datasets, design scalable reporting solutions, and deliver clear recommendations that drive decision-making across global markets.

In preparing for the interview, you should:

• Understand the core skills necessary for Business Intelligence positions at Relx.
• Gain insights into Relx’s Business Intelligence interview structure and process.
• Practice real Relx Business Intelligence interview questions to sharpen your performance.

At Interview Query, we regularly analyze interview experience data shared by candidates. This guide uses that data to provide an overview of the Relx Business Intelligence interview process, along with sample questions and preparation tips tailored to help you succeed.

RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers across industries such as science, risk, legal, and business. Leveraging advanced technologies and deep data expertise, RELX helps organizations make informed decisions, drive innovation, and improve operational efficiency. As a Business Intelligence professional, you will contribute to RELX’s mission by transforming complex data into actionable insights, supporting strategic initiatives, and enabling data-driven decision-making throughout the company’s diverse portfolio.

As a Business Intelligence professional at Relx, you are responsible for gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data to support strategic decision-making across the company. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to develop dashboards, generate actionable insights, and identify trends that drive business growth and operational efficiency. Typical tasks include data modeling, report creation, and delivering presentations to stakeholders to inform product, sales, and marketing strategies. This role is essential in helping Relx leverage data to improve products and services, ensuring the company remains competitive in the information and analytics industry.

2.1 Stage 1: Application & Resume Review

The process begins with a thorough evaluation of your resume and application materials, focusing on your experience with business intelligence tools, data modeling, ETL pipeline design, and your ability to communicate complex data insights to non-technical stakeholders. The review team looks for a track record of building scalable data solutions, developing dashboards and visualizations, and collaborating cross-functionally. Tailoring your resume to highlight relevant BI projects, familiarity with data warehousing, and proficiency in SQL and data visualization tools will help you stand out.

2.2 Stage 2: Recruiter Screen

This initial phone or video call, typically conducted by a recruiter, centers on your motivation for joining Relx, your understanding of the company’s data-driven mission, and your career trajectory. Expect questions about your background in business intelligence, how you approach presenting data to different audiences, and your interest in the role. Preparation should include a concise summary of your BI experience, examples of impactful data projects, and clear reasons for your interest in Relx.

2.3 Stage 3: Technical/Case/Skills Round

Led by BI team members or a hiring manager, this stage tests your technical and analytical skills through a mix of case studies, technical questions, and practical scenarios. You may be asked to design a data warehouse for a new business line, write SQL queries to solve data integrity issues, or outline an ETL pipeline for ingesting and transforming heterogeneous data sources. Demonstrating your ability to translate business requirements into actionable data models, troubleshoot data quality challenges, and build scalable reporting solutions is crucial. Practice articulating your approach to system design, data pipeline optimization, and ensuring data accessibility for non-technical users.

2.4 Stage 4: Behavioral Interview

In this round, interviewers probe your ability to collaborate across teams, manage stakeholder expectations, and communicate insights effectively. You’ll be asked to describe past data projects, how you overcame hurdles in complex analytics initiatives, and how you adjust your communication style for technical versus business audiences. Prepare with stories that showcase your adaptability, leadership in ambiguous situations, and your impact on business outcomes through data-driven decision making.

2.5 Stage 5: Final/Onsite Round

The final stage often involves a series of interviews with cross-functional partners, BI leadership, and sometimes a presentation of a case study or data project. You may be asked to walk through a live dashboard demo, critique an existing reporting process, or present a solution to a real-world business intelligence challenge. This is your opportunity to demonstrate both technical depth and business acumen, as well as your ability to make data accessible and actionable for diverse stakeholders.

2.6 Stage 6: Offer & Negotiation

If successful, you’ll engage with HR or the hiring manager to review the offer package, discuss compensation and benefits, and clarify any remaining questions about the role or team structure. This is also the time to negotiate terms and ensure alignment on expectations for your contributions as a BI professional at Relx.

2.7 Average Timeline

The typical Relx Business Intelligence interview process spans 3–5 weeks from initial application to final offer, with each round separated by several days to a week depending on candidate and team availability. Fast-track candidates with highly relevant experience may complete the process in as little as 2–3 weeks, while standard timelines allow for more in-depth technical and behavioral assessments. Onsite or final rounds may be consolidated into a single day or split over multiple sessions for scheduling flexibility.

Next, let’s dive into the specific types of interview questions you can expect throughout this process.

3.1 Data Modeling & Warehousing

Business Intelligence roles at Relx require strong skills in designing scalable data models and robust data warehouses. Expect questions that test your ability to architect systems for various business scenarios and ensure data accessibility and integrity.

3.1.1 Design a data warehouse for a new online retailer
Structure your answer to cover the schema design, normalization, fact and dimension tables, and how you’d handle evolving business requirements. Illustrate your approach with examples of key tables and ETL processes.

3.1.2 How would you design a data warehouse for a e-commerce company looking to expand internationally?
Discuss global data requirements, localization, currency conversions, and scalable architecture. Highlight strategies for handling multi-region data and compliance.

3.1.3 Design a scalable ETL pipeline for ingesting heterogeneous data from Skyscanner's partners.
Explain your approach to integrating diverse data sources, ensuring data quality, and optimizing for performance. Mention error handling, logging, and monitoring for reliability.

3.1.4 Write a query to get the current salary for each employee after an ETL error.
Describe how you’d use SQL window functions or aggregation to reconcile discrepancies, and discuss strategies for auditing and correcting ETL mistakes.

3.1.5 Design an end-to-end data pipeline to process and serve data for predicting bicycle rental volumes.
Detail your steps from data ingestion to model deployment, emphasizing scalability, automation, and monitoring for business-critical analytics.

3.2 Data Quality & ETL

Ensuring high data quality and reliable ETL processes is essential for business intelligence. These questions focus on diagnosing, resolving, and preventing data issues in complex environments.

3.2.1 Ensuring data quality within a complex ETL setup
Outline your approach to validating data, implementing automated checks, and managing schema changes. Discuss communication strategies with stakeholders about data issues.

3.2.2 How would you systematically diagnose and resolve repeated failures in a nightly data transformation pipeline?
Describe your troubleshooting methodology, including root cause analysis, logging, and alerting. Emphasize proactive solutions and documentation.

3.2.3 Redesign batch ingestion to real-time streaming for financial transactions.
Discuss migration strategies, technology choices, and how you’d ensure data consistency and low latency. Highlight how you’d monitor and scale the system.

3.2.4 Write a SQL query to count transactions filtered by several criterias.
Explain how you’d construct the query using WHERE clauses, aggregation, and indexes for performance. Clarify handling of edge cases and missing data.

3.2.5 Modifying a billion rows
Discuss efficient strategies for bulk updates, such as batching, partitioning, and minimizing downtime. Address trade-offs between speed and data integrity.

3.3 Analytics Experimentation & Measurement

Relx values analysts who can design, measure, and interpret experiments to drive business decisions. Be ready to discuss methodologies for A/B testing, sample sizing, and experiment validity.

3.3.1 Evaluate an A/B test's sample size.
Describe how you’d calculate the required sample size using statistical power analysis, and discuss the impact of effect size and significance level.

3.3.2 The role of A/B testing in measuring the success rate of an analytics experiment
Explain how you’d set up control and treatment groups, define success metrics, and interpret results. Highlight your approach to communicating findings.

3.3.3 Experiment validity
Discuss threats to validity such as selection bias, confounding variables, and how you’d mitigate them. Mention post-experiment checks and documentation.

3.3.4 How would you analyze how the feature is performing?
Describe your approach to tracking KPIs, segmenting users, and using statistical tests to draw actionable insights.

3.3.5 How would you design user segments for a SaaS trial nurture campaign and decide how many to create?
Explain your segmentation methodology, criteria selection, and how you’d validate the impact of different segments on conversion rates.

3.4 Data Visualization & Communication

Communicating complex data findings to diverse audiences is a core BI skill. These questions assess your ability to visualize, present, and tailor insights for business impact.

3.4.1 How to present complex data insights with clarity and adaptability tailored to a specific audience
Describe your process for understanding audience needs, choosing appropriate visuals, and structuring presentations for maximum impact.

3.4.2 Making data-driven insights actionable for those without technical expertise
Explain how you simplify technical concepts, use analogies, and focus on business outcomes when sharing insights.

3.4.3 Demystifying data for non-technical users through visualization and clear communication
Discuss your strategies for building intuitive dashboards and using storytelling to drive understanding and engagement.

3.4.4 How would you visualize data with long tail text to effectively convey its characteristics and help extract actionable insights?
Describe your approach to summarizing distributions, highlighting patterns, and choosing visualization techniques that suit text-heavy datasets.

3.4.5 Which metrics and visualizations would you prioritize for a CEO-facing dashboard during a major rider acquisition campaign?
Explain how you’d select key metrics, design clear visuals, and ensure the dashboard supports strategic decision-making.

3.5 Business Impact & Strategy

Relx expects BI professionals to connect analytics with business outcomes, drive strategy, and support decision-making across teams.

3.5.1 You work as a data scientist for ride-sharing company. An executive asks how you would evaluate whether a 50% rider discount promotion is a good or bad idea? How would you implement it? What metrics would you track?
Describe your approach to measuring promotion impact, defining success criteria, and tracking relevant metrics such as ROI and customer retention.

3.5.2 Model merchant acquisition in a new market
Explain how you’d use historical data, predictive modeling, and market analysis to forecast acquisition success and guide strategy.

3.5.3 Sales vs Revenue: Cheaper tiers drive volume, but higher tiers drive revenue. your task is to decide which segment we should focus on next.
Discuss your methodology for segment analysis, balancing volume and profitability, and making data-driven recommendations.

3.5.4 Designing a dynamic sales dashboard to track McDonald's branch performance in real-time
Outline your approach to real-time data integration, metric selection, and visualization for operational decision support.

3.5.5 What kind of analysis would you conduct to recommend changes to the UI?
Describe your process for user journey mapping, behavioral segmentation, and deriving actionable recommendations for product improvement.

3.6 Behavioral Questions

3.6.1 Tell me about a time you used data to make a decision.
Focus on a situation where your analysis directly influenced a business outcome, detailing the recommendation and its impact.

3.6.2 Describe a challenging data project and how you handled it.
Share a story that highlights your problem-solving skills, perseverance, and how you overcame technical or stakeholder hurdles.

3.6.3 How do you handle unclear requirements or ambiguity?
Explain your approach to clarifying objectives, iterative communication, and ensuring alignment before moving forward.

3.6.4 Tell me about a time when your colleagues didn’t agree with your approach. What did you do to bring them into the conversation and address their concerns?
Demonstrate your collaboration and persuasion skills, focusing on how you facilitated consensus and adapted your strategy.

3.6.5 Describe a time you had to negotiate scope creep when two departments kept adding “just one more” request. How did you keep the project on track?
Showcase your prioritization, communication, and stakeholder management abilities in balancing competing demands.

3.6.6 When leadership demanded a quicker deadline than you felt was realistic, what steps did you take to reset expectations while still showing progress?
Discuss how you managed expectations, communicated risks, and delivered incremental value under pressure.

3.6.7 Tell me about a situation where you had to influence stakeholders without formal authority to adopt a data-driven recommendation.
Highlight your ability to build credibility, use data storytelling, and drive change without direct authority.

3.6.8 Describe a time you delivered critical insights even though 30% of the dataset had nulls. What analytical trade-offs did you make?
Explain your approach to data cleaning, handling missingness, and communicating uncertainty to stakeholders.

3.6.9 How do you prioritize multiple deadlines? Additionally, how do you stay organized when you have multiple deadlines?
Share your workflow for task management, prioritization frameworks, and tools that help you stay on track.

3.6.10 Give an example of automating recurrent data-quality checks so the same dirty-data crisis doesn’t happen again.
Describe the automation tools or scripts you built, the impact on team efficiency, and lessons learned for future projects.

4.1 Company-specific tips:

Relx operates across diverse industries, so it's essential to familiarize yourself with their major business lines—science, risk, legal, and business analytics. Take time to understand how Relx leverages data-driven decision tools to solve real-world problems for professional clients. This will help you tailor your answers to reflect the company's mission and values.

Review recent Relx initiatives, product launches, and strategic priorities by reading annual reports and press releases. Demonstrating knowledge of their current business landscape shows genuine interest and helps you connect your experience to their needs.

Understand the global nature of Relx’s operations. Be prepared to discuss how you would handle data challenges across different geographies, including localization, regulatory compliance, and multi-region reporting. This will highlight your readiness to work in a truly international environment.

4.2 Role-specific tips:

4.2.1 Brush up on data warehousing and scalable architecture design.
Expect technical questions around building and optimizing data warehouses, especially for scenarios involving multiple business units or international expansion. Practice explaining your approach to schema design, normalization, and handling evolving requirements. Be ready to discuss how you ensure data accessibility and integrity at scale.

4.2.2 Demonstrate expertise in ETL pipeline troubleshooting and optimization.
Relx values candidates who can efficiently diagnose and resolve ETL issues. Prepare examples of how you’ve handled repeated failures in data transformation pipelines, implemented root cause analysis, and improved reliability through logging and automated checks. Highlight your experience with both batch and real-time data ingestion.

4.2.3 Show your skills in data quality management.
Interviewers will probe your strategies for validating data, managing schema changes, and communicating quality issues with stakeholders. Prepare to discuss automated data-quality checks, bulk updates for large datasets, and trade-offs between speed and integrity. Real-world examples of preventing dirty-data crises will stand out.

4.2.4 Practice writing and explaining complex SQL queries.
You’ll likely be asked to write queries involving aggregation, window functions, and filtering on large datasets. Focus on clarity, performance optimization, and handling edge cases such as missing or inconsistent data. Be ready to walk through your logic step-by-step and explain your choices.

4.2.5 Be ready to design and critique dashboards for different audiences.
Relx wants BI professionals who can make data accessible and actionable. Prepare to discuss how you’d select metrics and visualizations for executive dashboards, operational reports, and non-technical users. Emphasize your ability to simplify complex findings and tailor insights for strategic decision-making.

4.2.6 Exhibit strong analytical problem-solving and experimentation skills.
Expect questions on designing A/B tests, evaluating experiment validity, and segmenting users for marketing or product initiatives. Practice articulating how you’d calculate sample sizes, mitigate bias, and communicate experiment results to both technical and business stakeholders.

4.2.7 Prepare impactful stories for behavioral questions.
Relx interviews often include scenarios about managing ambiguity, influencing stakeholders, and handling competing priorities. Reflect on past experiences where you delivered critical insights despite data challenges, negotiated scope creep, or built consensus without formal authority. Use the STAR method to structure your responses and demonstrate your leadership and adaptability.

4.2.8 Highlight your ability to connect analytics to business outcomes.
Relx seeks BI talent who can drive business strategy with data. Prepare to discuss how you’ve measured the impact of initiatives, balanced volume versus profitability, and recommended changes based on user journey analysis. Focus on how your insights have influenced real-world decisions and delivered measurable results.

4.2.9 Showcase your organizational skills and workflow management.
With multiple deadlines and stakeholders, staying organized is key. Be ready to share your approach to task prioritization, time management, and using frameworks or tools to keep projects on track. Concrete examples of handling high-pressure situations will reinforce your reliability.

4.2.10 Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement.
Relx values professionals who automate repetitive tasks and prevent recurring issues. Share examples of automating data-quality checks, monitoring processes, and implementing feedback loops. Show that you’re proactive about optimizing workflows and scaling solutions as business needs evolve.

5.1 How hard is the Relx Business Intelligence interview?
The Relx Business Intelligence interview is challenging and comprehensive, designed to assess both your technical depth and business acumen. You’ll be tested on data warehousing, ETL pipeline design, analytics experimentation, and your ability to communicate actionable insights to diverse audiences. Candidates who excel at translating complex data into strategic recommendations and have experience building scalable data solutions will find themselves well-prepared.

5.2 How many interview rounds does Relx have for Business Intelligence?
Relx typically conducts 4–6 interview rounds for Business Intelligence roles. The process includes a resume/application review, recruiter screen, technical/case/skills assessment, behavioral interviews, and a final onsite or virtual round, which may involve presentations or live demos. Each stage is designed to evaluate a different aspect of your fit for the role and the company.

5.3 Does Relx ask for take-home assignments for Business Intelligence?
Take-home assignments are sometimes included in the Relx Business Intelligence interview process, especially for roles requiring hands-on technical skills. These assignments may involve designing data models, building dashboards, or solving real-world analytics problems. The goal is to assess your approach to problem solving, technical proficiency, and ability to deliver actionable insights.

5.4 What skills are required for the Relx Business Intelligence?
Key skills for Relx Business Intelligence professionals include expertise in data warehousing, ETL pipeline design, advanced SQL, data modeling, and data visualization. Strong analytical problem-solving abilities, experience with experimentation (such as A/B testing), and the capability to communicate findings to both technical and non-technical stakeholders are essential. Familiarity with business strategy and the ability to connect analytics to business outcomes are highly valued.

5.5 How long does the Relx Business Intelligence hiring process take?
The typical hiring process for Relx Business Intelligence roles takes 3–5 weeks from initial application to final offer. Fast-track candidates with highly relevant experience may complete the process in as little as 2–3 weeks, while standard timelines allow for thorough technical and behavioral evaluation.

5.6 What types of questions are asked in the Relx Business Intelligence interview?
You can expect a mix of technical, analytical, and behavioral questions. Technical questions cover data warehousing, ETL troubleshooting, SQL querying, and dashboard design. Analytical questions may focus on experiment design, segmentation, and business impact measurement. Behavioral questions probe your collaboration, stakeholder management, and ability to deliver insights under ambiguity or pressure.

5.7 Does Relx give feedback after the Business Intelligence interview?
Relx typically provides feedback through recruiters, especially after final rounds. While detailed technical feedback may be limited, you can expect high-level insights about your performance and fit for the role. Candidates are encouraged to request feedback to support their professional growth.

5.8 What is the acceptance rate for Relx Business Intelligence applicants?
The Relx Business Intelligence position is competitive, with an estimated acceptance rate of 3–7% for qualified applicants. Strong technical skills, relevant industry experience, and the ability to communicate business impact through analytics will help you stand out in the selection process.

5.9 Does Relx hire remote Business Intelligence positions?
Yes, Relx offers remote opportunities for Business Intelligence roles, depending on team needs and business requirements. Some positions may require occasional office visits for collaboration, but remote work is increasingly supported across the company’s global operations.

• Related guides:
  • Relx interview questions
  • Business Intelligence interview guide
  • Top business intelligence interview tips

Ready to ace your Relx Business Intelligence interview? It’s not just about knowing the technical skills—you need to think like a Relx Business Intelligence professional, solve problems under pressure, and connect your expertise to real business impact. That’s where Interview Query comes in with company-specific learning paths, mock interviews, and curated question banks tailored toward roles at Relx and similar companies.

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