How can we structure complex multi-stage analytical queries using WITH clauses (CTEs) in spark.sql()?
CTEs break down complex transformations into readable, modular logical blocks that Catalyst optimizes into a single unified plan.
Simplifying recursive or multi-tier aggregation pipelines for financial reporting and user retention models.
query = """WITH regional_sales AS (SELECT region, SUM(amount) AS total_revenue FROM v_sales_transactions GROUP BY region), ranked_regions AS (SELECT region, total_revenue, DENSE_RANK() OVER (ORDER BY total_revenue DESC) AS rnk FROM regional_sales) SELECT region, total_revenue FROM ranked_regions WHERE rnk <= 5"""
df_top_regions = spark.sql(query)Practice typing production-grade PySpark code for Common Table Expressions (CTEs) in Spark SQL.