Leetcode #1098: Unpopular Books
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #1098 Unpopular Books in Python and focus on the core idea that makes the solution efficient.
You will see the intuition, the step-by-step method, and a clean Python implementation you can use in interviews.
Problem Statement
Table: Books +----------------+---------+ | Column Name | Type | +----------------+---------+ | book_id | int | | name | varchar | | available_from | date | +----------------+---------+ book_id is the primary key (column with unique values) of this table. Table: Orders +----------------+---------+ | Column Name | Type | +----------------+---------+ | order_id | int | | book_id | int | | quantity | int | | dispatch_date | date | +----------------+---------+ order_id is the primary key (column with unique values) of this table.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Medium
- Premium: Yes
- Tags: Database
Intuition
The task is relational in nature, which maps cleanly to DataFrame operations in Python.
By treating tables as DataFrames, joins and group-bys become concise and readable.
Approach
Load the inputs as DataFrames and apply the appropriate merge, filter, or group-by.
Select or rename the columns to match the required output.
Steps:
- Load inputs as DataFrames.
- Apply merge/groupby/filter operations.
- Select the output columns.
Example
+----------------+---------+
| Column Name | Type |
+----------------+---------+
| book_id | int |
| name | varchar |
| available_from | date |
+----------------+---------+
book_id is the primary key (column with unique values) of this table.
Python Solution
import duckdb
import pandas as pd
def solution(books: pd.DataFrame, orders: pd.DataFrame) -> pd.DataFrame:
con = duckdb.connect()
con.register("Books", books)
con.register("Orders", orders)
return con.execute("""SELECT book_id, name
FROM
Books
LEFT JOIN Orders USING (book_id)
WHERE available_from < '2019-05-23'
GROUP BY 1
HAVING SUM(IF(dispatch_date >= '2018-06-23', quantity, 0)) < 10;""").df()
Complexity
The time complexity is O(n log n) (typical). The space complexity is O(n).
Edge Cases and Pitfalls
Watch for boundary values, empty inputs, and duplicate values where applicable. If the problem involves ordering or constraints, confirm the invariant is preserved at every step.
Summary
This Python solution focuses on the essential structure of the problem and keeps the implementation interview-friendly while meeting the constraints.