How to Master the SQL Bond Challenge with Hologres: A Step‑by‑Step Guide

1. Event Time

August 1 – September 1 00:00, participants claim free resources on the competition page, execute SQL on Hologres, and submit screenshots of the execution results and the original SQL. Submissions are visible only to the participant during the review period.

During the event, participants can invite others to like their work, which serves as a basis for the popularity award.

Before September 10, the organizer announces the complete list of winners.

2. Prize Pool

First prize: Alibaba Cloud custom Tmall Genie; Second prize: backpack; Third prize: Xiaomi power bank; Participation prize: limited to 500 items (ton ton bucket). Prizes are awarded based on the number of likes received.

3. Event Address

https://developer.aliyun.com/topic/freetier/hologres

4. Event Process

Step 1: Claim Free Trial

Visit the event page and claim Hologres, DataWorks, and MaxCompute resources in the free‑trial section. Note that you must complete personal or enterprise real‑name verification, can only apply for a trial once per product, and cannot re‑apply if you have previously purchased the product.

After clicking "Start Trial", if you have not created a VPC and switch, you need to create them in the console, selecting the Shanghai Availability Zone E.

Refresh the page to confirm successful claim.

Step 2: Create Hologres Database

Enter the Hologres console, open the instance details, and log in to the instance.

Click "Database", create a new database, and provide a name.

Step 3: Create Foreign Table and Query Data

Run the following DDL in the SQL editor to create a foreign table:

DROP FOREIGN TABLE IF EXISTS dwd_github_events_odps;</code><code>IMPORT FOREIGN SCHEMA "maxcompute_public_data#github_events" LIMIT to</code><code>(</code><code>    dwd_github_events_odps</code><code>) FROM SERVER odps_server INTO public OPTIONS(if_table_exist 'error',if_unsupported_type 'error');

The foreign table metadata is shown below:

Step 4: Write Data‑Analysis SQL

Compose an analysis query in the SQL editor, for example to find the most active GitHub projects yesterday:

SELECT</code><code>    repo_name,</code><code>    COUNT(*) AS events</code><code>FROM</code><code>    dwd_github_events_odps</code><code>WHERE</code><code>    ds >= (CURRENT_DATE - interval '1 day')::text</code><code>GROUP BY</code><code>    repo_name</code><code>ORDER BY</code><code>    events DESC</code><code>LIMIT 5;

Capture a complete screenshot of the SQL and its result for submission.

Step 5: Upload Your Work

On the competition page, upload the screenshot, and provide a brief description of the analysis scenario.

Step 6: Invite Friends to Like Your Submission

After submission, the review takes 1–2 business days. Approved works are displayed publicly; you can share the link to gather likes, which affect the popularity award.

Step 7: Real‑Time Analysis (Optional)

The foreign table stores about seven years of historical data and updates daily. For real‑time analysis, a real‑time data source is provided; follow the tutorial at https://developer.aliyun.com/article/1286178 and submit results as described above.

5. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I am already a Hologres user or have claimed a free trial—can I still join?

A: Existing Hologres users can use their current instance, or enable pay‑as‑you‑go billing (minimum 8C32G).

Q: Why can’t I claim a free trial?

A: Ensure you have completed real‑name verification, you have not applied for the same product before, and you have no prior paid purchase of the product.

Q: My submission stays in “review” status.

A: Review takes 1–2 business days; if the submission does not meet the competition requirements, it will be rejected.

Learn more about Hologres at https://www.aliyun.com/product/bigdata/hologram.