Alex Lee Developer Exercise

A full-stack application built with .NET 8 and React.js, showcasing technical skills through algorithm implementation, SQL Server database management, and modern web development practices with enterprise-ready deployments.

🎯 Project Overview

This project addresses the Alex Lee Developer Technical Screening requirements with a comprehensive solution featuring:

Backend: .NET 8 WebAPI with CQRS pattern, EF Core, and SQL Server Express
Frontend: React.js SPA with modern state management and Alex Lee branding
Algorithms: C# extension methods with cross-platform file search
Database: SQL Server Express in Docker with stored procedures and original SQLExerciseScript.sql data
DevOps: Docker containers with volume mounting for Windows/Linux compatibility

🗄️ SQL Server Express Integration

NEW: This project now uses SQL Server Express instead of SQLite, providing:

✅ Enterprise-grade database running in Docker containers
✅ Stored procedures implementing SQL Exercise questions #4-6
✅ Automatic database initialization using provided SQLExerciseScript.sql
✅ Cross-platform file search with Windows volume mounting
✅ Production-ready deployment with health checks and monitoring

📖 Complete SQL Server Integration Guide

🏗️ Architecture

alex-lee/
├── backend/                    # .NET 8 WebAPI
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── AlexLee.Api/        # WebAPI controllers & middleware
│   │   ├── AlexLee.Application/ # CQRS commands/queries  
│   │   ├── AlexLee.Domain/     # Domain models (records)
│   │   ├── AlexLee.Infrastructure/ # EF Core & SQL Server
│   │   └── AlexLee.Algorithms/ # Enhanced file search utilities
│   ├── scripts/                # SQL Server initialization scripts
│   └── Dockerfile              # Multi-stage build with SQL Server support
├── frontend/                   # React.js SPA with Alex Lee branding
├── SQLExerciseScript.sql       # Original SQL Server data script
├── sql-server.sh               # SQL Server management helper script
└── docker-compose.yml          # SQL Server Express environment

✅ Solved Problems

C# Problems (Completed ✅)

String Interleaving - Extension method with 8 unit tests
Palindrome Checker - Extension method with case/punctuation handling (8 tests)
Parallel File Search - Enhanced with Windows/Docker cross-platform support (5 tests)

SQL Problems (Implemented with Stored Procedures ✅)

Line Numbering - GetPurchaseDetailsWithLineNumbers stored procedure
Duplicate Detection - GetDuplicatePurchaseDetails stored procedure
Stored Procedure Integration - Direct EF Core stored procedure calls

React Problems (Completed ✅)

Purchase Detail Grid - Professional UI with Alex Lee styling and filtering
Create/Update Modal - Form validation with CRUD operations

🚀 Quick Start

SQL Server Express Environment (Recommended)

Using Helper Script (Linux/macOS/WSL):

# Make script executable
chmod +x sql-server.sh

# Start full SQL Server Express environment  
./dev.sh dev

# Check SQL Server status
./dev.sh sql-status

# Test API endpoints including stored procedures
./dev.sh test-api

# Access SQL Server shell for manual queries
./dev.sh sql-shell

Using Docker Compose Directly:

# Development with SQL Server Express
docker-compose up --build

# Production environment
./dev.sh prod
# OR: docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

Access Points

Frontend: http://localhost:3000 (Alex Lee styled React app)
Backend API: http://localhost:5000
Swagger Documentation: http://localhost:5000/swagger
SQL Server: localhost:1433 (SA/P@ssw0rd123!)

🗃️ SQL Server Features

Database Structure

-- Automatically created from SQLExerciseScript.sql
CREATE TABLE dbo.PurchaseDetailItem (
    PurchaseDetailItemAutoId BIGINT IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL,
    PurchaseOrderNumber VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL,
    ItemNumber INT NOT NULL,
    ItemName VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    ItemDescription VARCHAR(250),
    PurchasePrice DECIMAL(10,2) NOT NULL,
    PurchaseQuantity INT NOT NULL,
    LastModifiedByUser VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
    LastModifiedDateTime DATETIME NOT NULL
);

API Endpoints for SQL Exercises

# Question #6: Purchase details with line numbers
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/purchasedetails/with-line-numbers"

# Question #5: Duplicate detection
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/purchasedetails/duplicates"

# Summary with stored procedure info
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/purchasedetails/summary"

Stored Procedures

GetPurchaseDetailsWithLineNumbers - Implements ROW_NUMBER() for Question #4
GetDuplicatePurchaseDetails - Identifies duplicates for Question #5
CheckDatabaseReady - Health check utility

📁 Enhanced File Search (Problem #3)

Cross-platform file search with Windows/Docker support:

Volume Mounting Strategy

# Mounts Windows C:/Users to /app/search-files/windows in container
volumes:
  - /mnt/c/Users/meyer/Desktop:/app/search-files/windows:ro

API Usage

# Get available search paths (Windows/Docker aware)
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/algorithms/file-search/available-paths"

# Search in mounted Windows directory
curl -X POST "http://localhost:5000/api/algorithms/file-search" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"searchTerm":"TODO","directoryPath":"/app/search-files/windows/Documents"}'

🧪 Testing

Backend Tests (29 passing)

# Using helper script
./dev.sh dev
sleep 10  # Wait for SQL Server
./dev.sh test-api

# Manual testing  
cd backend && dotnet test --verbosity normal

Test Categories

String Extensions: 8 test cases
Palindrome Logic: 8 test cases
File Search: 5 test cases with cross-platform support
Integration Tests: 8 test cases

SQL Server Verification

# Manual SQL Server testing
./dev.sh sql-shell

# In SQL shell:
USE AlexLeeDB;
EXEC dbo.GetPurchaseDetailsWithLineNumbers;
EXEC dbo.GetDuplicatePurchaseDetails;

📋 Complete Requirements Checklist

✅ C# Problems (Completed)

Problem 1: String interleaving with unit tests
Problem 2: Palindrome checker with comprehensive test cases
Problem 3: Parallel file search with Windows/Docker volume support

✅ SQL Problems (Implemented)

Problem 4: ROW_NUMBER() line numbering via stored procedure
Problem 5: Duplicate detection via stored procedure
Problem 6: Stored procedure integration with EF Core

✅ React Problems (Completed)

Problem 7: Purchase detail grid with Alex Lee styling and filtering
Problem 8: Modal CRUD operations with form validation

✅ Technical Implementation

SQL Server Express: Docker containerized with health checks
Database Initialization: Automatic SQLExerciseScript.sql loading
CQRS Pattern: Commands/Queries with MediatR
Domain Models: Immutable records pattern
Cross-platform Support: Windows volume mounting in Docker
Production Deployment: Docker Compose orchestration
Comprehensive Testing: 29 unit tests + API integration tests

🛠️ Technology Stack

Backend:

.NET 8 WebAPI
SQL Server Express 2022
Entity Framework Core 9
MediatR (CQRS pattern)
xUnit with 29 test cases

Frontend:

React 18 + TypeScript
Alex Lee Corporate Branding
React Query for state management
Professional UI components

Infrastructure:

Docker + SQL Server Express
Cross-platform volume mounting
Health checks and monitoring
Production-ready orchestration

📊 API Documentation

Core Endpoints

Swagger: http://localhost:5000/swagger
Health: http://localhost:5000/health
Purchase Details: http://localhost:5000/api/purchasedetails

SQL Exercise Endpoints

Line Numbers: GET /api/purchasedetails/with-line-numbers
Duplicates: GET /api/purchasedetails/duplicates
Summary: GET /api/purchasedetails/summary

Algorithm Endpoints

String Interleave: POST /api/algorithms/string-interleave
Palindrome Check: POST /api/algorithms/palindrome-check
File Search: POST /api/algorithms/file-search
Available Paths: GET /api/algorithms/file-search/available-paths

🎨 Alex Lee Branding Integration

The frontend features authentic Alex Lee corporate styling:

Professional Typography: Corporate font family
Brand Colors: Blue (#0074bc) and gold (#e8b441) color scheme
Triangular Design Elements: Inspired by Alex Lee visual identity
Responsive Layout: Desktop and mobile optimized
Production Polish: Professional UI/UX with loading states

🔧 Development & Management

SQL Server Management Commands

./dev.sh dev         # Start development environment
./dev.sh sql-status  # Check SQL Server health
./dev.sh sql-shell   # Interactive SQL Server shell  
./dev.sh backup-db   # Backup database
./dev.sh logs        # Show application logs
./dev.sh clean       # Full cleanup

Development Workflow

# Start complete environment
./dev.sh dev

# Make changes to code...

# Test changes
./dev.sh test-api

# View logs  
./dev.sh logs

# SQL debugging
./dev.sh sql-shell

📈 Production Deployment

Production-ready features:

SQL Server Express with persistent volumes
Health checks for all services
Multi-stage Docker builds for optimal image sizes
Windows file system volume mounting
Comprehensive logging and monitoring

# Start production environment
./dev.sh prod

# Check production status
docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml ps

🏆 Project Completion Status

This Alex Lee Developer Exercise is COMPLETE with enterprise-grade implementation:

✅ All 8 Problems Solved - C#, SQL, and React requirements met
✅ SQL Server Express Integration - Production database with stored procedures
✅ Cross-platform File Search - Windows/Docker volume mounting
✅ Professional UI - Alex Lee corporate branding and styling
✅ Production Deployment - Docker orchestration with health monitoring
✅ Comprehensive Testing - 29 unit tests + API integration verification

📚 Documentation

SQL Server Integration Guide - Complete SQL Server setup and usage
Docker Documentation - Container deployment guide
Progress Tracking - Development history and milestones

Author: Adam Jacob Meyer
Repository: github.com/ajacobm/alex-lee
Exercise: Alex Lee Developer Technical Screening - SQL Server Express Edition

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 27 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
.goose/memory		.goose/memory
backend		backend
frontend		frontend
prep		prep
.gitignore		.gitignore
ALI_Dev_Exercise.pdf		ALI_Dev_Exercise.pdf
DOCKER.md		DOCKER.md
Makefile		Makefile
PROGRESS.md		PROGRESS.md
PROJECT_SUMMARY.md		PROJECT_SUMMARY.md
README.md		README.md
SQLExerciseScript.sql		SQLExerciseScript.sql
SQL_SERVER_INTEGRATION.md		SQL_SERVER_INTEGRATION.md
TELEMETRY_CONSOLE_FIX.md		TELEMETRY_CONSOLE_FIX.md
dev.sh		dev.sh
docker-compose.prod.yml		docker-compose.prod.yml
docker-compose.yml		docker-compose.yml
docker.sh		docker.sh
packages-microsoft-prod.deb		packages-microsoft-prod.deb
rebuild-with-telemetry.sh		rebuild-with-telemetry.sh

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