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MongoDBquery~5 mins

$avg accumulator in MongoDB

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Introduction

The $avg accumulator helps you find the average value of numbers in a group. It makes it easy to calculate the mean without doing math yourself.

You want to find the average score of students in a class.
You need to calculate the average price of products in a category.
You want to know the average rating of movies in a collection.
You want to find the average temperature recorded each day.
You want to calculate the average sales amount per salesperson.
Syntax
MongoDB
{ $avg: <expression> }

The <expression> is usually a field name that holds numbers.

You use $avg inside aggregation stages like $group.

Examples
Calculate the average of the score field values.
MongoDB
{ $avg: "$score" }
Calculate the average of the price field and the number 10.
MongoDB
{ $avg: [ "$price", 10 ] }
Sample Program

This query groups students by their class and calculates the average score for each class.

MongoDB
db.students.aggregate([
  {
    $group: {
      _id: "$class",
      averageScore: { $avg: "$score" }
    }
  }
])
OutputSuccess
Important Notes

If the field has no numeric values, $avg returns null.

You can use $avg with arrays by passing an array of expressions.

Summary

$avg calculates the average of numeric values in a group.

It is used inside aggregation pipelines, mostly with $group.

It helps quickly find mean values without manual calculations.

Practice

(1/5)
1. What does the $avg accumulator do in a MongoDB aggregation pipeline?
easy
A. Calculates the average value of numeric fields in grouped documents
B. Counts the total number of documents in a collection
C. Finds the maximum value in a group of documents
D. Sorts documents in ascending order

Solution

  1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of $avg

    The $avg accumulator is designed to calculate the mean (average) of numeric values within grouped documents in an aggregation pipeline.
  2. Step 2: Compare with other accumulators

    Other accumulators like $sum, $max, and $count perform different tasks, so $avg specifically calculates averages.
  3. Final Answer:

    Calculates the average value of numeric fields in grouped documents -> Option A
  4. Quick Check:

    $avg = average calculation [OK]
Hint: Remember: $avg means average, not count or max [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Confusing $avg with $sum or $count
  • Thinking $avg sorts data
  • Assuming $avg works outside aggregation
2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to calculate the average of the field score in a MongoDB aggregation $group stage?
easy
A. { $group: { _id: null, avgScore: { $average: "$score" } } }
B. { $group: { _id: null, avgScore: { $avg: "$score" } } }
C. { $group: { _id: null, avgScore: { avg: "$score" } } }
D. { $group: { _id: null, avgScore: { $sum: "$score" } } }

Solution

  1. Step 1: Identify the correct accumulator name

    The correct MongoDB accumulator for average is $avg, not $average or avg.
  2. Step 2: Check the syntax structure

    The syntax requires the field name as a string with a $ prefix inside $avg, and the whole inside a $group stage with an _id.
  3. Final Answer:

    { $group: { _id: null, avgScore: { $avg: "$score" } } } -> Option B
  4. Quick Check:

    Correct syntax uses $avg with field string [OK]
Hint: Use $avg exactly, with field as "$fieldName" [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using $average instead of $avg
  • Omitting quotes around field name
  • Using $sum instead of $avg
3. Given the collection students with documents:
{ "name": "Alice", "score": 80 }, { "name": "Bob", "score": 90 }, { "name": "Charlie", "score": 70 }

What will be the output of this aggregation?
[{ $group: { _id: null, averageScore: { $avg: "$score" } } }]
medium
A. [{ "_id": null, "averageScore": 240 }]
B. [{ "_id": null, "averageScore": 70 }]
C. [{ "_id": null, "averageScore": 80 }]
D. [{ "_id": null, "averageScore": 90 }]

Solution

  1. Step 1: Calculate the sum of scores

    Sum = 80 + 90 + 70 = 240.
  2. Step 2: Calculate the average

    Average = 240 / 3 = 80.
  3. Final Answer:

    [{ "_id": null, "averageScore": 80 }] -> Option C
  4. Quick Check:

    Average of 80, 90, 70 = 80 [OK]
Hint: Add all scores, divide by count for average [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using sum instead of average
  • Picking minimum or maximum score
  • Forgetting to divide by number of documents
4. Consider this aggregation pipeline:
[{ $group: { _id: "$class", avgScore: { $avg: score } } }]

What is the error in this pipeline?
medium
A. Cannot use $avg inside $group
B. Missing $match stage before $group
C. The _id field cannot be "$class"
D. Field name 'score' should be a string with $ prefix: "$score"

Solution

  1. Step 1: Check the field reference inside $avg

    The field name must be a string with a $ prefix, so it should be "$score", not score.
  2. Step 2: Validate other parts of the pipeline

    Using "$class" as _id is valid, and $avg is allowed inside $group. $match is optional.
  3. Final Answer:

    Field name 'score' should be a string with $ prefix: "$score" -> Option D
  4. Quick Check:

    Field names in $avg need "$field" format [OK]
Hint: Always quote field names with $ in accumulators [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using unquoted field names inside $avg
  • Thinking $match is mandatory before $group
  • Believing _id cannot be a field name
5. You have a collection sales with documents:
{ "region": "North", "amount": 100 }, { "region": "South", "amount": 200 }, { "region": "North", "amount": 300 }, { "region": "South", "amount": 400 }

Write an aggregation pipeline to find the average sales amount per region and identify the region with the highest average sales.
hard
A. [{ $group: { _id: "$region", avgAmount: { $avg: "$amount" } } }, { $sort: { avgAmount: -1 } }, { $limit: 1 }]
B. [{ $group: { _id: "$region", avgAmount: { $sum: "$amount" } } }, { $sort: { avgAmount: 1 } }]
C. [{ $group: { _id: "$region", avgAmount: { $avg: "$amount" } } }, { $match: { avgAmount: { $gt: 300 } } }]
D. [{ $group: { _id: "$region", avgAmount: { $avg: "$amount" } } }, { $sort: { avgAmount: 1 } }, { $limit: 1 }]

Solution

  1. Step 1: Group by region and calculate average

    Use $group with _id: "$region" and $avg: "$amount" to get average sales per region.
  2. Step 2: Sort descending by average and limit to top

    Sort by avgAmount descending (-1) to get highest average first, then limit to 1 document.
  3. Final Answer:

    [{ $group: { _id: "$region", avgAmount: { $avg: "$amount" } } }, { $sort: { avgAmount: -1 } }, { $limit: 1 }] -> Option A
  4. Quick Check:

    Group, sort descending, limit 1 = highest average [OK]
Hint: Group by region, avg, sort desc, limit 1 for highest [OK]
Common Mistakes:
  • Using $sum instead of $avg for average
  • Sorting ascending to get highest average
  • Not limiting results to top 1
Recommended

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