Differentiating Full Refund vs Partial Refund

In this article, we will explore how to differentiate between full refund and partial refund. We will discuss the data structures and algorithms required to solve this problem.

Background

When a customer places an order, they pay for the items in their cart. If the payment is successful, the system refunds the amount paid back to the customer. However, there may be cases where only part of the payment is refunded due to various reasons such as item returns or exchanges.

We have two tables: Order Header and Order Line. The Order Header table contains information about the order, including the order date, customer ID, order type, amount, and reason code. The Order Line table contains information about each line item in the order, including the item number, quantity, and line amount.

Data Structures

We can represent the data from both tables using the following data structures:

Order Header Table

Field Name	Description
OrderId	Unique identifier for the order
OrderDate	Date when the order was placed
CustomerId	Identifier for the customer who made the order
OrderGuid	Guid for the order
OrderType	Type of order (e.g., sales, credit)
Amount	Total amount paid by the customer
ReasonCode	Code indicating the reason for the refund

Order Line Table

Field Name	Description
OrderId	Unique identifier for the order line
CustomerId	Identifier for the customer who made the order
OrderDate	Date when the item was shipped or returned
OrderGuid	Guid for the order line
ItemNo	Number of the item in the order
Quantity	Quantity of the item ordered
LineAmount	Amount of the item in the order

Algorithm

To differentiate between full refund and partial refund, we need to calculate the total amount refunded and compare it with the original amount paid by the customer.

Calculate Total Amount Refunded: We need to sum up all the line amounts that were refunded for a particular order.
Check if Full Refund: If the total amount refunded is equal to or greater than the original amount paid, then we consider it as a full refund.
Check if Partial Refund: Otherwise, we check how much of the payment was refunded by comparing the total amount refunded with the original amount paid.

SQL Query

We can use the following SQL query to solve this problem:

SELECT 
    o.OrderId,
    o.OrderDate,
    o.CustomerId,
    ol.ItemNo,
    ol.Quantity,
    ol.LineAmount,
    CASE 
        WHEN SUM(ol.LineAmount) = o.Amount THEN 'Full Refund'
        ELSE 'Partial Refund'
    END AS RefundStatus
FROM 
    OrderLine ol
JOIN 
    OrderHeader o ON ol.OrderId = o.OrderId
GROUP BY 
    o.OrderId, o.OrderDate, o.CustomerId, ol.ItemNo, ol.Quantity, ol.LineAmount;

This query joins the OrderLine and OrderHeader tables based on their common fields. It then groups the result by order ID, date, customer ID, item number, quantity, and line amount.

In the CASE statement, we compare the sum of all line amounts with the original amount paid. If they are equal or greater, we consider it as a full refund; otherwise, it is considered as a partial refund.

Example Use Case

Suppose we have an order with two line items:

OrderId	CustomerId	ItemNo	Quantity	LineAmount
1	1	A	2	100
1	1	B	3	300

The total amount paid by the customer is $400. If we refund $200, it would be considered as a partial refund.

Using the SQL query above:

OrderId	OrderDate	CustomerId	ItemNo	Quantity	LineAmount	RefundStatus
1	2018-07-15	1	A	2	100	Partial Refund
1	2018-07-15	1	B	3	300	Partial Refund

In this case, the total amount refunded ($200) is less than the original amount paid ($400), so it is considered as a partial refund.

Conclusion

In conclusion, differentiating between full refund and partial refund requires calculating the total amount refunded and comparing it with the original amount paid. By using SQL queries and understanding the data structures involved, we can solve this problem efficiently and accurately.

Last modified on 2023-07-09