ORACLE SQL PL/SQL Interview Questions

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of queries ?

Answer: The types of queries are:
Normal Queries
Sub Queries
Co-related queries
Nested queries
Compound queries
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is a transaction ?
Answer: A transaction is a set of SQL statements between any two COMMIT and ROLLBACK
statements.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is implicit cursor and how is it used by Oracle ?
Answer: An implicit cursor is a cursor which is internally created by Oracle.It is created by
Oracle for each individual SQL.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which of the following is not a schema object : Indexes, tables, public synonyms, triggers and
packages ?
Answer: Public synonyms
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is PL/SQL?
Answer: PL/SQL is Oracle's Procedural Language extension to SQL.The language includes
object oriented programming techniques such as encapsulation, function overloading,
information hiding (all but inheritance), and so, brings state-of-the-art programming to the
Oracle database server and a variety of Oracle tools.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is there a PL/SQL Engine in SQL*Plus?
Answer: No.Unlike Oracle Forms, SQL*Plus does not have a PL/SQL engine.Thus, all your
PL/SQL are send directly to the database engine for execution.This makes it much more efficient
as SQL statements are not stripped off and send to the database individually.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is there a limit on the size of a PL/SQL block?

Answer: Currently, the maximum parsed/compiled size of a PL/SQL block is 64K and the
maximum code size is 100K.You can run the following select statement to query the size of an
existing package or procedure. SQL> select * from dba_object_size where name =
'procedure_name'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can one read/write files from PL/SQL?
Answer: Included in Oracle 7.3 is a UTL_FILE package that can read and write files.The
directory you intend writing to has to be in your INIT.ORA file (see
UTL_FILE_DIR=...parameter).
Before Oracle 7.3 the only means of writing a file was to use DBMS_OUTPUT with the
SQL*Plus SPOOL command.
DECLARE
fileHandler UTL_FILE.FILE_TYPE;
BEGIN
fileHandler := UTL_FILE.FOPEN('/home/oracle/tmp', 'myoutput','W');
UTL_FILE.PUTF(fileHandler, 'Value of func1 is %sn', func1(1));
UTL_FILE.FCLOSE(fileHandler);
END;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How can I protect my PL/SQL source code?
Answer: PL/SQL V2.2, available with Oracle7.2, implements a binary wrapper for PL/SQL
programs to protect the source code.This is done via a standalone utility that transforms the
PL/SQL source code into portable binary object code (somewhat larger than the original).This
way you can distribute software without having to worry about exposing your proprietary
algorithms and methods.SQL*Plus and SQL*DBA will still understand and know how to
execute such scripts.Just be careful, there is no "decode" command available. The syntax
is:
wrap name=myscript.sql
oname=xxxx.yyy
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can one use dynamic SQL within PL/SQL? OR Can you use a DDL in a procedure ? How ?
Answer: From PL/SQL V2.1 one can use the DBMS_SQL package to execute dynamic SQL
statements.
Eg: CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE DYNSQL AS
cur integer;
rc integer;

BEGIN
cur := DBMS_SQL.OPEN_CURSOR;
DBMS_SQL.PARSE(cur,'CREATE TABLE X (Y DATE)',
DBMS_SQL.NATIVE);
rc := DBMS_SQL.EXECUTE(cur);
DBMS_SQL.CLOSE_CURSOR(cur);
END;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of Exceptions ?
Answer: User defined and Predefined Exceptions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can we define exceptions twice in same block ?
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between a procedure and a function ?
Answer: Functions return a single variable by value whereas procedures do not return any
variable by value.Rather they return multiple variables by passing variables by reference through
their OUT parameter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you have two functions with the same name in a PL/SQL block ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you have two stored functions with the same name ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you call a stored function in the constraint of a table ?
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of parameter modes in a procedure ?

Answer: IN, OUT AND INOUT.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Over Loading and what are its restrictions ?
Answer: OverLoading means an object performing different functions depending upon the no.of
parameters or the data type of the parameters passed to it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can functions be overloaded ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can 2 functions have same name & input parameters but differ only by return datatype
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the constructs of a procedure, function or a package ?
Answer: The constructs of a procedure, function or a package are :
variables and constants
cursors
exceptions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Why Create or Replace and not Drop and recreate procedures ?
Answer: So that Grants are not dropped.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you pass parameters in packages ? How ?
Answer: Yes.You can pass parameters to procedures or functions in a package.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the parts of a database trigger ?
Answer: The parts of a trigger are:
A triggering event or statement
A trigger restriction
A trigger action
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are the various types of database triggers ?

Answer: There are 12 types of triggers, they are combination of :
Insert, Delete and Update Triggers.
Before and After Triggers.
Row and Statement Triggers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the advantage of a stored procedure over a database trigger ?
Answer: We have control over the firing of a stored procedure but we have no control over the
firing of a trigger.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the maximum no.of statements that can be specified in a trigger statement ?
Answer: One.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can views be specified in a trigger statement ?
Answer: No
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the values of :new and :old in Insert/Delete/Update Triggers ?
Answer: INSERT : new = new value, old = NULL
DELETE : new = NULL, old = old value
UPDATE : new = new value, old = old value
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are cascading triggers? What is the maximum no of cascading triggers at a time?
Answer: When a statement in a trigger body causes another trigger to be fired, the triggers are
said to be cascading.Max = 32.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are mutating triggers ?
Answer: A trigger giving a SELECT on the table on which the trigger is written.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are constraining triggers ?

Answer: A trigger giving an Insert/Updat e on a table having referential integrity constraint on

the triggering table.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Describe Oracle database's physical and logical structure ?
Answer:
Physical : Data files, Redo Log files, Control file.
Logical : Tables, Views, Tablespaces, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you increase the size of a tablespace ? How ?
Answer: Yes, by adding datafiles to it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you increase the size of datafiles ? How ?
Answer: No (for Oracle 7.0)
Yes (for Oracle 7.3 by using the Resize clause )
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the use of Control files ?
Answer: Contains pointers to locations of various data files, redo log files, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the use of Data Dictionary ?
Answer: It Used by Oracle to store information about various physical and logical Oracle
structures e.g.Tables, Tablespaces, datafiles, etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the advantages of clusters ?
Answer: Access time reduced for joins.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the disadvantages of clusters ?
Answer: The time for Insert increases.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can Long/Long RAW be clustered ?

Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can null keys be entered in cluster index, normal index ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can Check constraint be used for self referential integrity ? How ?
Answer: Yes.In the CHECK condition for a column of a table, we can reference some other
column of the same table and thus enforce self referential integrity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the min.extents allocated to a rollback extent ?
Answer: Two
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the states of a rollback segment ? What is the difference between partly available and
needs recovery ?
Answer: The various states of a rollback segment are :
ONLINE
OFFLINE
PARTLY AVAILABLE
NEEDS RECOVERY
INVALID.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between unique key and primary key ?
Answer: Unique key can be null; Primary key cannot be null.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------An insert statement followed by a create table statement followed by rollback ? Will the rows be
inserted ?
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you define multiple savepoints ?

Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you Rollback to any savepoint ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the maximum no.of columns a table can have ?
Answer: 254.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the significance of the & and && operators in PL SQL ?
Answer: The & operator means that the PL SQL block requires user input for a variable.The &&
operator means that the value of this variable should be the same as inputted by the user
previously for this same variable
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you pass a parameter to a cursor ?
Answer: Explicit cursors can take parameters, as the example below shows.A cursor parameter
can appear in a query wherever a constant can appear.
CURSOR c1 (median IN NUMBER) IS
SELECT job, ename FROM emp WHERE sal > median;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of RollBack Segments ?
Answer: The types of Rollback sagments are as follows :
Public Available to all instances
Private Available to specific instance
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you use %RowCount as a parameter to a cursor ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is the query below allowed :

Select sal, ename Into x From emp Where ename = 'KING' (Where x is a record of Number(4)
and Char(15))
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is the assignment given below allowed :
ABC = PQR (Where ABC and PQR are records)
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is this for loop allowed : For x in &Start..&End Loop
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How many rows will the following SQL return : Select * from emp Where rownum < 10;
Answer: 9 rows
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How many rows will the following SQL return : Select * from emp Where rownum = 10;
Answer: No rows
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which symbol preceeds the path to the table in the remote database ?
Answer: @
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Are views automatically updated when base tables are updated ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can a trigger written for a view ?
Answer: No
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If all the values from a cursor have been fetched and another fetch is issued, the output will be :
error, last record or first record ?

Answer: Last Record

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A table has the following data : [[5, Null, 10]].What will the average function return ?
Answer: 7.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is Sysdate a system variable or a system function?
Answer: System Function
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Consider a sequence whose currval is 1 and gets incremented by 1 by using the nextval reference
we get the next number 2.Suppose at this point we issue an rollback and again issue a
nextval.What will the output be ?
Answer: 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Definition of relational DataBase by Dr.Codd (IBM)?
Answer: A Relational Database is a database where all data visible to the user is organized
strictly as tables of data values and where all database operations work on these tables.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Multi Threaded Server (MTA) ?
Answer: In a Single Threaded Architecture (or a dedicated server configuration) the database
manager creates a separate process for each database user.But in MTA the database manager can
assign multiple users (multiple user processes) to a single dispatcher (server process), a
controlling process that queues request for work thus reducing the databases memory
requirement and resources.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which are initial RDBMS, Hierarchical & N/w database ?
Answer:
RDBMS - R system
Hierarchical - IMS
N/W - DBTG
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Difference between Oracle 6 and Oracle 7

Answer:
ORACLE 7
ORACLE 6
Cost based optimizer
Rule based optimizer
Shared SQL Area
SQL area allocated for each user
Multi Threaded Server
Single Threaded Server
Hash Clusters
Only B-Tree indexing
Roll back Size
Adjustment No provision
Truncate command
No provision
Distributed Database
Distributed Query
Table replication & snapshots
No provision
Client/Server Tech
No provision
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Functional Dependency?
Answer: Given a relation R, attribute Y of R is functionally dependent on attribute X of R if and
only if each X-value has associated with it precisely one -Y value in R
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Auditing ?
Answer: The database has the ability to audit all actions that take place within it. a) Login
attempts, b) Object Accesss, c) Database Action Result of Greatest(1,NULL) or Least(1,NULL)
NULL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------While designing in client/server what are the 2 imp.things to be considered ?
Answer: Network Overhead (traffic), Speed and Load of client server
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the disadvantages of SQL ?
Answer: Disadvantages of SQL are :
Cannot drop a field
Cannot rename a field
Cannot manage memory
Procedural Language option not provided
Index on view or index on index not provided
View updation problem
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When to create indexes ?

Answer: To be created when table is queried for less than 2% or 4% to 25% of the table rows.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How can you avoid indexes ?
Answer: To make index access path unavailable Use FULL hint to optimizer for full table scan
Use INDEX or AND-EQUAL hint to optimizer to use one index or set to indexes instead of
another. Use an expression in the Where Clause of the SQL.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the result of the following SQL : Select 1 from dual UNION Select 'A' from dual;
Answer: Error
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can database trigger written on synonym of a table and if it can be then what would be the effect
if original table is accessed.
Answer: Yes, database trigger would fire.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you alter synonym of view or view ?
Answer: No
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you create index on view
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between a view and a synonym ?
Answer: Synonym is just a second name of table used for multiple link of database.View can be
created with many tables, and with virtual columns and with conditions.But synonym can be on
view.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What's the length of SQL integer ?
Answer: 32 bit length
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between foreign key and reference key ?

Answer: Foreign key is the key i.e.attribute which refers to another table primary key. Reference
key is the primary key of table referred by another table.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can dual table be deleted, dropped or altered or updated or inserted ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If content of dual is updated to some value computation takes place or not ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If any other table same as dual is created would it act similar to dual?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For which relational operators in where clause, index is not used ?
Answer: <> , like '%...' is NOT functions, field +constant, field||''
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Assume that there are multiple databases running on one machine.How can you switch from one
to another ?
Answer: Changing the ORACLE_SID
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the advantages of Oracle ?
Answer: Portability : Oracle is ported to more platforms than any of its competitors, running on
more than 100 hardware platforms and 20 networking protocols. Market Presence : Oracle is by
far the largest RDBMS vendor and spends more on R & D than most of its competitors earn in
total revenue.This market clout means that you are unlikely to be left in the lurch by Oracle and
there are always lots of third party interfaces available. Backup and Recovery : Oracle provides
industrial strength support for on-line backup and recovery and good software fault tolerence to
disk failure.You can also do point-in-time recovery. Performance : Speed of a 'tuned' Oracle
Database and application is quite good, even with large databases.Oracle can manage > 100GB
databases. Multiple database support : Oracle has a superior ability to manage multiple databases
within the same transaction using a two-phase commit protocol.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is a forward declaration ? What is its use ?

Answer: PL/SQL requires that you declare an identifier before using it.Therefore, you must
declare a subprogram before calling it.This declaration at the start of a subprogram is called
forward declaration.A forward declaration consists of a subprogram specification terminated by
a semicolon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are actual and formal parameters ?
Answer: Actual Parameters : Subprograms pass information using parameters.The variables or
expressions referenced in the parameter list of a subprogram call are actual parameters.For
example, the following procedure call lists two actual parameters named emp_num and amount:
Eg.raise_salary(emp_num, amount);Formal Parameters : The variables declared in a subprogram
specification and referenced in the subprogram body are formal parameters.For example, the
following procedure declares two formal parameters named emp_id and increase:
Eg.PROCEDURE raise_salary (emp_id INTEGER, increase REAL) IS current_salary REAL;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the types of Notation ?
Answer: Position, Named, Mixed and Restrictions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What all important parameters of the init.ora are supposed to be increased if you want to
increase the SGA size ?
Answer: In our case, db_block_buffers was changed from 60 to 1000 (std values are 60, 550 &
3500) shared_pool_size was changed from 3.5MB to 9MB (std values are 3.5, 5 & 9MB)
open_cursors was changed from 200 to 300 (std values are 200 & 300) db_block_size was
changed from 2048 (2K) to 4096 (4K) {at the time of database creation}. The initial SGA was
around 4MB when the server RAM was 32MB and The new SGA was around 13MB when the
server RAM was increased to 128MB.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If I have an execute privilege on a procedure in another users schema, can I execute his
procedure even though I do not have privileges on the tables within the procedure ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are various types of joins ?

Answer: Types of joins are:

Equijoins
Non-equijoins
self join
outer join
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is a package cursor ?
Answer: A package cursor is a cursor which you declare in the package specification without an
SQL statement.The SQL statement for the cursor is attached dynamically at runtime from calling
procedures.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you insert a row in a table, then create another table and then say Rollback.In this case will the
row be inserted ?
Answer: Yes.Because Create table is a DDL which commits automatically as soon as it is
executed.The DDL commits the transaction even if the create statement fails internally (eg table
already

MORE ORACLE QUESTIONS

How do you convert a date to a string?

What is an aggregate function?
What is the dual table?
What are cursors? Distinguish between implicit and explict cursors?
Explain how cursors are used by Oracle?
What is PL/SQL? Describe the block structure of PL/SQL?
What is a nested subquery?
What are the various types of queries ?
Which of the following is not a schema object : Index, table, public synonym,
trigger and package ?
What is dynamic sql in oracle?
What is the difference between delete, drop and truncating a table?
How many triggers are supported in Oracle?
Are you aware of FLASHBACK concept ? What is it?
Describe oracles logical and physical structure?
What is data dictionary?
What is the use of control files?
How would store XML data in table ? What data type would be used for the
columns?
Difference between post and commit?
Difference between commit and rollback?
What are savepoints?

Difference between a View and Synonym.

How would you fetch system date from oracle?
What is the difference between primary key, unique key, foreign key?
What is the difference between NO DATA FOUND and %NOTFOUND?
What is cursor for loop?
What are cursor attributes?
What will you use in Query : IN or EXISTS? Why?
Explain the difference between a data block, an extent and a segment.
What's the difference between logical and physical I/O?
What is an anonymous block?
What is a PL/SQL collection?
How can you tell if an UPDATE updated no rows?
How can you tell if a SELECT returned no rows?
What are the different types of joins?
What is the difference between procedure and function?
What is group by function
What is the difference between a where clause and having clause
What are indexes. Advantages of indexes
What does i represent in Oracle8i / 9i
Difference between primary key and foreign key
Can we have null in a primary key?
Can we have null in a foreign key, if yes , how many in a table?
Give example of how SQL tuning can be done?
What is normalization?
Difference between delete and truncate?
Are you aware of water level mark in oracle database? What is it?
What are views, snapshots and synonyms?
What value one gets for Select * from dual
Have you used Decode function? Give an example
Example when inner joins was used?
Example when outer joins was used?
Datatypes supported by Oracle
Can you explain how do index retrieve records from database
What is commit and rollback
What is the difference between these 2 queries 1.Select count(*) from table
and 2.Select count(1) from table.
What is referential integrity?
What are constraints?
What are transaction isolation levels?
What are materialized views?
What is DDL, DML ? How are they different?
How do you select unique rows using SQL?
What is the difference between DELETE and TRUNCATE ?
What is the difference between a "where" clause and a "having" clause?
What is the difference between "translate" and "replace" ?
How to remove duplicate records from a table?
What is a "trigger"?
What is the difference between "translate" and "replace"?
What is a VIEW?

What is the difference among "dropping a table", "truncating a table" and

"deleting all records" from a table
Explain new feature of 9i Database ? Explain new feature of 10g Database ?
How to use DECODE function?
What is Group by clause?
What are cursors and what are the situations you will use them?
What default packages are provided by Oracle?
How do you debug a oracle procedure /function?
How many triggers are available?
How are procedures executed?

What are the various types of queries ?

Answer: The types of queries are:
Normal Queries
Sub Queries
Co-related queries
Nested queries
Compound queries
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is a transaction ?
Answer: A transaction is a set of SQL statements between any two COMMIT and ROLLBACK
statements.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is implicit cursor and how is it used by Oracle ?
Answer: An implicit cursor is a cursor which is internally created by Oracle.It is created by
Oracle for each individual SQL.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which of the following is not a schema object : Indexes, tables, public synonyms, triggers and
packages ?
Answer: Public synonyms
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is PL/SQL?
Answer: PL/SQL is Oracle's Procedural Language extension to SQL.The language includes
object oriented programming techniques such as encapsulation, function overloading,
information hiding (all but inheritance), and so, brings state-of-the-art programming to the
Oracle database server and a variety of Oracle tools.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is there a PL/SQL Engine in SQL*Plus?

Answer: No.Unlike Oracle Forms, SQL*Plus does not have a PL/SQL engine.Thus, all your
PL/SQL are send directly to the database engine for execution.This makes it much more efficient
as SQL statements are not stripped off and send to the database individually.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is there a limit on the size of a PL/SQL block?
Answer: Currently, the maximum parsed/compiled size of a PL/SQL block is 64K and the
maximum code size is 100K.You can run the following select statement to query the size of an
existing package or procedure. SQL> select * from dba_object_size where name =
'procedure_name'
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can one read/write files from PL/SQL?
Answer: Included in Oracle 7.3 is a UTL_FILE package that can read and write files.The
directory you intend writing to has to be in your INIT.ORA file (see
UTL_FILE_DIR=...parameter).
Before Oracle 7.3 the only means of writing a file was to use DBMS_OUTPUT with the
SQL*Plus SPOOL command.
DECLARE
fileHandler UTL_FILE.FILE_TYPE;
BEGIN
fileHandler := UTL_FILE.FOPEN('/home/oracle/tmp', 'myoutput','W');
UTL_FILE.PUTF(fileHandler, 'Value of func1 is %sn', func1(1));
UTL_FILE.FCLOSE(fileHandler);
END;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How can I protect my PL/SQL source code?
Answer: PL/SQL V2.2, available with Oracle7.2, implements a binary wrapper for PL/SQL
programs to protect the source code.This is done via a standalone utility that transforms the
PL/SQL source code into portable binary object code (somewhat larger than the original).This
way you can distribute software without having to worry about exposing your proprietary
algorithms and methods.SQL*Plus and SQL*DBA will still understand and know how to
execute such scripts.Just be careful, there is no "decode" command available. The syntax
is:
wrap name=myscript.sql
oname=xxxx.yyy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can one use dynamic SQL within PL/SQL? OR Can you use a DDL in a procedure ? How ?
Answer: From PL/SQL V2.1 one can use the DBMS_SQL package to execute dynamic SQL
statements.
Eg: CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE DYNSQL AS
cur integer;
rc integer;
BEGIN
cur := DBMS_SQL.OPEN_CURSOR;
DBMS_SQL.PARSE(cur,'CREATE TABLE X (Y DATE)',
DBMS_SQL.NATIVE);
rc := DBMS_SQL.EXECUTE(cur);
DBMS_SQL.CLOSE_CURSOR(cur);
END;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of Exceptions ?
Answer: User defined and Predefined Exceptions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can we define exceptions twice in same block ?
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between a procedure and a function ?
Answer: Functions return a single variable by value whereas procedures do not return any
variable by value.Rather they return multiple variables by passing variables by reference through
their OUT parameter.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you have two functions with the same name in a PL/SQL block ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you have two stored functions with the same name ?
Answer: Yes.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you call a stored function in the constraint of a table ?

Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of parameter modes in a procedure ?
Answer: IN, OUT AND INOUT.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Over Loading and what are its restrictions ?
Answer: OverLoading means an object performing different functions depending upon the no.of
parameters or the data type of the parameters passed to it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can functions be overloaded ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can 2 functions have same name & input parameters but differ only by return datatype
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the constructs of a procedure, function or a package ?
Answer: The constructs of a procedure, function or a package are :
variables and constants
cursors
exceptions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Why Create or Replace and not Drop and recreate procedures ?
Answer: So that Grants are not dropped.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you pass parameters in packages ? How ?
Answer: Yes.You can pass parameters to procedures or functions in a package.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are the parts of a database trigger ?

Answer: The parts of a trigger are:
A triggering event or statement
A trigger restriction
A trigger action
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of database triggers ?
Answer: There are 12 types of triggers, they are combination of :
Insert, Delete and Update Triggers.
Before and After Triggers.
Row and Statement Triggers.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the advantage of a stored procedure over a database trigger ?
Answer: We have control over the firing of a stored procedure but we have no control over the
firing of a trigger.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the maximum no.of statements that can be specified in a trigger statement ?
Answer: One.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can views be specified in a trigger statement ?
Answer: No
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the values of :new and :old in Insert/Delete/Update Triggers ?
Answer: INSERT : new = new value, old = NULL
DELETE : new = NULL, old = old value
UPDATE : new = new value, old = old value
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are cascading triggers? What is the maximum no of cascading triggers at a time?
Answer: When a statement in a trigger body causes another trigger to be fired, the triggers are
said to be cascading.Max = 32.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are mutating triggers ?

Answer: A trigger giving a SELECT on the table on which the trigger is written.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are constraining triggers ?
Answer: A trigger giving an Insert/Updat e on a table having referential integrity constraint on
the triggering table.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Describe Oracle database's physical and logical structure ?
Answer:
Physical : Data files, Redo Log files, Control file.
Logical : Tables, Views, Tablespaces, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you increase the size of a tablespace ? How ?
Answer: Yes, by adding datafiles to it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you increase the size of datafiles ? How ?
Answer: No (for Oracle 7.0)
Yes (for Oracle 7.3 by using the Resize clause )
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the use of Control files ?
Answer: Contains pointers to locations of various data files, redo log files, etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the use of Data Dictionary ?
Answer: It Used by Oracle to store information about various physical and logical Oracle
structures e.g.Tables, Tablespaces, datafiles, etc
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the advantages of clusters ?
Answer: Access time reduced for joins.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the disadvantages of clusters ?

Answer: The time for Insert increases.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can Long/Long RAW be clustered ?
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can null keys be entered in cluster index, normal index ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can Check constraint be used for self referential integrity ? How ?
Answer: Yes.In the CHECK condition for a column of a table, we can reference some other
column of the same table and thus enforce self referential integrity.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the min.extents allocated to a rollback extent ?
Answer: Two
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the states of a rollback segment ? What is the difference between partly available and
needs recovery ?
Answer: The various states of a rollback segment are :
ONLINE
OFFLINE
PARTLY AVAILABLE
NEEDS RECOVERY
INVALID.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between unique key and primary key ?
Answer: Unique key can be null; Primary key cannot be null.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------An insert statement followed by a create table statement followed by rollback ? Will the rows be

inserted ?
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you define multiple savepoints ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you Rollback to any savepoint ?
Answer: Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the maximum no.of columns a table can have ?
Answer: 254.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the significance of the & and && operators in PL SQL ?
Answer: The & operator means that the PL SQL block requires user input for a variable.The &&
operator means that the value of this variable should be the same as inputted by the user
previously for this same variable
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you pass a parameter to a cursor ?
Answer: Explicit cursors can take parameters, as the example below shows.A cursor parameter
can appear in a query wherever a constant can appear.
CURSOR c1 (median IN NUMBER) IS
SELECT job, ename FROM emp WHERE sal > median;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the various types of RollBack Segments ?
Answer: The types of Rollback sagments are as follows :
Public Available to all instances
Private Available to specific instance
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Can you use %RowCount as a parameter to a cursor ?

Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is the query below allowed :
Select sal, ename Into x From emp Where ename = 'KING' (Where x is a record of Number(4)
and Char(15))
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is the assignment given below allowed :
ABC = PQR (Where ABC and PQR are records)
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is this for loop allowed : For x in &Start..&End Loop
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How many rows will the following SQL return : Select * from emp Where rownum < 10;
Answer: 9 rows
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How many rows will the following SQL return : Select * from emp Where rownum = 10;
Answer: No rows
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which symbol preceeds the path to the table in the remote database ?
Answer: @
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Are views automatically updated when base tables are updated ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can a trigger written for a view ?
Answer: No

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If all the values from a cursor have been fetched and another fetch is issued, the output will be :
error, last record or first record ?
Answer: Last Record
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A table has the following data : [[5, Null, 10]].What will the average function return ?
Answer: 7.5
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Is Sysdate a system variable or a system function?
Answer: System Function
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Consider a sequence whose currval is 1 and gets incremented by 1 by using the nextval reference
we get the next number 2.Suppose at this point we issue an rollback and again issue a
nextval.What will the output be ?
Answer: 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Definition of relational DataBase by Dr.Codd (IBM)?
Answer: A Relational Database is a database where all data visible to the user is organized
strictly as tables of data values and where all database operations work on these tables.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Multi Threaded Server (MTA) ?
Answer: In a Single Threaded Architecture (or a dedicated server configuration) the database
manager creates a separate process for each database user.But in MTA the database manager can
assign multiple users (multiple user processes) to a single dispatcher (server process), a
controlling process that queues request for work thus reducing the databases memory
requirement and resources.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Which are initial RDBMS, Hierarchical & N/w database ?
Answer:
RDBMS - R system
Hierarchical - IMS
N/W - DBTG

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Difference between Oracle 6 and Oracle 7

Answer:
ORACLE 7
ORACLE 6
Cost based optimizer
Rule based optimizer
Shared SQL Area
SQL area allocated for each user
Multi Threaded Server
Single Threaded Server
Hash Clusters
Only B-Tree indexing
Roll back Size
Adjustment No provision
Truncate command
No provision
Distributed Database
Distributed Query
Table replication & snapshots
No provision
Client/Server Tech
No provision
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Functional Dependency?
Answer: Given a relation R, attribute Y of R is functionally dependent on attribute X of R if and
only if each X-value has associated with it precisely one -Y value in R
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is Auditing ?
Answer: The database has the ability to audit all actions that take place within it. a) Login
attempts, b) Object Accesss, c) Database Action Result of Greatest(1,NULL) or Least(1,NULL)
NULL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------While designing in client/server what are the 2 imp.things to be considered ?
Answer: Network Overhead (traffic), Speed and Load of client server
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the disadvantages of SQL ?
Answer: Disadvantages of SQL are :
Cannot drop a field
Cannot rename a field
Cannot manage memory
Procedural Language option not provided
Index on view or index on index not provided
View updation problem

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When to create indexes ?

Answer: To be created when table is queried for less than 2% or 4% to 25% of the table rows.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------How can you avoid indexes ?
Answer: To make index access path unavailable Use FULL hint to optimizer for full table scan
Use INDEX or AND-EQUAL hint to optimizer to use one index or set to indexes instead of
another. Use an expression in the Where Clause of the SQL.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the result of the following SQL : Select 1 from dual UNION Select 'A' from dual;
Answer: Error
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can database trigger written on synonym of a table and if it can be then what would be the effect
if original table is accessed.
Answer: Yes, database trigger would fire.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you alter synonym of view or view ?
Answer: No
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you create index on view
Answer: No.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between a view and a synonym ?
Answer: Synonym is just a second name of table used for multiple link of database.View can be
created with many tables, and with virtual columns and with conditions.But synonym can be on
view.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What's the length of SQL integer ?
Answer: 32 bit length

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is the difference between foreign key and reference key ?

Answer: Foreign key is the key i.e.attribute which refers to another table primary key. Reference
key is the primary key of table referred by another table.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can dual table be deleted, dropped or altered or updated or inserted ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If content of dual is updated to some value computation takes place or not ?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If any other table same as dual is created would it act similar to dual?
Answer: Yes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------For which relational operators in where clause, index is not used ?
Answer: <> , like '%...' is NOT functions, field +constant, field||''
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Assume that there are multiple databases running on one machine.How can you switch from one
to another ?
Answer: Changing the ORACLE_SID
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the advantages of Oracle ?
Answer: Portability : Oracle is ported to more platforms than any of its competitors, running on
more than 100 hardware platforms and 20 networking protocols. Market Presence : Oracle is by
far the largest RDBMS vendor and spends more on R & D than most of its competitors earn in
total revenue.This market clout means that you are unlikely to be left in the lurch by Oracle and
there are always lots of third party interfaces available. Backup and Recovery : Oracle provides
industrial strength support for on-line backup and recovery and good software fault tolerence to
disk failure.You can also do point-in-time recovery. Performance : Speed of a 'tuned' Oracle
Database and application is quite good, even with large databases.Oracle can manage > 100GB
databases. Multiple database support : Oracle has a superior ability to manage multiple databases
within the same transaction using a two-phase commit protocol.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is a forward declaration ? What is its use ?

Answer: PL/SQL requires that you declare an identifier before using it.Therefore, you must
declare a subprogram before calling it.This declaration at the start of a subprogram is called
forward declaration.A forward declaration consists of a subprogram specification terminated by a
semicolon.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are actual and formal parameters ?
Answer: Actual Parameters : Subprograms pass information using parameters.The variables or
expressions referenced in the parameter list of a subprogram call are actual parameters.For
example, the following procedure call lists two actual parameters named emp_num and amount:
Eg.raise_salary(emp_num, amount);Formal Parameters : The variables declared in a subprogram
specification and referenced in the subprogram body are formal parameters.For example, the
following procedure declares two formal parameters named emp_id and increase:
Eg.PROCEDURE raise_salary (emp_id INTEGER, increase REAL) IS current_salary REAL;
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What are the types of Notation ?
Answer: Position, Named, Mixed and Restrictions.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What all important parameters of the init.ora are supposed to be increased if you want to increase
the SGA size ?
Answer: In our case, db_block_buffers was changed from 60 to 1000 (std values are 60, 550 &
3500) shared_pool_size was changed from 3.5MB to 9MB (std values are 3.5, 5 & 9MB)
open_cursors was changed from 200 to 300 (std values are 200 & 300) db_block_size was
changed from 2048 (2K) to 4096 (4K) {at the time of database creation}. The initial SGA was
around 4MB when the server RAM was 32MB and The new SGA was around 13MB when the
server RAM was increased to 128MB.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If I have an execute privilege on a procedure in another users schema, can I execute his
procedure even though I do not have privileges on the tables within the procedure ?
Answer: Yes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are various types of joins ?

Answer: Types of joins are:
Equijoins
Non-equijoins
self join
outer join
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is a package cursor ?
Answer: A package cursor is a cursor which you declare in the package specification without an
SQL statement.The SQL statement for the cursor is attached dynamically at runtime from calling
procedures.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you insert a row in a table, then create another table and then say Rollback.In this case will the
row be inserted ?
Answer: Yes.Because Create table is a DDL which commits automatically as soon as it is
executed.The DDL commits the transaction even if the create statement fails internally (eg table
already exists error) and not syntactically.