MySQL Interview Questions

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Contents

Basic MySQL Interview Questions

1.   What is MySQL?
2.   What are some of the advantages of using MySQL?
3.   What do you mean by ‘databases’?
4.   What does SQL in MySQL stand for?
5.   What does a MySQL database contain?
6.   How can you interact with MySQL?
7.   What are MySQL Database Queries?
8.   What are some of the common MySQL commands?
9.   How do you create a database in MySQL?
10.   How do you create a table using MySQL?
11.   How do you Insert Data Into MySQL?
12.   How do you remove a column from a database?
13.   How to create an Index in MySQL?
14.   How to Delete Data From a MySQL Table?
15.   How do you view a database in MySQL?
16.   What are the Numeric Data Types in MySQL?
17.   What are the String Data Types in MySQL?
18.   What are the Temporal Data Types in MySQL?
19.   What is BLOB in MySQL?
20.   How to add users in MySQL?

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 MySQL Interview Questions

Intermediate MySQL Interview Questions

21.   What are MySQL “Views”?
22.   How do you create and execute views in MySQL?
23.   What are MySQL Triggers?
24.   How many Triggers are possible in MySQL?
25.   What is the MySQL server?
26.   What are the MySQL clients and utilities?
27.   What are the types of relationships used in MySQL?

Advanced MySQL Interview Questions

28.   Can you explain the logical architecture of MySQL?
29.   What is Scaling in MySQL?
30.   What is Sharding in SQL?
31.   What are Transaction Storage Engines in MySQL?

Conclusion
32.   Conclusion

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Let's get Started
Introduction to MySQL:
MySQL is an open-source relational database management system (RDBMS). It runs
on the web as well as on the server. MySQL is fast, reliable, and easy to use. It is open-
source so ware. MySQL uses standard SQL and compiles on a number of platforms. It
is a multithreaded, multi-user SQL database management system.
The data in a MySQL database is stored in the form of tables. A table is a collection of
related data, and it consists of columns and rows.
MySQL has stand-alone clients that allow users to interact directly with a MySQL
database using SQL, but more o en MySQL is used with other programs to
implement applications that need relational database capability.
MySQL has more than 11 million installations.

Basic MySQL Interview Questions

1.   What is MySQL?
MySQL is a database management system for web servers. It can grow with the
website as it is highly scalable. Most of the websites today are powered by MySQL.

2.   What are some of the advantages of using MySQL?

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Flexibility: MySQL runs on all operating systems

Power: MySQL focuses on performance
Enterprise-Level SQL Features: MySQL had for some time been lacking in
advanced features such as subqueries, views, and stored procedures.
Full-Text Indexing and Searching
Query Caching: This helps enhance the speed of MySQL greatly
Replication: One MySQL server can be duplicated on another, providing
numerous advantages
Configuration and Security

3.   What do you mean by ‘databases’?

A database is a structured collection of data stored in a computer system and
organized in a way to be quickly searched. With databases, information can be
rapidly retrieved.

4.   What does SQL in MySQL stand for?

The SQL in MySQL stands for Structured Query Language. This language is also used
in other databases such as Oracle and Microso SQL Server.  One can use commands
such as the following to send requests from a database:
SELECT title FROM publications WHERE author = ' J. K. Rowling’;

Note that SQL is not case sensitive. However, it is a good practice to write the SQL ke

5.   What does a MySQL database contain?

A MySQL database contains one or more tables, each of which contains records or
rows. Within these rows are various columns or fields that contain the data itself.

6.   How can you interact with MySQL?

There are three main ways you can interact with MySQL: 
using a command line
via a web interface
through a programming language

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 MySQL Interview Questions

7.   What are MySQL Database Queries?

A query is a specific request or a question. One can query a database for specific
information and have a record returned.

8.   What are some of the common MySQL commands?

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 MySQL Interview Questions

Command Action

ALTER To alter a database or table

BACKUP To back-up a table

\c To cancel Input

CREATE To create a database

DELETE To delete a row from a table

DESCRIBE To describe a table's columns

DROP To delete a database or table

EXIT(ctrl+c) To exit

GRANT To change user privileges

HELP (\h, \?) Display help

INSERT Insert data

LOCK Lock table(s)

QUIT(\q) Same as EXIT

RENAME Rename a Table

SHOW List details about an object

SOURCE Execute a file

STATUS (\s) Display the current status

TRUNCATE Empty a table

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 MySQL Interview Questions

9.   How do you create a database in MySQL?

Use the following command to create a new database called ‘books’:
CREATE DATABASE books;

10.   How do you create a table using MySQL?

Use the following to create a table using MySQL:

CREATE TABLE history (

author VARCHAR(128),
title VARCHAR(128),
type VARCHAR(16),
year CHAR(4)) ENGINE InnoDB;

11.   How do you Insert Data Into MySQL?

The INSERT INTO statement is used to add new records to a MySQL table:

INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2, column3,...)

VALUES (value1, value2, value3,...)

If we want to add values for all the columns of the table, we do not need to specify
the column names in the SQL query. However, the order of the values should be in
the same order as the columns in the table. The INSERT INTO syntax would be as
follows:

INSERT INTO table_name

VALUES (value1, value2, value3, ...);

12.   How do you remove a column from a database?

You can remove a column by using the DROP keyword:
ALTER TABLE classics DROP pages;

13.   How to create an Index in MySQL?

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 MySQL Interview Questions

In MySQL, there are different index types, such as a regular INDEX, a PRIMARY KEY, or
a FULLTEXT index. You can achieve fast searches with the help of an index. Indexes
speed up performance by either ordering the data on disk so it's quicker to find your
result or, telling the SQL engine where to go to find your data.
Example: Adding indexes to the history table:

ALTER TABLE history ADD INDEX(author(10));

ALTER TABLE history ADD INDEX(title(10));
ALTER TABLE history ADD INDEX(category(5));
ALTER TABLE history ADD INDEX(year);
DESCRIBE history;

14.   How to Delete Data From a MySQL Table?

In MySQL, the DELETE statement is used to delete records from a table:

DELETE FROM table_name

WHERE column_name = value_name

15.   How do you view a database in MySQL?

One can view all the databases on the MySQL server host using the following
command:
mysql> SHOW DATABASES;

16.   What are the Numeric Data Types in MySQL?

MySQL has numeric data types for integer, fixed-point, floating-point, and bit values,
as shown in the table below. Numeric types can be signed or unsigned, except BIT. A
special attribute enables the automatic generation of sequential integer or floating-
point column values, which is useful for applications that require a series of unique
identification numbers.

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Type Name Meaning

TINYINT Very Small Integer

SMALLINT Small Integer

MEDIUMINT Medium-sized Integer

INT Standard Integer

BIGINT Large Integer

DECIMAL Fixed-point number

FLOAT Single-precision floating-point number

DOUBLE Double-precision floating-point number

BIT Bit-field

17.   What are the String Data Types in MySQL?

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 MySQL Interview Questions

Type Name Meaning

CHAR fixed-length nonbinary(character) string

VARCHAR variable-length nonbinary string

BINARY fixed-length binary string

VARBINARY variable-length binary string

TINYBLOB Very small BLOB(binary large object)

BLOB Small BLOB

MEDIUMBLOB Medium-sized BLOB

LONGBLOB Large BLOB

TINYTEXT A very small nonbinary string

TEXT Small nonbinary string

MEDIUMTEXT Medium-sized nonbinary string

LONGTEXT Large nonbinary string

An enumeration; each column value is

ENUM
assigned, one enumeration member

A set; each column value is assigned zero or

SET
more set members

NULL in SQL is the term used to represent a

missing value. A NULL value in a table is a
NULL value in a field that appears to be blank. This
value is different than a zero value or a field
that contains spaces.
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 MySQL Interview Questions

18.   What are the Temporal Data Types in MySQL?

Type Name Meaning

DATE A date value, in ' CCYY-MM-DD ' Format

TIME A Time value, in ' hh : mm :ss ' format

Date and time value, in ' CCYY-MM-DD hh : mm

DATETIME
:ss ' format

A timestamp value, in ' CCYY-MM-DD hh : mm

TIMESTAMP
:ss ' format

YEAR A year value, in CCYY or YY format

Example: To select the records with an Order Date of "2018-11-11" from a table:

SELECT * FROM Orders WHERE OrderDate='2018-11-11'

19.   What is BLOB in MySQL?

BLOB is an acronym that stands for a binary large object. It is used to hold a variable
amount of data.
There are four types of BLOB:
TINYBLOB
BLOB
MEDIUMBLOB
LONGBLOB
A BLOB can hold a very large amount of data. For example - documents, images, and
even videos. You could store your complete novel as a file in a BLOB if needed.

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20.   How to add users in MySQL?

You can add a User by using the CREATE command and specifying the necessary
credentials. For example:

CREATE USER ‘testuser’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘sample password’;

Intermediate MySQL Interview Questions

21.   What are MySQL “Views”?
In MySQL, a view consists of a set of rows that is returned if a particular query is
executed. This is also known as a ‘virtual table’. Views make it easy to retrieve the way
of making the query available via an alias. 
The advantages of views are:
Simplicity
Security
Maintainability

22.   How do you create and execute views in MySQL?

Creating a view is accomplished with the CREATE VIEW statement. As an example:

CREATE
[OR REPLACE]
[ALGORITHM = {MERGE | TEMPTABLE | UNDEFINED }]
[DEFINER = { user | CURRENT_USER }]
[SQL SECURITY { DEFINER | INVOKER }]
VIEW view_name [(column_list)]
AS select_statement
[WITH [CASCADED | LOCAL] CHECK OPTION]

23.   What are MySQL Triggers?

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 MySQL Interview Questions

A trigger is a task that executes in response to some predefined database event, such
as a er a new row is added to a particular table. Specifically, this event involves
inserting, modifying, or deleting table data, and the task can occur either prior to or
immediately following any such event. 
Triggers have many purposes, including:
Audit Trails
Validation
Referential integrity enforcement

24.   How many Triggers are possible in MySQL?

There are six Triggers allowed to use in the MySQL database:
Before Insert
A er Insert
Before Update
A er Update
Before Delete
A er Delete

25.   What is the MySQL server?

The server, mysqld, is the hub of a MySQL installation; it performs all manipulation of
databases and tables.

26.   What are the MySQL clients and utilities?

Several MySQL programs are available to help you communicate with the server. For
administrative tasks, some of the most important ones are listed here:
• mysql—An interactive program that enables you to send SQL statements to the
server and to view the results. You can also use mysql to execute batch scripts (text
files containing SQL statements).
• mysqladmin—An administrative program for performing tasks such as shutting
down the server, checking its configuration, or monitoring its status if it appears not
to be functioning properly.

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 MySQL Interview Questions

• mysqldump—A tool for backing up your databases or copying databases to another

server.
• mysqlcheck and myisamchk—Programs that help you perform table checking,
analysis, and optimization, as well as repairs if tables become damaged. mysqlcheck
works with MyISAM tables and to some extent with tables for other storage engines.
myisamchk is for use only with MyISAM tables.

27.   What are the types of relationships used in MySQL?

There are three categories of relationships in MySQL:
One-to-One: Usually, when two items have a one-to-one relationship, you just
include them as columns in the same table.
One-to-Many: One-to-many (or many-to-one) relationships occur when one row
in one table is linked to many rows in another table.
Many-to-Many: In a many-to-many relationship, many rows in one table are
linked to many rows in another table. To create this relationship, add a third
table containing the same key column from each of the other tables

Advanced MySQL Interview Questions

28.   Can you explain the logical architecture of MySQL?
The top layer contains the services most network-based client/server tools or servers
need such as connection handling, authentication, security, and so forth.
The second layer contains much of MySQL’s brains. This has the code for query
parsing, analysis, optimization, caching, and all the built-in functions.
The third layer contains the storage engines that are responsible for storing and
retrieving the data stored in MySQL.

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 MySQL Interview Questions

29.   What is Scaling in MySQL?

In MySQL, scaling capacity is actually the ability to handle the load, and it’s useful to
think of load from several different angles such as:
Quantity of data
Number of users
User activity
Size of related datasets

30.   What is Sharding in SQL?

The process of breaking up large tables into smaller chunks (called shards) that are
spread across multiple servers is called Sharding. 
The advantage of Sharding is that since the sharded database is generally much
smaller than the original; queries, maintenance, and all other tasks are much faster.

31.   What are Transaction Storage Engines in MySQL?

To be able to use MySQL’s transaction facility, you have to be using MySQL’s InnoDB
storage engine (which is the default from version 5.5 onward). If you are not sure
which version of MySQL your code will be running on, rather than assuming InnoDB is
the default engine you can force its use when creating a table, as follows.

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 MySQL Interview Questions

Conclusion
32.   Conclusion
Several free or low-cost database management systems are available from which to
choose, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, or SQLite.
When you compare MySQL with other database systems, think about what’s most
important to you. Performance, features (such as SQL conformance or extensions),
support, licensing conditions, and price all are factors to take into account.
MySQL is one of the best RDBMS being used for developing various web-based
so ware applications.
MySQL is offered under two different editions: the open-source MySQL Community
Server and the proprietary Enterprise Server.
Given these considerations, MySQL has many attractive qualities:
Speed
Ease of use
Query language support
Capability
Connectivity and security
Portability
Availability and cost
Open distribution and source code
Few MySQL References: 
https://www.mysql.com
https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/learning-mysql/0596008643/

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