Interview Questionnaire

PL/SQL

1. Explain 3 different rules that apply to NULLs when doing comparison?

A. For all operators except for concatenation, if a value in an expression is a

NULL, that expression evaluates to NULL;
B. NULL is never equal or not equal to another value;
C. NULL is never TRUE or FALSE.

2. Define COMMIT, ROLLBACK and SAVEPOINT.

The COMMIT statement is used to end your current transaction and make
permanent all changes performed in the transaction.
The ROLLBACK statement is used to undo work done in the current transaction
or to manually undo the work done by an in-doubt distributed transaction.
The SAVEPOINT statement is used to identify a point in a transaction to which
you can later roll back.

3. What is a synonym and what is it used for? What types of synonyms you know?

The synonym is an alternative name for a table, view, sequence, procedure,

stored function, package, materialized view, Java class schema object, user-defined object
type, or another synonym.
Types of synonyms: public synonyms and private synonyms.

4. Explain implicit and explicit cursors.

An explicit cursor is a named pointer to a private SQL area that stores

information for processing a specific query or DML statementtypically, one that returns
or affects multiple rows.
Implicit cursor is automatically created and used by Oracle every time you issue
a Select statement in PL/SQL. If you use an implicit cursor, Oracle will perform the open,
fetches, and close for you automatically. Implicit cursor is used in statements that return
only one row. If the SQL statement returns more than one row, an error will occur.

5. How can you find, within a PL/SQL block if a cursor is open?

We can use %ISOPEN clause, a keyword provided by Oracle to check
whether the cursor is in open state.
 6. What is a mutating table error and how it can be avoided.

A mutating table is a table that is currently being modified by an UPDATE,

DELETE, or INSERT statement, or it is a table that might need to be updated by the
effects of a declarative DELETE CASCADE referential integrity constraint. The
restrictions on such a table apply only to the session that issued the statement in
progress.For all row triggers, that were fired as the result of a DELETE CASCADE,
there are two important restrictions regarding mutating tables. These restrictions
prevent a trigger from seeing an inconsistent set of data.The SQL statements of a
trigger cannot read from (query) or modify a mutating table of the triggering
statement.

7. You have a table Employee with columns Name and Salary. How to you find out
the n-th highest salary from the table?

select max(salary) from employee;

Oracle Forms

1. What are Visual Attributes?

Visual attributes are a collection of predefined properties which can be applied to

all items at once.
It holds properties which effect physical appearance like color, font etc.

2. What is coordination Event? What are the two phases of block coordination?

Any event that makes a different record in the master block the current record
is a coordination causing event. There are two phases of block coordination: the clear
phase and the population phase. During, the clear phase, Oracle Forms navigates
internally to the detail block and flushes the obsolete detail records. During the
population phase, Oracle Forms issues a SELECT statement to repopulate the detail
block with detail records associated with the new master record. These operations are
accomplished through the execution of triggers.

3. What is the difference between boiler plate images and image items?
 Boiler plate images are static images (Either vector or bitmap) that you import
from the file system or database to use graphical elements in your form, such as
company logos and maps Image items are special types of interface controls that store
and display either vector or bitmap images. like other items that store values,
image items can be either base table items(items that relate directly to database
columns) or control items. The definition of an image item is stored as part of the
form module FMB and FMX files, but no image file is actually associated with an
image item until the item is populate at run time.

4. What is relation between the window and canvas views?

Window and canvas both are inter-related with each other a canvas should be
displayed in the window only

5. What is the difference between ON-VALIDATE-FIELD trigger and a POST-

CHANGE trigger ?

When you changes the Existing value to null, the On-validate field trigger will
fire post change trigger will not fire. At the time of execute-query post-change trigger
will fire, on-validate field trigger will not fire.

6. How can variables be sent from one form to another?

Parameters can be passed between forms using:

1. CALL_FORM;
2. NEW_FORM;
3. OPEN_FORM.

7. What is WHEN-Database-record trigger?

Fires when oracle forms first marks a record as an insert or an update. The trigger
fires as soon as oracle forms determines through validation that the record should be
processed by the next post or commit as an insert or update. Generally occurs only when
the operators modifies the first item in the record, and after the operator attempts to
navigate out of the item.
Oracle Reports

1. How can a message be passed to the user from reports?

Reports Server validates the user credentials against the ID store (Oracle Internet
Directory, embedded ID store or file-based Oracle Internet Directory). If the validation
check fails for any reason, then an error condition is returned to the user and the process
terminates.

2. How can a button be used in a report to give a drill down facility?

By setting the action associated with button to Execute pl/sql option and using the
SRW.Run_report function.

3. Give the sequence of execution of the various report triggers?

Sequence
1.before parameter form
2.after parameter form
3.before report
4.between pages
5.after report

4. What are the various methods of performing a calculation in a report ?

1. Perform the calculation in the SQL statements itself.

2. Use a calculated / summary column in the data model.

5. What types of reports can be built in Report Builder?

Reports Builder enables you to build many types of reports, such as tabular, form
letter, and group above reports.

6. How can you exchange information between forms and reports?

The generic PL/SQL procedure handling calls to Oracle Reports using

RUN_REPORT_OBJECT requires a Reports Object node to be created in Forms. One
Reports Object node can be used to run any Report.
7. What are Oracle PRECOMPILERS?

Oracle precompilers are application development tools that are used to combine
SQL statements for an Oracle Database with programs written in a high-level
language. Oracle precompilers are compatible with ANSI SQL and are used to
develop and open customized applications that run with Oracle Database or any other
ANSI SQL database management system.