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DBA QUES PART 1

What is semaphore ? How do you handle the instance crash ?

What is data pump ?

How do you calculate/identify the tablespace current size ?

Why do you need environment file ? Does this get created automatically ? What
the environment settings which are needed in environment file ?

Why environment file is not needed in windows ?

How do you rename the database tablespaces ?

What are the various startup options which can be used and explain me about
those ?

How to identify if I am using 64 bit oracle or 32 bit oracle ?

Tell me about flash back recovery feature of 10g ?

When do you need tnsnames.ora listener.ora and sqlnet.ora ? How do you

configure these files ?

How do you change the user default tablespace ?

What is the importance of /etc/oratab or /var/opt/oracle/oratab ?

Explain me the database views which you look at to identify the logical
structures of the database ?

How do you add the log groups to the database ?

Explain me about library cache and data dictionary cache ?

What are the different sql net naming methods ?

How do you calculate/identify the freespace in the database ?

How to identify the database components and their statuses ?

Give me the syntax for creating the dictionary managed and locally managed
tablespaces ?

Can we use commit inside a trigger ?

Give me the detail steps for creating the database manually ?

What is XAUTHORITY env settings ?

Explain me about the various stages of oracle startup process ?

What is oraenv dbshut

What is difference between readonly/offline ?

How do you change the archive log format ?

How do you calculate/identify the total database current size ?

How do you identify the archive logs location ?

What are the various kernel settings which you setup in oracle install on
linux/unix ?

Tell me about your experience with using data pump ?

What is oracle instance ? What is Oracle SGA ? What are the various components
exist in Oracle SGA ?

How do you resize the logfiles of the database ?

How do you send an email from oracle db ?

What are the things you check before you install an oracle database on unix or
linux or windows platforms ?

How do you change the archive log location ?

How do you identify the software location(oracle_home) for a running database ?

How do you run the o/s commands from oracle ?

List at least 25 famous unix commands which are needed for daily day-to-day
dba work ?

What is PGA ? Tell about the responsibilities of background processes such as

pmon smon
How do you rewind the database in 10g ? Give me the steps ?

Explain me about the difference between shutdown transactional and shutdown

normal ?

What is external tables ? Give me the steps to set this up ?

Explain me about the instance recovery processes such as rollforward and

rollback ?

Give me the steps to recover a drop table in 10g ?

Give me the steps to recover the deleted rows using flashback query in 10g ?

How do you make the tablespace readonly. What is the advantage. ?

How do you drop user tablespace and users ?

Give me the syntax to export one schema in the database ?

How do you identify the datafile associated with a table ? How do you know how
big the table size is. ?

How do you calculate/identify the table current size ?

How do you identify the pre-req os patches required for an oracle installation on
HP or solaris or Linux platforms ?

In what kind of configuration you see oracle dispatcher process ?

What is root.sh ?

How to enable the auditing in oracle ?

Give me the syntax to export the entire database. ?

How do you drop the redog log groups ?

Explain me about oracle memory structures and background processes ?

What is emulator on unix and why do you need it ? What is xterm ?

Give me the detail steps for creating the database using DBCA ?

How do you add the datafiles to the existing tablespace ?

Tell me about transportable tablespaces ?

How do you enable the archive log disable the archive log ? Explain in detail
about database instance ?

How do you specify the tablespace name when you create the table ? What is
the syntax ?

Tell me the difference between startup restrict and startup ?

How do you identify the user default tablespace ?

How do you add rename the temp datafiles ?

What is oradim ? Why do you need this tool in windows ?

Tell me about your experience with DBMS_STATS ?

How do you collect the dictionary stats in 9i and 10g ?

Explain me about the oracle instance recovery ?

How do you identify if the oracle software version you are installing is certified
on the platform you are installing ?

Tell me about checkpoint process in oracle and SCN numbers in oracle.

How do you rename the database datafiles ?

What is advanced queuing ? How do you enable this ?

How do you make the tablespace offline. What is the advantage. ?

What are the various shutdown options which can be used and explain me about
those ?

Give me the syntax for resizing the datafile ?

Give me the syntax to export one table in the database ?

Which process retrieves the data from disk into memory ?

How do you relocate the datafiles for normal tablespace ?

What is table purge vs table truncate in 10g ?

How do you identify the oracle alert log file ? controlfile ? trace file ? tns file ?
listener file ?

What is Net8 or SQL*Net means ? How do you get this software ?

How can you schedule the monitoring from the database ?

What is the importance of /etc/oraInst.loc or /var/opt/oracle/oraInst.loc ?

How do you rename/move the redo log members from one disk to another disk ?

How do you identify if the database is running in archive log mode or no-archive
log mode ?

Tell me about various RAID levels ?

What is export import ? How do you change the db char set or db block size ?

How to identify the version of the rdbms ?

How do you move the table from one tablespace to another tablespace ?

How do you approach a new database implementation for a dw or oltp project ?

Tell me about key things which you take into consideration ?

What is onames or OID ?

How do you speed up the export/import process of entire database ? What

approach/settings u use ?

What is the difference between dedicated and shared servers processes ?

Tell me about your experience with automation of startup shutdown in unix and
windows ?

What is mutating trigger ?

DBA QUES:

How can you rebuild an index?

What is a VIEW? How to get script for a view?

Compare and contrast TRUNCATE and DELETE for a table.?

Do you consider yourself a development DBA or a production DBA and why?

How would you go about generating an EXPLAIN plan?

Explain the use of table functions. ?

What is ROWID?

How do you add a data file to a tablespace?

Explain materialized views and how they are used.?

Describe what redo logs are. ?

What is a DBA?

What is the output of SIGN function?

What are the types of SQL statement?

What are the different types of joins?

What is a correlated subquery?

What view would you use to look at the size of a data file/

What command would you use to encrypt a PL/SQL application?

What's the difference between a primary key and a unique key?

What is a database instance? Explain. ?

What is a deadlock? Explain.?

What are the different types of SQL statements?

What are the Referential actions supported by FOREIGN KEY integrity constraint?

How do you resize a data file?

Explain the use of setting GLOBAL_NAMES equal to TRUE. ?

Any three PL/SQL Exceptions?

What is Object Auditing?

What is a SNAPSHOT LOG?

What is the diff. when Flex mode is mode on and when it is off?

What is a deadlock and Explain?

What is difference between UNIQUE constraint and PRIMARY KEY constraint?

What are the type of Synonyms?

What is Parallel Server?

What is a Sequence?

Shall we create procedures to fetch more than one record?

Explicit Cursor attributes

Define candidate key alternate key

What are the different modes of mounting a Database with the Parallel Server?

When creating a user what permissions must you grant to allow them to connect
to the database?

What is a cluster Key?

What does coalescing a tablespace do?

What is normalization? Explain different levels of normalization?

What?s the command to change the SQL prompt name?

What other parts of your organization do you interact with and how?

Difference between a “where” clause and a “having” claus ?

Name three advisory statistics you can collect. ?

What is denormalization and when would you go for it?

What is a pseudo column. Give some examples?

What view would you use to determine free space in a tablespace?

What are PL/SQL Cursor Exceptions?

What is a database link?

What is a Synonym?

What are the options available to refresh snapshots?

What is Privilege Auditing?

Where would you look for errors from the database engine?

What does a Control file Contain?

What are the Large object types suported by Oracle?

What are the different Parameter types

Which date function returns number value?

What are the advantages of operating a database in ARCHIVELOG mode over

operating it in NO ARCHIVELOG mode?

How do I eliminate the duplicate rows ?

What are user defined datatypes and when you should go for them?

What is the difference between a TEMPORARY tablespace and a PERMANENT

tablespace?

How would you determine the time zone under which a database was operating?

What is the effect of setting the value “ALL_ROWS” for OPTIMIZER_GOAL

parameter of the ALTER SESSION command?

What is a Segment?

How would you determine who has added a row to a table?

What are the uses of rollback segment?

How can you gather statistics on a table?

What is Distributed database?

What is a Schema?

Give the reasoning behind using an index. ?

Give the two types of tables involved in producing a star schema and the type of
data they hold.
Explain an ORA-01555

What is the maximum number of triggers can apply to a single table?

What do you know about subqueries?

How to drop the index ?

How would you force a log switch?

Do View contain Data?

How can you enable a trace for a session?

What is new_form built-in?

What are the more common pseudo-columns?

What is difference between CHAR and VARCHAR2?

What type of index should you use on a fact table?

DBA QUES-PART2

When exporting using filesize parameter if three files is generated. How the
Oracle name this three files?

What is an Oracle index?

What is Cache Fusion Technology?

What is hash cluster?

What are synonyms used for?

How can the problem be resolved if a SYSDBA forgets his password for logging
into enterprise manager?

How does one use the import/export utilities?

What are the characteristics of data files?

How do you rename a database?

What is a data segment?

What are the differences between database designing and database modeling?

If the SQL * Plus hangs for a long time what is the reason?

How to find how many database reside in Oracle server in query?

Can Oracle’s Data Guard be used on Standard Edition and if so how? How can
you test that the standby database is in sync?

What are three rules of thumb to create good passwords? How would a DBA
enforce those rules in Oracle? What business challenges might you encounter?

What will you do if in any condition you do not know how to troubleshoot the
error at all and there are no seniors or your co-workers around?

What kind of backup you take Physical / Logical? Which one is better and Why?

What is the difference between local managed tablespace & dictionary managed
tablespace ?

How can you check which user has which Role.?

What is a deadlock ? Explain ?

What is directory naming in oracle9i ?

What is mutated trigger?

When you execute: alter tablespace begin backup; How can Oracle engine can
identify that the corresponding datafiles are in backupmode?

What is a Schema ?

Why do you take tablespaces in backup mode.?

How do you return the top-N results of a query in Oracle? Why doesn’t the
obvious method work?

What tuning indicators can one use?

Describe four properties of database isolation. In which situation lock contention

will happen. What is transaction lock?

How do you pin an object?

What is difference between base table and data dictionary views?

Where does the SCN resides (system change number)?

As a Oracle DBA what are all the UNIX file you should be familar with?

What are the fixed memory structures inside the SGA?

How do sql statement processing oracle database?

What is private database link?

What are some advantages to using Oracle’s CREATE DATABASE statement to

create a new database manually?

What is a synonym?

How to find which tablespace belongs to which datafile ?

How to load data into multiple tables at once?

What is data block?

Is it possible to resize tablespaces and data files? If yes how?

What is an index segment?

How will you rectify if one of the rollback segments gets corrupted ?

What is difference between Logical Standby Database and Physical Standby

database?

How to handle data curreption for ASM type files?

What are the uses of rollback segment?

Why use materialized view instead of a table?

Explain what are Oracle Catalog and Oracle Archive log?

What is SYSTEM tablespace and when is it created?

What is a segment?

How many max datafiles can there be in an Oracle Database. ?

What are the components of physical database structure of Oracle database?

While Installing Oracle9i/10g at unix (RedHat) environment which parameter

needs to be set at OS level

What is cluster key?

What is the database holding Capacity of Oracle ?

What is index cluster?

What does a control file contains?

What is simple replication and advance replication? What is the difference

between simple replication and advance replication? How can we do simple
replication?

Waht is the frequency of log Updated?

In which situation whether peak time or off peak time you will execute the
ANALYZE TABLE command. Why?

What is Oracle table?

What is a redo log?

What is a temporary segment?

How can be determine the size of the database?

When can hash cluster used?

When yesterday developer gives the following command: select count(*) from [table name]it
gives the output within minutes today the same command takes hours? What will you check?

Explain how will you setup Replication Server & sync it?

What are memory structures in Oracle?

What is RAC? What is Data Migration? What is Data Pumping?

What is dump destination? What are bdump cdump and udump? Explain in detail. ?

Difference between 9i OEM & 10G OEM.?

What is an Index ? How it is implemented in Oracle Database ?

What is a datafile?
When a database is started Which file is accessed first?

How are the index updates?

How you spend a day as a DBA. Explain DBA activities in detail. ?

How to define data block size?

What is row chaining?

What are the Advantages of Using DBCA?

What are clusters?

What are the changes that happen in Database buffer cache(List of all changes in DB Buffer
Cache) ?

What is Parallel Server ?

Where we use bitmap index ?

What are the types of database links?

How to estimate the size of SGA?

What is the difference between Cloning and Standby databases?

What is database link?

How to estimate size of database?

What is the difference between .ora and net file or .ora and .net or tnsnames.ora sqlnet.ora
listener.ora?

What is a latch?

How to check to memory gap once the SGA is started in Restricted mode?

What is a public synonym?

Can we create index on long raw column?

What is ORA-1555?

Database Auto extend question?

What is the use of redo log information?

What is a database link? What is the difference between a public and a private
database link? What is a fixed user database link?

How to Estimate the size of Tablespace???

What are the different scenarios for rebuilding indexes... ?

What is stored in Oratab file ?

What are the basic element of Base configuration of an oracle Database ?

What is the difference between materialized view and snapshots?

How many memory layers are in the shared pool?

What does database do during mounting process?

What is RAP?

How do you find wheather the instance was started with pfile or spfile ?

What is an Oracle view?

What should you do when you find a stacktrace in the server errorlog?

How do you see how many memory segments are acquired by Oracle Instance. ?

What is a database instance and Explain?

How do you control No. of Datafiles one can have in an Oracle Database. ?

What is clusters ?

What are the components of logical database structure of Oracle database?

What is a tablespace?

What is the correct sequence among FETCH EXECUTE

Can you name few DBMS packages and their use?

What is the difference between Pctused and PctFree?

How the data is processed in DB Buffer Cache. ?

Can you start a database without SPfile in oracle 9i?

Why is a UNION ALL faster than a UNION?

What is public database link?

What are the diffrent file types that are supported by SQL*Loader?

When the developer trying to compile the package. But the database gets
hanged? What will you check?

What is standby databases? Difference between Physical and logical standby

databases ?

What is network database link?

What is a private synonym?

Name init.ora parameters which effects system performance.?

What do you do when the server cannot start due to a corrupt master database?

What is an Oracle sequence?

What is an extent?

Describe the Oracle Wait Interface how it works

What is rollback segment?

How do you increase the performance of %LIKE operator?

Explain about Oracle Statistics parameter in export?

What is difference between latch locks and enqueue ?

What process writes from data files to buffer cache?

What is the function of redo log?

How can be determine the size of the log files.?

What is a cluster Key ?

How to write script for export backup in shell. ?

How to convert local management tablespace to dictionary managed

tablespace?
How to query to know the structure of a single Database and from more than one
database.?

What are four errors found in an alert (error) log that can ruin a DBA's appetite
and how can you avoid them?

What is OERR Utility ?

How to know which query is taking long time?

Is VARCHAR2 size optimization worthwhile ?

Why and how the deadlock situation arises?

Which process writes data from data files to database buffer cache?

How to manager Memory in Oracle Database? How to maximize nos. of user in

Oracle Database?

What is Oracle Reserved Memory and Unreserved Memory?

What are the advantages of views?

DBA QUES-PART3

What is the purpose of Redo Log files?

How do you recover from the loss of a controlfile if you have backup of
controlfile?

Only some blocks are damaged in a datafileCan you just recover these blocks if
you are using RMAN?

What is Instance Recovery?

How RMAN improves backup time?

Can you take Offline backups using RMAN?

Can you start and shutdown DB using RMAN?

How do you collect statistics for a table schema and Database?

What is PCT Free and PCT Used?What is PCT increase parameter in segment?
What is growth factor?

You want users to change their passwords every 2 monthsHow do you enforce
this?

Can you import objects from Oracle ver7.3 to 9i?

How do you see which segment belongs to which database instances?

Can you take Image Backups using RMAN?

How do you see how much hard disk space is free in Linux?

Can you use RMAN without Recovery catalog?

You loss controlfile how do you recover from this?

How do you control number of Datafiles one can have in an Oracle database?

Can you make collection of Statistics for tables automatic?

What is a Locally Managed Tablespace?

What is the difference between DELETE and TRUNCATE statements?

What is COMPRESS and CONSISTENT setting in EXPORT utility?

Which types of backups you can take in Oracle?

At one time you lost parameter file accidentally and you don't have any
backupHow you will recreate a new parameter file with the parameters set to
previous values.

What is SHMMAX?

What is an Index Organized Table?

What is written in Redo Log Files?

How do you set Kernel Parameters in Red Hat Linux AIX and Solaris?

What is DB Buffer Cache Advisor?

What is OERR utility?

Do you have to restore Datafiles manually from backups if you are doing
recovery using RMAN?

What is PCT Increase setting?

Can you see Execution Plan of a statement.

Which default Database roles are created when you create a Database?

Can you change priority of a Process in Unix?

What is stored in oratab file?

On which columns you should create Indexes?

Have you faced any emergency situationTell us how you resolved it?

What is a Logical Backup?

As a Oracle DBA what are all the UNIX file you should be familar with?

Some user has accidentally dropped one table and you realize this after two
daysCan you recover this table if the DB is running in ARCHIVELOG mode?

What is 01555 - Snapshot Too Old error and how do you avoid it?

What is the advantage of RMAN utility?

What is STATSPACK tool?

What is a Global Index and Local Index?

How do you see how many memory segments are acquired by Oracle Instances?

What is Row Migration and Row Chaining?

Where RMAN keeps information of backups if you are using RMAN without
Catalog?

What is a Recovery Catalog?

What is a Tablespace?

You loss one datafile and DB is running in ARCHIVELOG modeYou have full
database backup of 1 week old and partial backup of this datafile which is just 1
day oldFrom which backup should you restore this file?
What is VMSTAT?

Should you place Recovery Catalog in the Same DB?

You have taken a manual backup of a datafile using o/sHow RMAN will know
about it?

Can you take partial backups if the Database is running in NOARCHIVELOG

mode?

Can you take Online Backups if the the database is running in NOARCHIVELOG
mode?

What is B-Tree Index?

What is Cancel Based Time based and Change Based Recovery?

How do you recover from the loss of datafile if the DB is running in ARCHIVELOG
mode?

Should you take the backup of Logfiles if the database is running in ARCHIVELOG
mode?

Where should you place Archive logfiles in the same disk where DB is or another
disk?

What information is stored in Control File?

Why do you take tablespaces in Backup mode?

What is DISM in Solaris?

What is dump destination? What are bdump cdump and udump? Explain in detail

You lost some datafiles and you don't have any full backup and the database was running in
NOARCHIVELOG modeWhat you can do now?

How do you recover from the loss of datafile if the DB is running in NOARCHIVELOG
mode?

What is Automatic Management of Segment Space setting?

How do you kill a process in Unix?

Some datafiles were there on a secondary disk and that disk has become damaged and it will
take some days to get a new diskHow will you recover from this situation?
How many Maximum Datafiles can there be in an Oracle Database?

How many maximum Redo Logfiles one can have in a Database?

What is a Checkpoint?

How do you automate starting and shutting down of databases in Unix?

When you start an Oracle DB which file is accessed first?

What is a Complete Recovery?

How would you handle a difference of opinion between yours and a Senior technical
member?

Can you built indexes online?

What is the difference between Direct Path and Convention Path loading?

What is the Job of SMON PMON processes?

How do you remove Memory segments?

What are four performance bottlenecks that can occur in a database server and How are they
detected?

How do you see Virtual Memory Statistics in Linux?

You want to retain only last 3 backups of datafilesHow do you go for it in RMAN?

You have written a script to take backupsHow do you make it run automatically every week?

How do you see information about backups in RMAN?

The current logfile gets damagedWhat you can do now?

What does DBMS_FGA package do?

How do you see how many processes are running in Unix?

You cannot shutdown the database for even some minutes then in which mode you should
run

Explain what are Oracle Catalog and Oracle Archive log?

Can you make a Datafile auto extendibleIf yes how?

What is the difference between Soft Link and Hard Link?

What is an Oracle Instance?

What are four errors found in an alert (error) log that can ruin a DBA's appetite
and how can you avoid them?

What is the difference between Range Partitioning and Hash Partitioning?

Can you Redefine a table Online?

What is Cost Based Optimization?

What is SAR?

Which is more efficient Incremental Backups using RMAN or Incremental Export?

What is kept in the Database Buffer Cache?

How do see how much space is used and free in a tablespace?

How often you should collect statistics for a table?

A database is running in NOARCHIVELOG mode then which type of backups you

can take?

You loss one datafile and it does not contain important objectsThe important
objects are there in other datafiles which are intactHow do you proceed in this
situation?

Can you disable and enable Primary key?

What is a Shared Pool?

How do you delete duplicate rows in a table?

What does an Ora-1555 mean?

Can you use Backupsets created by RMAN with any other utility?

What is difference between Multithreaded/Shared Server and Dedicated Server?

Can you perform DML operations when the standby database is in read only in
Standby Database?

Can you audit SELECT statements?

What type of Indexes are available in Oracle?

What is PCTFREE and PCTUSED Setting?

Which Process reads data from Datafiles?

Can you assign Priority to users?

What is PGA_AGGREGRATE_TARGET parameter?

Large Pool is used for what?

How do you see how many instances are running?

A table is having few rows should you create indexes on this table?

Can you take online backup of a Control file if yes how?

Swap partition must be how much the size of RAM?

When should you rebuilt indexes?

Can you change SHARED_POOL_SIZE online?

Which Process writes data in Datafiles?

How do you move tables from one tablespace to another tablespace?

How do you bring the database in ARCHIVELOG mode from NOARCHIVELOG

mode?

What is difference between PFile and SPFile?

DBA QUES PART4 : Architecture

What is SYSTEM tablespace and when is it Created?

Describe the different type of Integrity Constraints supported by ORACLE ?

What is remote login user and local user in database?And sid is used when user
want to login as local user and Glodal database name is used when user wants to
login as remote user..What does it mean ?

What does a Control file Contain ?

What are the Large object types supported by Oracle?

What are the Back ground processes in Oracle?

Explain different types of segment. Data segment Index segment

Explain in brief oracle database objects.

Explain SGA memory structures: Shared Pool Database buffer Cache

What is the use of Redo Log Information ?

Explain the types of data files used by the oracle RDBMS.

What is the function of SMON?

Describe Oracle architecture in brief.

What is the differnece between materialized view and snapshot?

What is a Data Dictionary ?

What is the function of Redo Log ?

How will you identify database size when you create a database first time?

What is the difference between SID and Global Database Name ?

What are the Characteristics of Data Files

What is the physical and logical structure of oracle?

Explain the methods provided by SQL Loader.

What is the diff b/w BTREE INDEX and BITMAP INDEX?

What is SQL Loader? Explain the files used by SQL Loader to load file. i.e Loader
control file Input datafile

Explain the areas of memory used by oracle i.e. Software code area

Explain the categories of oracle processes i.e. user data writing processes