SQL Questions

Question: What is SQL?
Answer: Structured Query Language (SQL) is a language that provides an interface to relational database
systems. In common usage SQL also encompasses DML (Data Manipulation Language), for INSERTs,
UPDATEs, DELETEs and DDL (Data Definition Language), used for creating and modifying tables and
other database structures.
Question: What is SELECT statement?
Answer: The SELECT statement lets you select a set of values from a table in a database. The values
selected from the database table would depend on the various conditions that are specified in the SQL query.
Question: How can you compare a part of the name rather than the entire name?
Answer:
Example
SELECT *
FROM
employees
WHERE
first_name LIKE '%ab%';
Would return a record set with records consisting name the sequence 'ab' in first_name.
Question: What is the INSERT statement?
Answer: The INSERT statement lets you insert information into a database.
Question: How do you delete a record from a database?
Answer: Use the DELETE statement to remove records or any particular column values from a database.
Question: How could I get distinct entries from a table?
Answer: The SELECT statement in conjunction with DISTINCT lets you select a set of distinct values
from a table in a database. The values selected from the database table would of course depend on the
various conditions that are specified in the SQL query.
Example
SELECT DISTINCT first_name
FROM
employees;
Question: How to get the results of a Query sorted in any order?
Answer: You can sort the results and return the sorted results to your program by using ORDER BY
keyword thus saving you the pain of carrying out the sorting yourself. The ORDER BY keyword is used for
sorting.
Example for ascending order
SELECT *
FROM
employees
ORDER BY first_name ASC;
SELECT *
FROM
employees
ORDER BY first_name ASC;
Example for descending order

SELECT *
FROM
employees
ORDER BY first_name DESC;
Question: How can I find the total number of records in a table?
Answer: You could use the COUNT keyword.
Example
SELECT COUNT (*)
FROM
employees
Question: What is the difference among "dropping a table", "truncating a table" and "deleting all
records" from a table.
Answer:
Dropping:(Table structure + Data are deleted), Invalidates the dependent objects, Drops the indexes.
Truncating: (Data alone deleted), Performs an automatic commit, faster than delete.
Delete: (Data alone deleted), doesnt perform automatic commit.
Question: What are the Large object types supported by Oracle?
Answer: Blob and Clob.
Question: Difference between a "where" clause and a "having" clause.
Answer: Having clause is used only with group functions whereas Where is not used with.
Question: What's the difference between a primary key and a unique key?
Answer: Both primary key and unique enforce uniqueness of the column on which they are defined. But by
default primary key creates a clustered index on the column, where are unique creates a non clustered index
by default. Another major difference is that, primary key doesn't allow NULLs, but unique key allows one
NULL only.
Question: What are cursors?
Answer:
CURSOR
For every SQL statement execution certain area in memory is allocated. PL/SQL allow you to name
this area. This private SQL area is called context area or cursor. A cursor acts as a handle or pointer
into the context area. A PL/SQL program controls the context area using the cursor.
When you declare a cursor, you get a pointer variable, which does not point any thing. When the
cursor is opened, memory is allocated and the cursor structure is created. The cursor variable now
points the cursor. When the cursor is closed the memory allocated for the cursor is released.
Cursors allow the programmer to retrieve data from a table and perform actions on that data one row
at a time. There are two types of cursors implicit cursors and explicit cursors.
Implicit cursors
For SQL queries returning single row PL/SQL declares implicit cursors. Implicit cursors are simple
SELECT statements and are written in the BEGIN block (executable section) of the PL/SQL.
Implicit cursors are easy to code, and they retrieve exactly one row. PL/SQL implicitly declares
cursors for all DML (INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE) statements.
Explicit Cursors
Explicit cursors are used in queries that return multiple rows. The set of rows fetched by a query is
called active set. The size of the active set meets the search criteria in the select statement. Explicit
cursor is declared in the DECLARE section of PL/SQL program.
Question: What are triggers? How to invoke a trigger on demand?
Answer:
Triggers are special kind of stored procedures that get executed automatically when an INSERT,
UPDATE or DELETE operation takes place on a table. Triggers can't be invoked on demand. They
get triggered only when an associated action (INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE) happens on the
tables upon which they are defined. Triggers are generally used to implement business rules,
auditing. Triggers can also be used to extend the referential integrity checks, but wherever possible,
use constraints for this purpose, instead of triggers, as constraints are much faster.
Question: What is a join and explain different types of joins.
Answer:
Joins are used in queries to explain how different tables are related. Joins also let you select data
from a table depending upon data from another table. Types of joins: INNER JOINs, OUTER JOINs,
CROSS JOINs.OUTER JOINs are further classified as LEFT OUTER JOINS, RIGHT OUTER
JOINS and FULL OUTER JOINS.
Question: What is a self join?
Answer:Self join is just like any other join, except that two instances of the same table will be joined in the
query.
Question: How can I eliminate duplicates values in a table?
Answer: SQL> DELETE FROM table_name A WHERE ROWID > (SELECT min(rowid) FROM
table_name B WHERE A.key_values = B.key_values);
Question: How can I change my Oracle password?
Answer: From SQL*Plus type: ALTER USER username IDENTIFIED BY new_password
Question: What are the most important DDL statements in SQL?
Answer: The most important DDL statements in SQL are:
* create table-creates a new database table
* alter table-alters (changes) a database table

* drop table-deletes a database table
* create index-creates an index (search key)
* drop index-deletes an index
Question: What is the INSERT INTO Statements?
Answer: The INSERT INTO statements are:
* INSERT INTO table_name VALUES (value1, value2,....)
* INSERT INTO table_name (column1, column2,...) VALUES (value1, value2,....)
Question: Write theUpdate Statement?
Answer:
UPDATE employees
SET
salary
= 25000
WHERE employee_id = 100;
Question: What are the Delete Statements?
Answer: These are:
DELETE FROM employees
WHERE employee_id = 100;
Question: Explain IN operator.
Answer: The IN operator may be used if you know the exact value you want to return for at least one of the
columns.
SELECT
FROM
WHERE
first_name
employees
department_id IN (10, 69, 50);
Question: Explain BETWEEN...AND

Answer:
SELECT first_name
FROM
employees
WHERE
salary BETWEEN 10000 AND 60000;

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Question: What is SQL?

Example for descending order

* alter table-alters (changes) a database table

Question: Explain BETWEEN...AND

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