ORACLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Questions What is a Database ?

Answers A Database can be one of the two definitions: A set of dictionary tables and user tables that are treated as a unit. One or more operating system files in which ORACL stores the tables!"iews!and other ob#ects:also! the set of database ob#ects used by a gi"en application. A database is a collection of interrelated data that are to be stored in a single location. $t enables sharing of data among "arious users as and when re%uired.

What is a Database system ?

A Database system is a combination of an $nstance and a Database. $f the instance is started and connected to an open database! then the database is a"ailable for access by the users. A D&'( is a software system with capabilities to organise! manipulate and manage the data. )ote:* A D&'( must be able to reliably manage a large amount of data in a multi*user en"ironment so that many users can concurrently access the same data. A D&'( must also be secure from unauthorised access and pro"ides eficient solutions for failure reco"ery. A relational database 'angement (ystem +RD&'(, is a computer program for general purpose data storage and retrie"al that organi-es data into tables consisting of one or more units of information +rows,! each containing the same set of data items +columns,. ORACL is a relational database management system. .ierarchial. )etwor/ing. Relational. (.0.L * (tructured 0uery Language.(0L is the A)($ industry standard language! used to manipulate information in a relational database and used in ORACL and $&' D&1 relational database management systems. (0L is formally pronounced 2se%uel3! although common usage also pronounces it 2(.0.L.3 (0L is a set of commands that all programmers must use to access data within the tables of Database. 4. $t is fle5ible! 6owerful and easy to learn. 1. $t is a non*procedural language. $t a7 6rocesses set of records rather than #ust one at a time and b7 6ro"ides automatic na"igation to the data. 8. $t pro"ides commands for a "ariety of tas/s including : a7 0uerying data 1

What is an RD&'( ?

What are the differnt Database models ? What is (0L ?

What are the benefits of (0L ?

ORACLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS b7 Creating!9pdating and Replacing ob#ects and $nserting! 9pdating and Deleting rows. :. All RD&'( supports (0L ;hus one can transfer the s/ills gained with (0L from one RD&'( to another. <. 6rograms written in (0L are portable! they can often be mo"ed from one database to another with little modification. (0L=6L9( is the ORACL database language which includes A)($ standard (0L commands plus additional commands for accessing data in ORACL database. (0L=6L9( is a (tructured 0uery Language supported by Oracle. ;hrough this only! we store! retrie"e! edit! enter > run (0L commands and 6L?(0L bloc/s. We can perform calculations ! list column definitions! format %uery results in the form of a %uery. $t is a 6rocedural Language e5tension of (0L. $t can contain any no of (0L statements integrated with flow of control statements. ;hus it combine the Data 'anipulating power of (0L with data processing power of 6rocedural language. DDL + Data definition language , DML + Data manipulation language , TCL + ;ransact control language, Session Control Statements. ( AL; R ( (($O)! ROL , S stem Control Statements. ( AL; R (@(; ' , DDL statements are one category of (0L statements. DDL statements define +create, or delete +drop, database ob#ects. 5amples are ceate "iew! create table! create inde5!drop table and rename tabl. ;he other catagories are D'L statements and DCL statements. D'L statements are one catagory of (0L statements. D'L statements! such as select! insert! delete and update! %uery and update the actual data. ;he other catagories are DDL statements and DCL statements. D'L statements are one catagory of (0L statements. DCLstatments such as! connect! grant select!grant update and re"o/e dba! control access to the data and to the database. ;he other catagories are DDL and D'L statements. $t can be defined as a logical unit of wor/. A transaction is a se%uence of (0L statements that ORACL treats as a single unit. ;he set of statements is made permanent with the CO''$; statement. 6art or all of a transaction can de undone with the ROLL&ACA statement. All changes to the database between successi"e CO''$;( and ? or ROLL&ACA operations are called a transaction. CO''$; commits any changes made to the database since the last CO''$; was e5ecuted implicitly or e5plicitly. WORA is optional and has no effect on usage. ;o CO''$; means to ma/e changes to data +inserts!updates and deletes, permanent. before changes are stored both the old and new data e5ists so that changes can be made! or so that the data can be restored to its prior state.+2rollbac/3,. When a user enters the ORACL (0L Command CO''$;! all changes from that transaction are made permanent. ;o end a transaction and ma/e permanent all changes performed in the transaction. ;his command also erases all Sa!e"oints in the transaction and release t#e transa$tion 2

What is (0L=6L9( ?

What is 6L?(0L ?

What are the different types of SQL commands ?

What is A DDL statements?

What is a D'L statements ?

What are DCL statements ?

What is a ;ransaction ?

What is a Commit ?

ORACLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS lo$%s What is a Rollbac/ ? A ROLL&ACA discards part or all of the wor/ you ha"e done in the current transaction! since the last CO''$; or (AB 6O$);. ;o undo wor/ done in current tranaction. What is a D AD LOCA ? A D AD loc/ is a rare situation in which two or more user processes of a database cannot complete theirtransactions.;his occurs because each process is holding a resource that the other process re%uires +such as a row in a table, in order to complete.Although these situations occur rarely! ORACL detects and resol"es deadloc/s by rolling bac/ the wor/ of one of the processes. What are $); CR$;@ $); CR$;@ CO)(;RA$); is a rule that restricts the range of "alid CO)(;RA$);( ? "alues for a column! it is placed on a column when the table is created. What is R D R );$AL R D R );$AL $); CR$;@ is the property that guarantees that $); CR$;@ ? "alues from one column depend on "alues from another column. ;his property is enforced through integrity constraints. What is a 6R$'AR@ A @ ? ;he 6R$'AR@ A @ is the column+s, used to uni%uely identify each row of a table. What is a DOR $C) A @ ? A DOR $C) A @ is one or more columns whose "alues are based on the 6R$'AR@ or CA)D$;A; A @ "alues from the database. What is a 9)$09 A @ ? A 9)$09 A @ is one or more columns that must be uni%ue for each row of the table. What is the difference ;he 9)$09 A @ column restricts entry of duplicate "alues but between 9)$09 and entry of )9LL "alue is allowed. 6R$'AR@ A @ ? $n case of 6R$'AR@ A @ columns entry of duplicate as well as )9LL "alue is restricted. What is a ( 09 )C ? A ( 09 )C is a database ob#ect used to generate 9)$09 $); C R( for use as 6R$'AR@ A @(. What is a B$ W ? A Biew is a database ob#ect that is a logical representation of a table. $t is deri"ed from a table but has no storage space of its own and often may be used in the same manner as a table. What is a (@)O)@' ? A (@)O)@' is a name assigned to a table or "iew that may thereafter be used to refer it. $f you access to another userEs table! you may create a synonym for it and refer to it by the synonym alone! without entering the userEs name as a %ualifier. What is $)D F ? $)D F is a general term for an ORACL ? (0L feature used primarily to speed e5ecution an impose 9)$09 ) (( upon certain data. $)D F pro"ides a faster access method to one tableEs data than doing a full table scan. ;here are se"eral types of $nde5es : 9)$09 $)D F! CO'6R (( D $)D F! CO)CA; )A; D $)D F. An $nde5 has an entry for each "alue found in the tableEs $nde5ed field+s, + e5cept those with a )9LL "alue , and pointer+s, to the rows ha"ing that "alue. What is an 9)$09 $)D F ? An 9)$09 $)D F is an inde5 that imposes uni%ueness on each "alue in inde5es. ;he inde5 may be one column or concatenated columns. What is a CO'6R (( D A CO'6R (( D $)D F is an inde5 for which only enough inde5 $)D F ? information is stored to identify uni%ue entriesG information that an inde5 stores with the pre"ious or following /ey is 2compressed3 +truncated, and not stored to reduce the storage o"erhead re%uired by an inde5. What is CO)CA; )A; D A CO)CA; )A; D $)D F is one that is created on more than $)D F or A @? one column of a table. $t can be used to guarantee that those columns are uni%ue for e"ery row in the table and to speed access to rows "ia those columns What are CL9(; R( ? A CL9(; R is a means of storing together data from multiple tables! when the data in those tables contains information and is 3

ORACLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS li/ely to be accessed concurrently. What is CL9(; R A @ or A CL9(; R A @ is the column or columns that cluster tables ha"e CL9(; R COL9')( ? in common! and which is chosen as the storage ? access /ey. Dor e5ample two tables! WOR&ER and WOR&ERS&ILL! might be clustered on the column name. A cluster /ey is the same thing as a cluster column. What is CL9(; R $)D F ? A CL9(; R $)D F is one manually created after a cluster has been created and before any D'L + that is ( L C;! $)( R;! 96DA; A)D D L ; ,statements can operate on the cluster. ;his inde5 is created on the CL9(; R A @ columns with the (0L statement CR A; $)D F. $n ORACL H! you can define a hash cluster to inde5 on the primary /ey. What are FC 6;$O)( ? 5ceptions are the error handling routines of 6L?(0L.;he FC 6;$O) section of a 6L?(0L bloc/ is where program control is transfered whene"er an e5ception flag is raised. 5ception flags are either user*defined or system e5ceptions raised automatically by 6L?(0L. What are C9R(OR( ? Cursor has two definitions : A cursor is a mar/er such as a blin/ing s%uare or line! that mar/s your current position on a CR; screen. Cursor is also a synonym for conte5t area * a wor/ area in memory where ORACL stores the current (0L statement. Dor a %uery ! the area in memory also includes column headings and one row retrie"ed by the ( L C; statement. What is )9LL ? A )9LL "alue is one that is un/nown! irrele"ant! or not meaningful. Any ORACL data type can be )9LL. )9LL in a number data type is not the same as -ero. T#e 'e(ault !alue (or a (iel' in ORACLE is NULL. What is F6R (($O) ? An e5pression is any form of a column. ;his could be a literal! a "ariable! a mathematical computation! a function! or "irtually any combination of functions and columns whose final result is a single "alue! such as a string! a number! or a "alue. What is a CO)D$;$O) ? A Condition is an e5pression whose "alue e"aluates to either ;R9 or DAL( ! such as AC I 4J. CL$ ); A Client or Dront nd database application acts as an interface between the user and the Database. $t also chec/s for "alidation against the data entered by the user. CL$ ); is a general term for a user ! software application! or computer that re%uires the ser"ices! data! or processing of another application or computer. A Database ser"er or &ac/ nd is used to manage the Database tables optimally among multiple clients who concurrently re%uest the ser"er for the same data. $t also enforces data integrity across all client applications and controls database access and other security re%uirements. ( RB R system is the configuration of the ORACL when a remote user accesses ORACL "ia (0L=) ;. A ( (($O) is a se%uence of e"ents that happens between the time a user connects to (0L and the time he or she disconnects. An $)(;A)C is e"erything re%uired for ORACL to run: bac/round processes +programs,! memory! and so on. An $)(;A)C is the means of accessing a database. (@(; ' is one of the D&A users that is created when the database system is installed and initiali-ed + the other is (@( ,. W#ile S)S owns most o( t#e 'ata 'i$tionar ta*les+ S)STEM owns t#e !iews $reate' on t#ose *ase ta*les. 4

( RB R

What is a ( (($O) ? What is an $)(;A)C ? What is (@(; ' 9( R$D ? What does it ha"e ?

ORACLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS What is (@( 9( R$D ? What (@( is one of the D&A users that is created when the database does it ha"e ? system is installed and initiali-ed + the other is (@(; ' ,. S)S owns most o( t#e 'ata 'i$tionar ta*les+ S)STEM owns t#e !iews $reate' on t#ose *ase ta*les. What is a Data'i$tionar in ;he DA;A D$C;$O)AR@ is a comprehensi"e set of tables and ORACL ? "iews owned by the D&A users (@( and (@(; '! which acti"ates when ORACL is initially installed! and is a cental source of information for the ORACL RD&'( itself and for all users of ORACL . ;he tables are automatically maintained by ORACL ! and holds a set of "iews and tables containing information about the database ob#ects! users! pri"ileges! e"ents! and use. What is S,l'*a ? (0L = D&A is an ORACL utility used by D&As while performing database maintenance and monitoring. What are Data*ase (iles ? A DA;A&A( file is simply any file used in a database. A database is made up of one or more tablespaces! which in turn are made up of one or more database files. What does a $)( R; $)( R; adds one or more new rows to the table or "iew. statement do ? What does an 96DA; 9pdates +changes, the "alues in the listed columns in the specified statement do ? table. What does a D L ; D L ; deletes all rows that satisfy condition from table. statement do ? What does a ( L C; ( L C; retrie"es rows from one or more tables + or "iews or statement do ? snapshots ,! either as a command! or as a sub%uery in another (0L command +with limitations,! including ( L C;!$)( R;!96DA; and D L ; . ALL means that all rows satisfying the conditions will be returned + this is the default ,. D$(;$)C; means that only rows that are uni%ue will be returned: any duplicates will be weeded out first. What is Startu" and (;AR;96 is the process of starting an instance! presumably with S#ut'own ? the intent of mounting and opening a database in order to ma/e a database system a"ailable for use. ;o (.9;DOW) is to disconnect an instance from the database and terminate the instance. ;o 'O9); a database is to ma/e it a"ailable to the database administrator. ORACL H manages distributed transactions with a special feature called ;WO 6.A( * CO''$;. ;WO 6.A( * CO''$; guarantees that a transaction is "alid at all sites by the time it commits or roll bac/. All sites either commit or rollbac/ together! no matter what errors occur in the networ/ or on the machines tied together by the networ/. @ou donEt need to do anything special to ha"e your applications use a ;WO 6.A( * CO''$;. A DA;A&A( ;R$CC R is a stored procedure associated with a table that ORACL H automatically e5ecutes on one or more specified e"ents +& DOR or AD; R an $)( R;!96DA; or D L ; , affecting the table. ;riggers can e5ecute for the table as a whole or for each affected row in the table. A 6ACAAC is a 6L?(0L ob#ect that groups 6L?(0L types! "ariables! (0L cursors! e5ceptions!procedures! and functions. ach pac/age has a specification and a body. ;he specification shows the ob#ect you can access when you use the pac/age. ;he body fully defines all the ob#ects and can contain additional ob#ects used only for the internal wor/ings. @ou can change the body +for e5ample! by adding procedures to the pac/ages, without in"alidating any ob#ect that uses the pac/age. A 6( 9DO COL9') is a 2column3 that yields a "alue when selected! but which is not an actual column of the table. An e5ample 5

What is Mountin- of database ? What is Two .#ase / Commit ?

What are Tri--ers ?

What are .a$%a-es ?

What are .seu'o Columns in ORACL ?

ORACLE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS is ROW$D or (@(DA; . What is a S$#ema ? A (C. 'A is a collection of ob#ects. (C. 'A ob#ects are logical structures that directly refer to the databaseEs data. (C. 'A ob#ects include structures such as ta*les+ !iews+ s non ms+ se,uen$es+ in'e0es+ $lusters+ store' "ro$e'ures an' 'ata lin%s. What are the ma#or aspects of the Relational Data*ase Mana-ement S stem ? ;he Relational model has three ma#or aspects: Stru$tures : (tructures are well*defined ob#ects that store the data of the database. (tructures and the data contained within them can be manipulated by operations. O"erations : Operations are clearly defined actions that allow the user to manipulate the data and structure of the database. ;he operation on a database must adhere to a pre*defined set of integrity rules. Inte-rit rules : $ntegrity rules are the laws that go"ern which operations are allowed on the data and structure of a database. $ntegrity rules protect the data and the structures of a database. RD&'( offers benefits such as : 47 $ndependence of physical data storage and logical database structure. 17 "ariable and easy access to all data. 87 Complete fle5ibility in database design. :7 Reduced data storage and redundancy. An ORACL database structure has both a physical and logical structure. .# si$al 'ata*ase stru$ture 1 An ORACL database physical structure is determined by the operating system files that constitute the database. ach ORACL database is comprised of three types of files: one or more data files! two or more redolog files! and one or more control files. ;he files of a database pro"ide the actual physical storage of the database information. Lo-i$al 'ata*ase stru$ture1 An ORACL databaseEs logical structure is determined by One or more tablespaces. ;he databaseEs schema ob#ects +e.g. tables! "iews! inde5es! clusters! se%uences!and stored procedures , ;he logical storage structures! including tablespaces! segments! and e5tents! dictate how the physical space of a database is used. the schema ob#ects and the relationships among them form the relational design of the database.

What are the benefits of Relational Data*ase Mana-ement S stem ?

What is a Data*ase Stru$ture ?