http://www.fastrevise.com/index.php

 

 

Q:

What is the difference between Exception & RuntimeException in Java?

A:

RuntimeException is a child class of Exception class. You can see the details here. This is one of the many child classes of Exception class. RuntimeException is the superclass of those exceptions that can be thrown during the normal operation of the Java Virtual Machine. A method is not required to declare in its throws clause any subclasses of RuntimeException that might be thrown during the execution of the method but not caught.

The hierchy is

java.lang.Object

---java.lang.Throwable

-------java.lang.Exception

-------------java.lang.RuntimeException

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/java/lang/RuntimeException.html
.

 

Q:

Is it possible to use try-catch in the finally block of java

A:

Yes it is possible to use try catch inside the finally block of java. As a matter of fact it is a good practice to do so as the methods called in finally block may throw an exception. Importance: Highest
.

 

Q:

Is it possible to create a constructor for an abstract class

A:

Yes it is possible to create a constructor for an abstract class. It has less use as you can not instantiate an abstract class. However this can be called from the constructor of the derived classes and you can use it to initialize some variables of the abstract class. Importance: Highest
.

 

Q:

What is the difference between ApplicationServer and webserver?

A:

Web Server is limited to Web Technology and more over it can't deploy the entriprise applications. So inorder to deploy entriprise applications(EAR Files), we need Application Server. And More Over Web server supports all kinds of protocols not only http.It can support FTP and any, provided the concern jar files must be placed in the lib folder of the Web Server.

 

Q:

Write a recursive programme to reverse a string i.e given an input "catch" the output should be "hctac"

A:

·  public String reverse(String str)

·  {

·  if ((null == str) || (str.length() <= 1))

·  {

·  return str; /*End */

·  }

·  return reverse(str.substring(1)) + str.charAt(0); /* Recursion */
}
.

 

Q:

What's the difference between the methods sleep() and wait()

A:

The code sleep(1000); puts thread aside for exactly one second. The code wait(1000), causes a wait of up to one second. A thread could stop waiting earlier if it receives the notify() or notifyAll() call. The method wait() is defined in the class Object and the method sleep() is defined in the class Thread.
.

 

Q:

Can you call one constructor from another if a class has multiple constructors

A:

Yes. Use this() syntax
.

 

Q:

What would you use to compare two String variables - the operator == or the method equals()?

A:

I'd use the method equals() to compare the values of the Strings and the == to check if two variables point at the same instance of a String object.
.

 

Q:

How can a subclass call a method or a constructor defined in a superclass?

A:

To call a method use the following syntax: super.myMethod();
To call a constructor of the superclass, just write super(); in the first line of the subclass's constructor
.

 

Q:

What is the difference between an Interface and an Abstract class?

A:

An abstract class can have instance methods that implement a default behavior. An Interface can only declare constants and instance methods, but cannot implement default behavior and all methods are implicitly abstract. An interface has all public members and no implementation. An abstract class is a class which may have the usual flavors of class members (private, protected, etc.), but has some abstract methods.

Q:

What is the purpose of garbage collection in Java, and when is it used?

A:

The purpose of garbage collection is to identify and discard objects that are no longer needed by a program so that their resources can be reclaimed and reused. A Java object is subject to garbage collection when it becomes unreachable to the program in which it is used.

 

 

 

Q:

Describe synchronization in respect to multithreading.

A:

With respect to multithreading, synchronization is the capability to control the access of multiple threads to shared resources. Without synchonization, it is possible for one thread to modify a shared variable while another thread is in the process of using or updating same shared variable. This usually leads to significant errors. 

 

 

 

Q:

Explain different way of using thread?

A:

The thread could be implemented by using runnable interface or by inheriting from the Thread class. The former is more advantageous, 'cause when you are going for multiple inheritance..the only interface can help.

 

 

 

Q:

What is an Iterator?

A:

Some of the collection classes provide traversal of their contents via a java.util.Iterator interface. This interface allows you to walk through a collection of objects, operating on each object in turn. Remember when using Iterators that they contain a snapshot of the collection at the time the Iterator was obtained; generally it is not advisable to modify the collection itself while traversing an Iterator.

 

 

 

Q:

State the significance of public, private, protected, default modifiers both singly and in combination and state the effect of package relationships on declared items qualified by these modifiers.

A:

public : Public class is visible in other packages, field is visible everywhere (class must be public too)
private : Private variables or methods may be used only by an instance of the same class that declares the variable or method, A private feature may only be accessed by the class that owns the feature.
protected : Is available to all classes in the same package and also available to all subclasses of the class that owns the protected feature.This access is provided even to subclasses that reside in a different package from the class that owns the protected feature.
default :What you get by default ie, without any access modifier (ie, public private or protected).It means that it is visible to all within a particular package
.

 

 

 

Q:

What is an abstract class?

A:

Abstract class must be extended/subclassed (to be useful). It serves as a template. A class that is abstract may not be instantiated (ie, you may not call its constructor), abstract class may contain static data. Any class with an abstract method is automatically abstract itself, and must be declared as such.
A class may be declared abstract even if it has no abstract methods. This prevents it from being instantiated.

 

 

 

Q:

What is static in java?

A:

Static means one per class, not one for each object no matter how many instance of a class might exist. This means that you can use them without creating an instance of a class.Static methods are implicitly final, because overriding is done based on the type of the object, and static methods are attached to a class, not an object. A static method in a superclass can be shadowed by another static method in a subclass, as long as the original method was not declared final. However, you can't override a static method with a nonstatic method. In other words, you can't change a static method into an instance method in a subclass.

 

 

 

Q:

What is final?

A:

A final class can't be extended ie., final class may not be subclassed. A final method can't be overridden when its class is inherited. You can't change value of a final variable (is a constant).

Q:

What are pass by reference and passby value?

A:

Pass By Reference means the passing the address itself rather than passing the value. Passby Value means passing a copy of the value to be passed. 

 

 

 

Q:

Difference between HashMap and HashTable?

A:

The HashMap class is roughly equivalent to Hashtable, except that it is unsynchronized and permits nulls. (HashMap allows null values as key and value whereas Hashtable doesnt allow). HashMap does not guarantee that the order of the map will remain constant over time. HashMap is unsynchronized and Hashtable is synchronized.

 

 

 

Q:

Difference between Vector and ArrayList?

A:

Vector is synchronized whereas arraylist is not.

 

 

 

Q:

What is the difference between a constructor and a method?

A:

A constructor is a member function of a class that is used to create objects of that class. It has the same name as the class itself, has no return type, and is invoked using the new operator.
A method is an ordinary member function of a class. It has its own name, a return type (which may be void), and is invoked using the dot operator.

 

 

 

 

 

Q:

What if the main method is declared as private?

A:

The program compiles properly but at runtime it will give "Main method not public." message.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What if the static modifier is removed from the signature of the main method?

A:

Program compiles. But at runtime throws an error "NoSuchMethodError".

 

 

 

 

Q:

What if I write static public void instead of public static void?

A:

Program compiles and runs properly.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What if I do not provide the String array as the argument to the method?

A:

Program compiles but throws a runtime error "NoSuchMethodError".

 

 

 

 

Q:

If I do not provide any arguments on the command line, then the String array of Main method will be empty or null?

A:

It is empty. But not null.

 

 

 

 

Q:

How can one prove that the array is not null but empty using one line of code?

A:

Print args.length. It will print 0. That means it is empty. But if it would have been null then it would have thrown a NullPointerException on attempting to print args.length.

Q:

Can an application have multiple classes having main method?

A:

Yes it is possible. While starting the application we mention the class name to be run. The JVM will look for the Main method only in the class whose name you have mentioned. Hence there is not conflict amongst the multiple classes having main method.

 

 

 

 

Q:

Can I have multiple main methods in the same class?

A:

No the program fails to compile. The compiler says that the main method is already defined in the class.

 

 

 

 

Q:

Do I need to import java.lang package any time? Why ?

A:

No. It is by default loaded internally by the JVM.

 

 

 

 

Q:

Can I import same package/class twice? Will the JVM load the package twice at runtime?

A:

One can import the same package or same class multiple times. Neither compiler nor JVM complains abt it. And the JVM will internally load the class only once no matter how many times you import the same class.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What are Checked and UnChecked Exception?

A:

A checked exception is some subclass of Exception (or Exception itself), excluding class RuntimeException and its subclasses.
Making an exception checked forces client programmers to deal with the possibility that the exception will be thrown. eg, IOException thrown by java.io.FileInputStream's read() method·
Unchecked exceptions are RuntimeException and any of its subclasses. Class Error and its subclasses also are unchecked. With an unchecked exception, however, the compiler doesn't force client programmers either to catch the
exception or declare it in a throws clause. In fact, client programmers may not even know that the exception could be thrown. eg, StringIndexOutOfBoundsException thrown by String's charAt() method· Checked exceptions must be caught at compile time. Runtime exceptions do not need to be. Errors often cannot be.

 

 

 

Q:

What is Overriding?

A:

When a class defines a method using the same name, return type, and arguments as a method in its superclass, the method in the class overrides the method in the superclass.
When the method is invoked for an object of the class, it is the new definition of the method that is called, and not the method definition from superclass. Methods may be overridden to be more public, not more private.

 

 

 

Q:

What are different types of inner classes?

A:

Nested top-level classes, Member classes, Local classes, Anonymous classes

Nested top-level classes- If you declare a class within a class and specify the static modifier, the compiler treats the class just like any other top-level class.
Any class outside the declaring class accesses the nested class with the declaring class name acting similarly to a package. eg, outer.inner. Top-level inner classes implicitly have access only to static variables.There can also be inner interfaces. All of these are of the nested top-level variety.

Member classes - Member inner classes are just like other member methods and member variables and access to the member class is restricted, just like methods and variables. This means a public member class acts similarly to a nested top-level class. The primary difference between member classes and nested top-level classes is that member classes have access to the specific instance of the enclosing class.

Local classes - Local classes are like local variables, specific to a block of code. Their visibility is only within the block of their declaration. In order for the class to be useful beyond the declaration block, it would need to implement a
more publicly available interface.Because local classes are not members, the modifiers public, protected, private, and static are not usable.

Anonymous classes - Anonymous inner classes extend local inner classes one level further. As anonymous classes have no name, you cannot provide a constructor.

Q:

Are the imports checked for validity at compile time? e.g. will the code containing an import such as java.lang.ABCD compile?

A:

Yes the imports are checked for the semantic validity at compile time. The code containing above line of import will not compile. It will throw an error saying,can not resolve symbol
symbol : class ABCD
location: package io
import java.io.ABCD;

 

 

 

 

Q:

Does importing a package imports the subpackages as well? e.g. Does importing com.MyTest.* also import com.MyTest.UnitTests.*?

A:

No you will have to import the subpackages explicitly. Importing com.MyTest.* will import classes in the package MyTest only. It will not import any class in any of it's subpackage.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What is the difference between declaring a variable and defining a variable?

A:

In declaration we just mention the type of the variable and it's name. We do not initialize it. But defining means declaration + initialization.
e.g String s; is just a declaration while String s = new String ("abcd"); Or String s = "abcd"; are both definitions.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What is the default value of an object reference declared as an instance variable?

A:

null unless we define it explicitly.

 

 

 

 

Q:

Can a top level class be private or protected?

A:

No. A top level class can not be private or protected. It can have either "public" or no modifier. If it does not have a modifier it is supposed to have a default access.If a top level class is declared as private the compiler will complain that the "modifier private is not allowed here". This means that a top level class can not be private. Same is the case with protected.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What type of parameter passing does Java support?

A:

In Java the arguments are always passed by value .

Q:

Does Java provide any construct to find out the size of an object?

A:

No there is not sizeof operator in Java. So there is not direct way to determine the size of an object directly in Java.

 

 

 

 

Q:

Give a simplest way to find out the time a method takes for execution without using any profiling tool?

A:

Read the system time just before the method is invoked and immediately after method returns. Take the time difference, which will give you the time taken by a method for execution.

To put it in code...

long start = System.currentTimeMillis ();
method ();
long end = System.currentTimeMillis ();

System.out.println ("Time taken for execution is " + (end - start));

Remember that if the time taken for execution is too small, it might show that it is taking zero milliseconds for execution. Try it on a method which is big enough, in the sense the one which is doing considerable amout of processing.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What are wrapper classes?

A:

Java provides specialized classes corresponding to each of the primitive data types. These are called wrapper classes. They are e.g. Integer, Character, Double etc.

 

 

 

 

Q:

Why do we need wrapper classes?

A:

It is sometimes easier to deal with primitives as objects. Moreover most of the collection classes store objects and not primitive data types. And also the wrapper classes provide many utility methods also. Because of these resons we need wrapper classes. And since we create instances of these classes we can store them in any of the collection classes and pass them around as a collection. Also we can pass them around as method parameters where a method expects an object.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What are checked exceptions?

A:

Checked exception are those which the Java compiler forces you to catch. e.g. IOException are checked Exceptions.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What are runtime exceptions?

A:

Runtime exceptions are those exceptions that are thrown at runtime because of either wrong input data or because of wrong business logic etc. These are not checked by the compiler at compile time.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What is the difference between error and an exception?

A:

An error is an irrecoverable condition occurring at runtime. Such as OutOfMemory error. These JVM errors and you can not repair them at runtime. While exceptions are conditions that occur because of bad input etc. e.g. FileNotFoundException will be thrown if the specified file does not exist. Or a NullPointerException will take place if you try using a null reference. In most of the cases it is possible to recover from an exception (probably by giving user a feedback for entering proper values etc.).

Q:

How to create custom exceptions?

A:

Your class should extend class Exception, or some more specific type thereof.

 

 

 

 

Q:

If I want an object of my class to be thrown as an exception object, what should I do?

A:

The class should extend from Exception class. Or you can extend your class from some more precise exception type also.

 

 

 

 

Q:

If my class already extends from some other class what should I do if I want an instance of my class to be thrown as an exception object?

A:

One can not do anytihng in this scenarion. Because Java does not allow multiple inheritance and does not provide any exception interface as well.

 

 

 

 

Q:

How does an exception permeate through the code?

A:

An unhandled exception moves up the method stack in search of a matching When an exception is thrown from a code which is wrapped in a try block followed by one or more catch blocks, a search is made for matching catch block. If a matching type is found then that block will be invoked. If a matching type is not found then the exception moves up the method stack and reaches the caller method. Same procedure is repeated if the caller method is included in a try catch block. This process continues until a catch block handling the appropriate type of exception is found. If it does not find such a block then finally the program terminates.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What are the different ways to handle exceptions?

A:

There are two ways to handle exceptions,
1. By wrapping the desired code in a try block followed by a catch block to catch the exceptions. and
2. List the desired exceptions in the throws clause of the method and let the caller of the method hadle those exceptions.

 

 

 

 

Q:

What is the basic difference between the 2 approaches to exception handling.
1> try catch block and
2> specifying the candidate exceptions in the throws clause?
When should you use which approach?

A:

In the first approach as a programmer of the method, you urself are dealing with the exception. This is fine if you are in a best position to decide should be done in case of an exception. Whereas if it is not the responsibility of the method to deal with it's own exceptions, then do not use this approach. In this case use the second approach. In the second approach we are forcing the caller of the method to catch the exceptions, that the method is likely to throw. This is often the approach library creators use. They list the exception in the throws clause and we must catch them. You will find the same approach throughout the java libraries we use.

 

 

 

 

Q:

Is it necessary that each try block must be followed by a catch block?

A:

It is not necessary that each try block must be followed by a catch block. It should be followed by either a catch block OR a finally block. And whatever exceptions are likely to be thrown should be declared in the throws clause of the method.

 

 

 

 

Q:

If I write return at the end of the try block, will the finally block still execute?

A:

Yes even if you write return as the last statement in the try block and no exception occurs, the finally block will execute. The finally block will execute and then the control return.

 

 

 

 

Q:

If I write System.exit (0); at the end of the try block, will the finally block still execute?

A:

No in this case the finally block will not execute because when you say System.exit (0); the control immediately goes out of the program, and thus finally never executes.

 

Multithreading

Q:

How to create multithreaded program? Explain different ways of using thread?

 

 

A:

There are two ways to create multithreaded program. First one is by extending the Thread class. The other way is by making the class implement "Runnable" interface.

The latter is more advantageous, because while going for multiple inheritance, only interface can help. . If the programme is already inheriting a different class, then you have to go for Runnable Interface. Otherwise you can extend Thread class. Also, if you are implementing interface, it means you have to implement all methods in the interface. If the class is not extending any other class, then you can extend Thread class as it will save few lines of coding.
.

 

Q:

What is synchronization?

 

 

A:

With respect to multithreading, Synchronization is a process of controlling the access of shared resources by multiple threads in such a manner that only one thread can access a particular resource at a time. In non synchronized multithreaded application, it is possible for one thread to modify a shared object while another thread is in the process of using or updating the object's value. Synchronization prevents such type of data corruption which may otherwise lead to dirty reads and significant errors.

You can either synchronizing a function or synchronizing a piece of code.

E.g. synchronizing a function:

public synchronized void Method1 () {
// method code.
}
E.g. synchronizing a block of code inside a function:
public Method2 (){
synchronized (this) {
// synchronized code here.
}
}
Synchronized blocks place locks for shorter periods than synchronized methods.

.

 

Q:

What is mutual exclusion? How can you take care of mutual exclusion using Java threads?

 

 

A:

Mutual exclusion is a phenomenon where no two processes can access critical regions of memory at the same time. Using Java multithreading we can arrive at mutual exclusion. For mutual exclusion, you can simply use the synchronized keyword and explicitly or implicitly provide an Object to synchronize on. The synchronized keyword can be applied to a class, to a method, or to a block of code. There are several methods in Java used for communicating mutually exclusive threads such as wait( ), notify( ), or notifyAll( ). For example, the notifyAll( ) method wakes up all threads that are in the wait list of an object
.

 

Q:

What invokes a thread's run() method?

 

 

A:

After a thread is started, via its start() method of the Thread class, the JVM invokes the thread's run() method when the thread is initially executed.
.

 

Q:

What is deadlock?

 

 

A:

When two threads are waiting for each other and can’t proceed until the first thread obtains a lock on the other thread or vice versa, the program is said to be in a deadlock.
.

 

Q:

What’s the difference between the methods sleep() and wait()?

 

 

A:

The sleep method is used when the thread has to be put aside for a fixed amount of time. Ex: sleep(1000), puts the thread aside for exactly one second. The wait method is used to put the thread aside for up to the specified time. It could wait for much lesser time if it receives a notify() or notifyAll() call. Ex: wait(1000), causes a wait of up to one second. The method wait() is defined in the Object and the method sleep() is defined in the class Thread.

 

Object Serialization

Q:

What is serialization?

 

 

A:

Serialization is the process of writing the state of an object to a byte stream. The serialization is a kind of mechanism that makes a class or a bean persistent by having its properties or fields and state information saved and restored to and from storage.
Whenever an object is to be sent over the network or saved in a file, objects are serialized.
.

 

Q:

What happens to the static fields of a class during serialization?

 

 

A:

There are three exceptions in which serialization doesn’t necessarily read and write to the stream. These are

  1. Serialization ignores static fields, because they are not part of any particular state.
  2. Base class fields are only handled if the base class itself is serializable.
  3. Transient fields.


You must make sure that all the included objects are also serializable. If any of the objects is not serializable then it throws a NotSerializableException.
.

 

Q:

What are Transient and Volatile Modifiers?

 

 

A:

A transient variable is a variable that may not be serialized i.e. the value of the variable can’t be written to the stream in a Serializable class. If you don't want some field to be serialized, you can mark that field transient or static. In such a case when the class is retrieved from the ObjectStream the value of the variable is null.

Volatile modifier applies to variables only and it tells the compiler that the variable modified by volatile can be changed unexpectedly by other parts of the program.
.

 

Q:

What is Externalizable?

 

 

A:

Externalizable is an interface which contains two methods readExternal and writeExternal. These methods give you a control over the serialization mechanism. Thus if your class implements this interface, you can customize the serialization process by implementing these methods.
.

 

Q:

What is the difference between Serializalble and Externalizable interface? How can you control over the serialization process i.e. how can you customize the seralization process?

 

 

A:

When you use Serializable interface, your class is serialized automatically by default. But you can override writeObject() and readObject() two methods to control more complex object serailization process. When you use Externalizable interface, you have a complete control over your class's serialization process. This interface contains two methods namely readExternal and writeExternal. You should implement these methods and write the logic for customizing the serialization process.
.

 

Q:

How to make a class or a bean serializable? How do I serialize an object to a file?

 

 

A:

An object must implement the Serializable or Externalizable interface before it can be written to a stream as an object. The class whose instances are to be serialized should implement an interface Serializable. Then you pass the instance to the ObjectOutputStream which is connected to a fileoutputstream. This will save the object to a file.

 

Garbage Collection

Q:

Explain Garbage collection mechanism in Java?

 

 

A:

Garbage collection is one of the most important features of Java. The purpose of garbage collection is to identify and discard objects that are no longer needed by a program so that their resources can be reclaimed and reused. A Java object is subject to garbage collection when it becomes unreachable to the program in which it is used. Garbage collection is also called automatic memory management as JVM automatically removes the unused variables/objects (value is null) from the memory. Every class inherits finalize() method from java.lang.Object, the finalize() method is called by garbage collector when it determines no more references to the object exists. In Java, it is good idea to explicitly assign null into a variable when no more in use. In Java on calling System.gc() and Runtime.gc(), JVM tries to recycle the unused objects, but there is no guarantee when all the objects will garbage collected. Garbage collection is an automatic process and can't be forced. There is no guarantee that Garbage collection will start immediately upon request of System.gc().
.

 

Q:

Does garbage collection guarantee that a program will not run out of memory?

 

 

A:

Garbage collection does not guarantee that a program will not run out of memory. It is possible for programs to use up memory resources faster than they are garbage collected. It is also possible for programs to create objects that are not subject to garbage collection.
.

 

Q:

What is the purpose of finalization?

 

 

A:

The purpose of finalization is to give an unreachable object the opportunity to perform any cleanup, before the object gets garbage collected. For example, closing an opened database Connection.
.

 

Q:

Can an object’s finalize() method be invoked while it is reachable?

 

 

A:

An object’s finalize() method cannot be invoked by the garbage collector while the object is still reachable. However, an object’s finalize() method may be invoked by other objects.

 

Exception

Q:

What are Checked and Unchecked Exceptions?

 

 

A:

A checked exception is a subclass of Exception, excluding class RuntimeException and its subclasses. Making an exception checked forces client programmes to deal with the exception that may be thrown. Checked exceptions must be caught at compile time. Example: IOException.

Unchecked exceptions are RuntimeException and any of its subclasses. Class Error and its subclasses also are unchecked. With an unchecked exception, however, the compiler doesn't force client programmers either to catch the exception or declare it in a throws clause. In fact, client programmers may not even know that the exception could be thrown. Example: ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException.
.

 

Q:

Does the order of placing catch statements matter in the catch block?

 

 

A:

Yes, it does. The FileNoFoundException is inherited from the IOException. So FileNoFoundException is caught before IOException. Exception’s subclasses have to be caught first before the General Exception
.

 

Q:

What is the difference between throw and throws keywords?

 

 

A:

The throw keyword denotes a statement that causes an exception to be initiated. It takes the Exception object to be thrown as an argument. The exception will be caught by an enclosing try-catch block or propagated further up the calling hierarchy. The throws keyword is a modifier of a method that denotes that an exception may be thrown by the method. An exception can be rethrown.
.

 

Q:

Explain the user defined Exceptions

 

 

A:

User defined Exceptions are custom Exception classes defined by the user for specific purpose. A user defined exception can be created by simply sub-classing an Exception class or a subclass of an Exception class. This allows custom exceptions to be generated (using throw clause) and caught in the same way as normal exceptions.

Example:

class CustomException extends Exception { }

 

 

Database

 

 



Q: What is the difference between Rule based optimization and Cost based optimization in Oracle SQL queries?

Rule based optimizer or RBO uses a set of rules to determine the execution plan for a given query. For example if there is an index on one of the columns used in where clause, then RBO will always use the index. The biggest problem with RBO is that it does not take the distribution of data into consideration and hence sometimes ends up slowing down the query.
For example if a table has a column status that can have only 2 values Y or N. Now if there is an index on this column, then the index shall be used everytime a query uses status in the where clause. If such a query returns 50% of the table then use of the index slows down the query execution.

The Cost based optimizer or CBO uses statistics about the table, indexes and the data distribution in them to make better decisions. Using the previous example, if the status column has 90% Y and 10% N. If a query uses status='Y' the index shall not be used. On the otherhand If a query uses status='N' the index shall be used.

Q: Emp table had an employee with salary 2000. I issued an update statement to set the salary to 3000. Then I issued a create table statement. However the create table command errored out. I want to rollback the earlier update statement. Can I do that?

ALL DDL  statements are auto-commit. That means whenever you execute a DDL statement, all prior transactions get commited. Please note that the commit is issued before excuting the DDL. So even if the DDL statement errors out, commit would have happened.
Q: Please explain the concepts of transaction, commit and rollback

A sequence of database modifications, i.e., a sequence of insert, update, and delete statements,is called a transaction.
These modifications are temporarily stored in the database system. They become permanent only after the statement commit; has been issued.
As long as the user has not issued the commit statement, it is possible to undo all modifications since the last commit. To undo modifications, one has to issue the statement rollback;.
All statements between two commits or a commit and a rollback form one transaction. Please note that all ddl statements are autocommit.

Q: Explain the concept of NULL

 

In SQL NULL means the value is unknown. This is not same as 0 or the empty string ''. To check if the value in a column is NULL we use the clause "IS NULL"

Select * from emp where sal IS NULL; This statement will return all records with salary as null. However the statement Select * from emp where sal = NULL will not return any records.

Function nvl  is used to replace the null value with some other value.

Q: Explain Normal Join

A normal join will look like the following

SELECT e.ename NAME, d.deptname DEPARTMENT
FROM emp e, dept d
WHERE e.deptno = d.deptno;
Here the tables emp and dept have been joined by the column deptno. Please note the use of  table alias (emp e) and column alias (e.ename NAME) in this statement.

Explain Concept of Self Join

When a table is joined to itself in a query then that is called a self-join.
The structure of emp table is

eno

ename

mgrno

Employee No

Employee Name

Manager Number


Data in the table is

eno

ename

mgrno

1

suku

2

2

pari

3


Now we want to find the name of the manager of the employee named 'suku'. This can be done by the following query
Select mgr.ename "Manager Name"
 From  emp e, emp mgr
Where e.mgrno=mgr.eno
Here the emp table is joined with itself. So this is a self join.

Q: Please explain Outer Join in SQL


This is one of the areas that many students make a mistake and it is perhaps one of the most frequently asked question in interviews. So study it carefully.
In this type of join the query returns all rows from one table and selected number of rows from the second table.

For example say we want to find all employees from emp table and their deprtname from dept table. However the problem is some of the employees have a department id that does not exist in dept table. In such a situation we will use outer join in the SQL query.

The structure of emp table is

eno

ename

mgrno

dept_id

Employee No

Employee Name

Manager Number

Department id


Data in the table is

eno

ename

mgrno

dept_id

1

suku

2

10

2

pari

3

30


The structure of dept table is

dept_id

dname

Department id

Departtment Name


Data in the table is

dept_id

dname

10

Physics

20

Chemistry


Now run the following query

Select e.ename, d.dname
from emp e, dept d
where e.dept_id=d.dept_id(+)

This will return

ename

dname

suku

Physics

pari

 


Please see that even though pari does not have a matching record in dept the record from emp table is returned.

 

Q:

how to know the days or months or years between two employees in emp table?

A:


Let us say you want to find the days between the hiredates of two employees with employee no 99 and 345. in that case you can use the following query
select emp1.hiredate - emp2.hiredate
  from emp emp1, emp emp2
 where emp1.eno = 99
   and emp2.eno= 345

if you do not know the employee no but rather the name then

select emp1.hiredate - emp2.hiredate
  from emp emp1, emp emp2
 where emp1.ename = 'ram'
    and emp2.eno= 'shyam'
.

 

Q:

What are the properties of the Relational tables?

A:


Relational tables have six properties:

·  Values are atomic.

·  Column values are of the same kind.

·  Each row is unique.

·  The sequence of columns is insignificant.

·  The sequence of rows is insignificant.

·  Each column must have a unique name.
.

 

Q:

What is normalization?

A:


Database normalization is a data design and organization process applied to data structures based on rules that help build relational databases. In relational database design, the process of organizing data to minimize redundancy. Normalization usually involves dividing a database into two or more tables and defining relationships between the tables. The objective is to isolate data so that additions, deletions, and modifications of a field can be made in just one table and then propagated through the rest of the database via the defined relationships.
.

 

Q:

What are different normalization forms?

A:


1NF: Eliminate Repeating Groups

Make a separate table for each set of related attributes, and give each table a primary key. Each field contains at most one value from its attribute domain.

2NF: Eliminate Redundant Data

If an attribute depends on only part of a multi-valued key, remove it to a separate table.

3NF: Eliminate Columns Not Dependent On Key

If attributes do not contribute to a description of the key, remove them to a separate table. All attributes must be directly dependent on the primary key

BCNF: Boyce-Codd Normal Form

If there are non-trivial dependencies between candidate key attributes, separate them out into distinct tables.

4NF: Isolate Independent Multiple Relationships

No table may contain two or more 1:n or n:m relationships that are not directly related.

5NF: Isolate Semantically Related Multiple Relationships

There may be practical constrains on information that justify separating logically related many-to-many relationships.

ONF: Optimal Normal Form

A model limited to only simple (elemental) facts, as expressed in Object Role Model notation.

DKNF: Domain-Key Normal Form

A model free from all modification anomalies.

Remember, these normalization guidelines are cumulative. For a database to be in 3NF, it must first fulfill all the criteria of a 2NF and 1NF database.
.

 

Q:

What is an execution plan? When would you use it? How would you view the execution plan?

A:


An execution plan is basically a road map that graphically or textually shows the data retrieval methods chosen by the SQL Server query optimizer for a stored procedure or ad-hoc query and is a very useful tool for a developer to understand the performance characteristics of a query or stored procedure since the plan is the one that SQL Server will place in its cache and use to execute the stored procedure or query. From within Query Analyzer is an option called "Show Execution Plan" (located on the Query drop-down menu). If this option is turned on it will display query execution plan in separate window when query is ran again.
.

 

Q:

List few advantages of Stored Procedure.

A:

 

·  Stored procedure can reduced network traffic and latency, boosting application performance.

·  Stored procedure execution plans can be reused, staying cached in SQL Server's memory, reducing server overhead.

·  Stored procedures help promote code reuse.

·  Stored procedures can encapsulate logic. You can change stored procedure code without affecting clients.

·  Stored procedures provide better security to your data.
.

 

Q:

What are the advantages of VIEW ?

A:

 

·  To protect some of the columns of a table from other users.

·  To hide complexity of a query.

·  To hide complexity of calculations.
.

 

Q:

What is difference between UNIQUE and PRIMARY KEY constraints?

A:

A table can have only one PRIMARY KEY whereas there can be any number of UNIQUE keys. The columns that compose PK are automatically define NOT NULL, whereas a column that compose a UNIQUE is not automatically defined to be mandatory must also specify the column is NOT NULL.

 

 

 

Q:

What is ON DELETE CASCADE ?

A:

When ON DELETE CASCADE is specified ORACLE maintains referential integrity by automatically removing dependent foreign key values if a referenced primary or unique key value is removed 

 

 

 

Q:

What is a join ? Explain the different types of joins ?

A:

Join is a query which retrieves related columns or rows from multiple tables.
Self Join - Joining the table with itself.
Equi Join - Joining two tables by equating two common columns.
Non-Equi Join - Joining two tables by equating two common columns.
Outer Join - Joining two tables in such a way that query can also retrieve rows that do not have corresponding join value in the other table. . Outer Join is used where you can query all the rows of one of the tables in the join condition even though they don’t satisfy the join condition.

 

 

 

Q:

When do you use WHERE clause and when do you use HAVING clause?

A:

HAVING clause is used when you want to specify a condition for a group function and it is written after GROUP BY clause. The WHERE clause is used when you want to specify a condition for columns, single row functions except group functions and it is written before GROUP BY clause if it is used.

 

 

 

Q:

Which is more faster - IN or EXISTS?

A:

EXISTS is more faster than IN because EXISTS returns a Boolean value whereas IN returns a value.

 

 

 

Q:

What is difference between TRUNCATE & DELETE ?

A:

TRUNCATE commits after deleting entire table i.e., can not be rolled back. Database triggers do not fire on TRUNCATEDELETE allows the filtered deletion. Deleted records can be rolled back or committed.Database triggers fire on DELETE. synchronized.

 

 

 

Q:

Explain UNION,MINUS,UNION ALL, INTERSECT ?

A:

INTERSECT returns all distinct rows selected by both queries.MINUS - returns all distinct rows selected by the first query but not by the second.UNION - returns all distinct rows selected by either queryUNION ALL - returns all rows selected by either query, including all duplicates.

 

 

 

Q:

What is CYCLE/NO CYCLE in a Sequence ?

A:

CYCLE specifies that the sequence continues to generate values after reaching either maximum or minimum value. After pan ascending sequence reaches its maximum value, it generates its minimum value. After a descending sequence reaches its minimum, it generates its maximum.NO CYCLE specifies that the sequence cannot generate more values after reaching its maximum or minimum value.

 

 

 

Q:

Can a view be updated/inserted/deleted? If Yes under what conditions ?

A:

A View can be updated/deleted/inserted if it has only one base table if the view is based on columns from one or more tables then insert, update and delete is not possible.

 

 

 

Q:

What are the Various Master and Detail Relation ships.

A:

The various Master and Detail Relationship are

·  NonIsolated :: The Master cannot be deleted when a child is exisiting

·  Isolated :: The Master can be deleted when the child is exisiting

·  Cascading :: The child gets deleted when the Master is deleted

 

 

 

Q:

What is pseudo columns ? Name them?

A:

pseudocolumn behaves like a table column, but is not actually stored in the table. You can select from pseudocolumns, but you cannot insert, update, or delete their values. This section describes these pseudocolumns:

·  CURRVAL

·  NEXTVAL

·  LEVEL

·  ROWID

·  ROWNUM .

 

 

 

Q:

What are various constraints used in SQL?

A:

-

·  NULL

·  NOT NULL

·  CHECK

·  DEFAULT

 

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