Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Dumbest SQL Server Interview questions

Im attending interviews for the past month or so.. I had to face a couple of bookish dumb asses as interviewers(really i mean it), lets see why i mean so. It was a telephonic interview. lets see some of those

1. explain me the architecture of sql server,indexes, blah blah?
guys how do u want me to explain a product architecture over the phone...btw i have one doubt am im going to rewrite or code the SQL 2010, why the heck shd i know the architecture? have some sense guys.

2. what is ACID properties, codds rules, boyds rule, normalization rules, how many of these rules does sql server abide blah blah..?
come on guys have some limit to your bookish questions, tell me the names of any one data architect who designs the database using normalization rules, i challenge if some one in the world can say that okey this model is in the 2nd normal form or blah blah.. come on guys business rules are much more important than these..

i dont give a damn if sql server follows or abides 12 of codds rules.. its not my business or i cant do anything to make it abide all the rules you cant either.

3. how do you establish a one to one relation?
what they heck do you mean by how do you establish a one to one relation? is it like u try to ask me what is one to one and what is one to many? be clear.. when i asked back what do you mean by this.. he skipped to next questions..

4. what is a clustered index, non clustered index, how many of them you can have in a table, max columns, max tables, max indexes etc etc..?
thank god they didnt ask what is a table, column,row etc..(im MCITP with almost 7 yrs of exp in sql server.

so wt am i going to know the max tables, max indexes, max columns? i know sql server support decent enough to keep your business up and running. so wt r u going to by knowing all these things.. design a table with 1024 columns or try to run ur business critical database with max dbs, max tables, max columns, max indexes.. ask questions that make sense dont be a question thief from websites like this.. http://www.techinterviews.com/?p=42

5. how do i read the tlog using sql server native tools etc etc..?
oh so r u trying to test my confidence levels.. hmm i pity on you...

i can recollect jst the above ones.. the below are the examples to show cause their real time efficiency.

1. Im supporting the sql server of nasdaq something has happened and the traffic to the db has increased 10times. what will you do with out restarting and no spl hardware available?

I said u have to pre plan u cant do any thing dynamically.. then he told no do something.. i blabbed something like disabling unwanted jobs, if possible take other non critical dbs in that servers offline, make sure ur SAN subsystem doesnt get traffic from some other system blah blah.. I asked him back what would you do...

He told I would add an Microsoft Queue or will try to add a SQUID.. I asked so your are going to add a Queue to a highly volatile system like NASDAQ.. you are THE MAN, THE MACHINE, THE DBA.. and I give you a Hi5 * 100 for this wonderful reply.I pity on your client if you have designed any solutions to them.

2. one fine day you find out that one table is having performance issue in the production, what will you do.. i said index, locks blah blah..

he was not satisfied and he keep asking me wt else wt else.. at one point i gave up and asked what will you do.. i said the table design is wrong need to redesign the data model.. i was like whatttttttttttttt.. so u mean to say ull scrap ur data model and redesign.. WOW... you are THE SUPER MAN, THE SUPER MACHINE, THE SUPER COMPUTER, THE SUPEREST DBA and THE CLEAR WINNER.. may god bless you, your system, your client..

probabl you guys would have faced similar dumbest questions... comment if any such..

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:46 PM

    I find your interview comments very amusing. Typically if they have all this time to compile such questions, they really don't need a DBA. My best interviews are with those people who truly need help and are in trouble. Most times I can solve their problems without ever seeing their environment because bad DBA's and sys admins make the same mistakes over and over. This builds immediate trust rather than arcane theoretical RDBMS questions. I actually had a guy once ask me to draw on a whiteboard how to sort via code. He was allegedly a brilliant guy but I soon realized the truth was he never used the ORDER BY clause and sorted his results via code with temp tables!! And management wondered why their stored procs were so slow!!

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  2. Anonymous11:35 PM

    Looks like i'm late in commenting. Anyways better late than never !.

    These dumb interviews are mostly conducted by desis. Or desis tend to conduct such dumb bookish interviews.
    Take it as you please.

    In order to clear such interviews, one should mug up the entire SQL/Oracle/SAP/Java/ etc manuals.

    No wonder, since the Indian educational system is all about rote learning.

    -Ram

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  3. 1. You are wrong, In order to explot SQL Server, u must know the architecture, also in some books, this is the foremost cjatper in books (both Microsoft's and non-MS's).

    2. If u were done with 1., then only u will come to know the benefits of rules, (researchers have toiled & hardworked). These matter in high-availability and transaction systems. The most specific is the finance domain.

    3. No comments.

    4. Matters a lot buddy, when some fellow DB has designed that DB and your are going to fine tune that, you must know this thing. What if u r an MCITP, u r not a GOD of MS-SQL Server., keep ur mind open.

    5. True.

    Its a nice blog SQLSpy, keep writing...

    (I got here frm the SQl-forum, in whch u posted something reg. job in ur company)

    sincerely,

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  4. //1.You are wrong, In order to explot SQL Server, u must know the architecture, also in some books, this is the foremost cjatper in books (both Microsoft's and non-MS's).//

    Ashish,
    My point there was how would you explain a product architecture over the phone. I didnt mean to say that iam not supposed to know the architecture...

    //2. If u were done with 1., then only u will come to know the benefits of rules, (researchers have toiled & hardworked). These matter in high-availability and transaction systems. The most specific is the finance domain.//

    No comments.. it all depends upon their own beliefs..


    3. No comments.

    //4. Matters a lot buddy, when some fellow DB has designed that DB and your are going to fine tune that, you must know this thing. //

    see according to me a prod dba should be a one who can give a instant fix right then and then give a longterm fix subsequently.. obviously none of the company is going to build with the max no.of indexes and so on.. its good to know abt some limitations of the system.. other numbers are worthlesss..

    ///What if u r an MCITP, u r not a GOD of MS-SQL Server., keep ur mind open.//

    yeah i agree.. tht im not a god of sql server.. im infact no one .. but dont i deserve some respect?.. infact i never expected to be so arrogant.. i donno if my words sound tht arrogant..:(

    5. True.

    //Its a nice blog SQLSpy, keep writing...//

    thanks for your commends ashish.. infact you guys keep my sprits up and make me think about reading and writing more :))..

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  5. A different exposure for me.Thanx Santhose.

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