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A SQL DBA is responsible for managing and maintaining the organization's databases, ensuring data integrity, availability, and performance.
A database administrator focuses on database maintenance, while a database developer concentrates on designing and building database applications.
Mention the specific database systems you are proficient in, such as Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, or PostgreSQL.
Describe the process, including full, differential, and transaction log backups, as well as how to restore a database from backups.
Normalization is the process of organizing data in a relational database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity.
Explain how you grant and revoke permissions, manage users and roles, and implement security best practices.
Indexes improve query performance by providing faster data retrieval. Explain clustered and non-clustered indexes.
Inner join returns only matching rows, while outer join returns matching rows and non-matching rows from one or both tables.
Explain optimization techniques like query tuning, index usage, and using performance monitoring tools.
SQL injection is a security vulnerability. Prevent it by using parameterized queries, stored procedures, and input validation.
A deadlock occurs when two or more processes are waiting for each other to release resources. Resolve it by identifying and killing blocking processes.
Transaction logs record changes to the database. They can be managed by regular backups, shrinking, and monitoring for issues.
Describe the steps involved in migrating data, schema, and objects to a new SQL Server version or different database platform.
SQL DBAs play a critical role in creating and testing disaster recovery plans, including backup and restore procedures.
SQL database mirroring is a high-availability solution. It maintains a copy of a database on a standby server for failover.
Schedule regular maintenance tasks, including reindexing, statistics updates, and integrity checks, to optimize database performance and data accuracy.
SQL Server Agent is responsible for automating and scheduling tasks such as backups, maintenance plans, and job execution.
SQL server replication allows data to be copied and synchronized between servers, often used for reporting, high availability, and distributed data.
Explain how you set up and use SQL Server Profiler, SQL Server Performance Monitor, and other monitoring tools to analyze database performance.
Full: Logs all changes; supports point-in-time recovery.Simple: Minimal logging, no point-in-time recovery.Bulk-Logged: Minimal logging for bulk operations.
Partitioning involves dividing a table into smaller, manageable pieces. It's beneficial for large tables with historical data or high data volumes.
Describe the steps you would take to identify and resolve connectivity problems, including checking network configurations and SQL Server settings.
SQL Server Agent allows you to schedule and automate various tasks, such as backups, maintenance, and data integration.
Recovery models dictate how backups and restores work. Describe the differences between full, simple, and bulk-logged recovery models.
A clustered index determines the physical order of data rows, while a non-clustered index provides a logical order for data retrieval.
Explain your approach to identifying and resolving database corruption issues, including restoring from backups if necessary.
SQL Server Profiler and Extended Events allow you to capture and analyze database events for performance tuning and troubleshooting.
Strategies like database mirroring, clustering, log shipping, and AlwaysOn Availability Groups for high availability and disaster recovery.
Maintenance plans are used to automate routine tasks like backups, integrity checks, and index maintenance. Explain how to create and schedule them.
SQL Agent job subsystem allows you to schedule and automate various tasks. Describe its features and how you create and manage jobs.
Techniques such as striped backups, backup compression, and differential backups for large databases.
Normalization reduces data redundancy, while denormalization improves query performance. Discuss when each is appropriate.
Monitor disk space with SQL Server management tools, scripts, and alerts. Manage allocation through filegroup settings and capacity planning.
Replication copies data to multiple servers, while clustering involves multiple servers working together for failover.
To optimize performance, I focus on index maintenance, query optimization, and fine-tuning system resources to handle high data loads efficiently.
Regular testing ensures data can be restored in emergencies. It validates backup strategies and prepares for disaster recovery scenarios, safeguarding data integrity.
Extended Events offer real-time monitoring and performance insights. They assist in identifying and resolving issues, making them essential for performance troubleshooting.
By enforcing foreign keys, constraints, and triggers, I ensure data remains consistent and adheres to referential integrity constraints, safeguarding data quality.
Collations affect data sorting and comparison. Choosing the appropriate collation ensures data accuracy and consistency, preventing sorting issues in the database.
I designed a complex stored procedure for multi-level user access control, granting and revoking permissions, enhancing security and data protection.
I implement data encryption, access control, and auditing measures to meet industry-specific compliance requirements, safeguarding sensitive data and ensuring regulatory compliance.
MDM systems maintain consistent, accurate master data. They improve data quality, providing a single source of truth and enhancing reporting and decision-making.
I employ encryption at rest and in transit, establish access controls, and conduct regular security audits to protect sensitive data from unauthorized access and breaches.
I optimize databases by improving index performance, fine-tuning query execution plans, and selecting appropriate data types to enhance data retrieval and reporting efficiency.
I create comprehensive disaster recovery plans and regularly test them to ensure data recovery in the event of failures or disasters, minimizing downtime and data loss.
Physical backups copy data files, while logical backups export data in a specific format. The choice depends on the specific needs and recovery scenarios.
I identify bottlenecks through query optimization, fine-tuning index usage, and considering hardware upgrades to enhance overall system performance and responsiveness.
I established SQL AlwaysOn Availability Groups to ensure high availability and seamless failover for a critical database, reducing downtime and improving reliability.
Monitoring logs tracks database activities and errors, aiding in diagnosing issues. Effective log management involves archiving, monitoring, and proactive issue resolution.
