The Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate certification is a testament to your understanding and proficiency in SQL, data modeling, and using SQL to create and manipulate tables in an Oracle Database. To help you prepare for this prestigious certification, we’ve created a practice test consisting of 25 multiple-choice questions, each accompanied by the correct answer and a detailed explanation.
1. Which SQL clause is used to provide a summary value, like a sum or average?
Answer:
Explanation:
The GROUP BY clause groups rows that have the same values in specified columns into summary rows, like finding the sum or average.
2. Which SQL keyword is used to prevent duplicate records from appearing in a query result?
Answer:
Explanation:
The DISTINCT keyword is used in SQL to return unique values in the output, eliminating any duplicate records.
3. What does the SQL LIKE query do?
Answer:
Explanation:
The LIKE query in SQL is used to match a specified pattern in a column.
4. Which of the following SQL statements will update the "salary" column in the "employees" table for the employee with "employee_id" 102?
Answer:
Explanation:
The SQL UPDATE statement is used to modify the existing records in a table.
5. Which of the following statements will delete all records from the "employees" table?
Answer:
Explanation:
Both DELETE FROM and TRUNCATE statements will delete all records from a table. However, they work differently; DELETE logs individual row deletes, while TRUNCATE de-allocates data pages and is more efficient for large tables.
6. Which of the following is not a type of SQL constraint?
Answer:
Explanation:
There is no constraint called SECONDARY KEY in SQL. Constraints are used to specify rules for the data in a table.
7. What is the default sorting mode of the ORDER BY clause in SQL?
Answer:
Explanation:
The default sorting mode of the ORDER BY clause in SQL is ascending.
8. In SQL, which command is used to remove a table from a database?
Answer:
Explanation:
The DROP TABLE command is used to remove a table definition and all data, indexes, triggers, constraints, and permission specifications for that table.
9. What is the purpose of the SQL JOIN clause?
Answer:
Explanation:
The SQL JOIN clause is used to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column between them.
10. Which SQL clause is used to restrict the results of a query based on a condition?
Answer:
Explanation:
The WHERE clause in SQL is used to filter the results of a query based on one or more conditions.
11. Which of the following SQL statements will retrieve the highest salary from the "employees" table?
Answer:
Explanation:
The MAX() function in SQL is used to return the maximum value of an expression in a SELECT statement.
12. What will the SQL statement "SELECT ROUND(123.4567, 2);" return?
Answer:
Explanation:
The ROUND() function in SQL is used to round a number to a specified number of decimal places. In this case, it rounds to two decimal places.
13. Which SQL statement is used to extract data from a database?
Answer:
Explanation:
The SELECT statement is used in SQL to extract data from a database.
14. Which SQL function will be used to find the total number of rows in a table?
Answer:
Explanation:
The COUNT() function is used in SQL to count the number of rows in a set of returned results.
15. Which SQL keyword is used to sort the results of a query in ascending order?
Answer:
Explanation:
The ORDER BY keyword is used in SQL to sort the results in ascending or descending order according to one or more columns. The default order is ascending.
16. Which SQL statement is used to return only different values?
Answer:
Explanation:
The SELECT DISTINCT statement is used to return only distinct (different) values.
17. Which SQL clause is used to provide detailed data while avoiding duplicate rows?
Answer:
Explanation:
INNER JOIN is used to combine rows from different tables if the join condition is true, thus avoiding duplicates and providing detailed data.
18. What is the primary purpose of a SQL view?
Answer:
Explanation:
A view in SQL is a virtual table based on the result-set of an SQL statement. A view can contain all rows of a table or selected rows from one or more tables. Its primary purpose is to simplify complex queries.
19. Which of the following SQL statements will add a "birthdate" column to the "employees" table?
Answer:
Explanation:
The ALTER TABLE statement is used to add, delete, or modify columns in an existing table.
20. What does the SQL query "SELECT * FROM Employees WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM Managers WHERE Employees.EmployeeID = Managers.ManagerID);" do?
Answer:
Explanation:
This SQL query selects all rows from the "Employees" table where there is no corresponding entry in the "Managers" table, i.e., it selects all employees who are not managers.
21. Which SQL statement will create an index on the "employee_name" column in the "employees" table?
Answer:
Explanation:
The CREATE INDEX statement is used to create indexes on columns in a table, which can improve query performance.
22. Which type of JOIN returns all records when there is a match in one of the tables?
Answer:
Explanation:
An OUTER JOIN returns all records when there is a match in either the left (LEFT OUTER JOIN) or the right (RIGHT OUTER JOIN) table records. A FULL OUTER JOIN returns all records when there is a match in one of the tables.
23. Which SQL function calculates the number of characters in a string?
Answer:
Explanation:
Both LENGTH() and CHAR_LENGTH() functions are used to calculate the number of characters in a string in SQL.
24. What is the default ordering mode of the SQL ORDER BY statement?
Answer:
Explanation:
The default ordering mode of the SQL ORDER BY statement is ascending.
25. Which SQL clause is used with the GROUP BY clause to filter the results of a group?
Answer:
Explanation:
The HAVING clause is used with the SQL GROUP BY clause to filter the results of a group based on a condition.
We hope this comprehensive practice test provides you with insight and confidence as you prepare for the Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate exam. Remember, practice makes perfect, so be sure to thoroughly review your answers and continue to test your knowledge with additional resources and real-world scenarios. Good luck!