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SQL SERVER – Q and A with Database Administrators

Pinal Dave
SQL Interview Questions and Answers
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I have been in India for more than a month now, as I am leading a very large outsourcing project. We have conducted few interviews since the project required more Database Administrators and Senior Developers. I am listing few of the questions discussed during all the interviews. The whole event of interviews was very interesting. I met some very good programmers from all over the country. Many interesting questions were discussed between interviewers and candidates. I am listing some of those questions here. Some are technical and some are just my personal opinions. I will appreciate your thought about this article. Here is my Q and A with Database Administrators from those interviews.

SQL SERVER - Q and A with Database Administrators

Read My Complete Q and A with Database Administrators

Questions I Still Ask Database Administrators

Many years have passed since those interviews, and the tools have changed a lot. Still, the core of a good Q and A with Database Administrators has not changed much. I always start with backups. I do not ask whether the candidate takes backups. I ask when the last restore test happened and how long it took. A backup that was never restored is only a hope. Next, I ask about recovery models and how the transaction log grows, because a full log drive at midnight is a very real problem.

After that, I ask the candidate to walk me through finding a slow query on a busy server. I want to hear about execution plans, indexes and blocking, not a list of memorized definitions. Finally, I ask about a mistake they made in production and what they learned from it. An honest answer to that question tells me more than any certificate. If you are preparing for a DBA interview, practice these topics on a test server with your own hands.

Published by Pinal Dave on SQLAuthority. More of my work at pinaldave.com.

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