SQL Server Online Test

The SQL Server Online test uses scenario-based MCQs to evaluate candidates on their knowledge of SQL Server, including their proficiency in writing complex SQL queries, administering SQL Server instances, and managing data. Additionally, the test assesses a candidate's understanding of SQL Server security, performance optimization, and disaster recovery. The test aims to evaluate a candidate's ability to work with SQL Server effectively and efficiently in various real-world scenarios.

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Screen candidates with a 35 mins test

Test duration: 35 mins

Difficulty level: Moderate

Availability: Ready to use

Questions:

8 SQL Server MCQs
7 SQL MCQs

Covered skills:

Transactional and relational Database

Configurations

Database & Database Objects

Installation

Synchronization

Transaction Logs

Database Monitoring & Maintenance

Backup & Recovery

SQL Server Database Security & Troubleshooting

Storage Area Network (SAN)

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The SQL Server Online Test helps recruiters and hiring managers identify qualified candidates from a pool of resumes, and helps in taking objective hiring decisions. It reduces the administrative overhead of interviewing too many candidates and saves time by filtering out unqualified candidates at the first step of the hiring process.

The test screens for the following skills that hiring managers look for in candidates:

Ability to design and implement transactional and relational databases
Ability to configure SQL server settings and optimizations
Ability to create and manage database objects
Ability to install SQL server and perform necessary configurations
Ability to synchronize data between multiple databases
Ability to manage transaction logs effectively
Ability to monitor and maintain databases
Ability to backup and recover databases
Ability to troubleshoot SQL server database security issues
Ability to work with Storage Area Network (SAN)

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These are just a small sample from our library of 15,000+ questions. The actual questions on this SQL Server Test will be non-googleable.

🧐 Question
Medium Backup Strategy Backups Troubleshooting	Solve
As a DBA, you receive an alert notifying you that the production database has gone offline due to a severe issue. Fortunately, you have a proper backup strategy in place. The backups are performed as follows: 1. Full database backup every Sunday at 2:00 AM. 2. Differential backup every day at 2:00 AM, except Sunday. 3. Transaction log backup every hour. Today is Wednesday, and the failure occurred at 10:15 AM. You have the following backup files available: 1. Full backup: Full_Backup_Sun.bak taken on Sunday 2:00 AM. 2. Differential backups: Diff_Backup_Mon.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak taken at 2:00 AM on their respective days. 3. Transaction log backups: Hourly backups from Sunday 3:00 AM until Wednesday 10:00 AM, like TLog_Backup_Wed_09.bak, TLog_Backup_Wed_10.bak. Given the RPO (Recovery Point Objective) of 15 minutes, which of the following sequences of restore operations would ensure minimal data loss? A: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Wednesday. B: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Tuesday and Wednesday. C: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then Transaction Log backups from Wednesday 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM. D: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Sunday to Wednesday 10:00 AM. E: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Mon.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then Transaction Log backups from Wednesday 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Medium Optimizing Query Performance Indexing Join Optimization Execution Plans	Solve
You are managing a SQL Server database for a large e-commerce platform. The database contains the following tables: Users often run a query to retrieve all orders from a specific date along with customer details and a breakdown of each order. Lately, this query has been performing poorly, especially on days with a high volume of orders. Given this schema, which of the following changes would MOST LIKELY enhance the performance of this query? A: Create a non-clustered index on Orders(OrderDate, OrderID) and a clustered index on OrderDetails(OrderID). B: Create a clustered index on Orders(CustomerID, OrderDate) and a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(ProductName). C: Increase the size of the OrderDetails(ProductName) column and add more RAM to the SQL Server machine. D: Create a clustered index on Orders(OrderDate) and a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(OrderID, Quantity). E: Partition the Orders table on OrderDate and create a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(DetailID, Price).
Medium Transaction Isolation Transaction Isolation Levels Snapshot Isolation	Solve
You are managing a SQL Server instance that is experiencing performance degradation. After some analysis, you realize that the TempDB is under heavy stress due to numerous long-running transactions. Users have reported that some SELECT queries on a large table, named SalesData, are slower than expected. You consider implementing Snapshot Isolation to mitigate blocking issues. You're aware that Snapshot Isolation uses TempDB to store row versions. Given the situation, which combination of actions will help alleviate the stress on TempDB and enhance the performance of SELECT queries on SalesData? A: Move TempDB to a faster storage subsystem and enable Snapshot Isolation for SalesData. B: Increase the number of TempDB data files, shrink TempDB size, and enable Snapshot Isolation for the database. C: Implement Read Committed Snapshot Isolation (RCSI) for the database and partition the SalesData table. D: Reduce the TempDB size, implement table partitioning on SalesData, and enable Read Uncommitted isolation level for the SELECT queries. E: Create a non-clustered index on frequently queried columns of SalesData and enable row versioning for the entire database.
Medium Transaction Log Management Performance Tuning Log Management	Solve
You are a DBA at a large company managing an SQL Server database which is crucial for daily operations. The database is configured with the Full recovery model. The database is experiencing considerable transaction log growth during business hours, which is impacting the disk space and performance. The following operations are performed on this database: 1. A large ETL process that runs every night, which transforms and loads data into several tables. 2. A data archiving job that runs every night, which removes old data from several tables. 3. Frequent read/write operations during the day as part of normal business operations. Given this scenario, which of the following strategies could help manage the transaction log growth effectively? A: Switch to the Simple recovery model. B: Schedule frequent log backup and cleanups during business hours. C: Shrink the transaction log file size during business hours. D: Increase the database file size.
Medium Multi Select JOIN GROUP BY	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: How many rows does the following SQL query return?
Medium nth highest sales Nested queries User Defined Functions	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: Which of the following SQL commands will find the ‘nth highest Sales’ if it exists (returns null otherwise)?
Medium Select & IN Nested queries	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: Which of the following SQL queries would return the year when neither a football or cricket winner was chosen?
Medium Sorting Ubers Nested queries Join Comparison operators	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: What will be the first two tuples resulting from the following SQL command?
Hard With, AVG & SUM MAX() MIN() Aggregate functions	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: How many tuples does the following query return?

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill
	Medium Backup Strategy Backups Troubleshooting	3 mins SQL Server	Solve
As a DBA, you receive an alert notifying you that the production database has gone offline due to a severe issue. Fortunately, you have a proper backup strategy in place. The backups are performed as follows: 1. Full database backup every Sunday at 2:00 AM. 2. Differential backup every day at 2:00 AM, except Sunday. 3. Transaction log backup every hour. Today is Wednesday, and the failure occurred at 10:15 AM. You have the following backup files available: 1. Full backup: Full_Backup_Sun.bak taken on Sunday 2:00 AM. 2. Differential backups: Diff_Backup_Mon.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak taken at 2:00 AM on their respective days. 3. Transaction log backups: Hourly backups from Sunday 3:00 AM until Wednesday 10:00 AM, like TLog_Backup_Wed_09.bak, TLog_Backup_Wed_10.bak. Given the RPO (Recovery Point Objective) of 15 minutes, which of the following sequences of restore operations would ensure minimal data loss? A: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Wednesday. B: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Tuesday and Wednesday. C: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then Transaction Log backups from Wednesday 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM. D: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Sunday to Wednesday 10:00 AM. E: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Mon.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then Transaction Log backups from Wednesday 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
	Medium Optimizing Query Performance Indexing Join Optimization Execution Plans	3 mins SQL Server	Solve
You are managing a SQL Server database for a large e-commerce platform. The database contains the following tables: Users often run a query to retrieve all orders from a specific date along with customer details and a breakdown of each order. Lately, this query has been performing poorly, especially on days with a high volume of orders. Given this schema, which of the following changes would MOST LIKELY enhance the performance of this query? A: Create a non-clustered index on Orders(OrderDate, OrderID) and a clustered index on OrderDetails(OrderID). B: Create a clustered index on Orders(CustomerID, OrderDate) and a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(ProductName). C: Increase the size of the OrderDetails(ProductName) column and add more RAM to the SQL Server machine. D: Create a clustered index on Orders(OrderDate) and a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(OrderID, Quantity). E: Partition the Orders table on OrderDate and create a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(DetailID, Price).
	Medium Transaction Isolation Transaction Isolation Levels Snapshot Isolation	3 mins SQL Server	Solve
You are managing a SQL Server instance that is experiencing performance degradation. After some analysis, you realize that the TempDB is under heavy stress due to numerous long-running transactions. Users have reported that some SELECT queries on a large table, named SalesData, are slower than expected. You consider implementing Snapshot Isolation to mitigate blocking issues. You're aware that Snapshot Isolation uses TempDB to store row versions. Given the situation, which combination of actions will help alleviate the stress on TempDB and enhance the performance of SELECT queries on SalesData? A: Move TempDB to a faster storage subsystem and enable Snapshot Isolation for SalesData. B: Increase the number of TempDB data files, shrink TempDB size, and enable Snapshot Isolation for the database. C: Implement Read Committed Snapshot Isolation (RCSI) for the database and partition the SalesData table. D: Reduce the TempDB size, implement table partitioning on SalesData, and enable Read Uncommitted isolation level for the SELECT queries. E: Create a non-clustered index on frequently queried columns of SalesData and enable row versioning for the entire database.
	Medium Transaction Log Management Performance Tuning Log Management	3 mins SQL Server	Solve
You are a DBA at a large company managing an SQL Server database which is crucial for daily operations. The database is configured with the Full recovery model. The database is experiencing considerable transaction log growth during business hours, which is impacting the disk space and performance. The following operations are performed on this database: 1. A large ETL process that runs every night, which transforms and loads data into several tables. 2. A data archiving job that runs every night, which removes old data from several tables. 3. Frequent read/write operations during the day as part of normal business operations. Given this scenario, which of the following strategies could help manage the transaction log growth effectively? A: Switch to the Simple recovery model. B: Schedule frequent log backup and cleanups during business hours. C: Shrink the transaction log file size during business hours. D: Increase the database file size.
	Medium Multi Select JOIN GROUP BY	2 mins SQL	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: How many rows does the following SQL query return?
	Medium nth highest sales Nested queries User Defined Functions	3 mins SQL	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: Which of the following SQL commands will find the ‘nth highest Sales’ if it exists (returns null otherwise)?
	Medium Select & IN Nested queries	3 mins SQL	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: Which of the following SQL queries would return the year when neither a football or cricket winner was chosen?
	Medium Sorting Ubers Nested queries Join Comparison operators	3 mins SQL	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: What will be the first two tuples resulting from the following SQL command?
	Hard With, AVG & SUM MAX() MIN() Aggregate functions	2 mins SQL	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: How many tuples does the following query return?

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill	💪 Difficulty	⌛ Time
	Backup Strategy Backups Troubleshooting	SQL Server	Medium	3 mins	Solve
As a DBA, you receive an alert notifying you that the production database has gone offline due to a severe issue. Fortunately, you have a proper backup strategy in place. The backups are performed as follows: 1. Full database backup every Sunday at 2:00 AM. 2. Differential backup every day at 2:00 AM, except Sunday. 3. Transaction log backup every hour. Today is Wednesday, and the failure occurred at 10:15 AM. You have the following backup files available: 1. Full backup: Full_Backup_Sun.bak taken on Sunday 2:00 AM. 2. Differential backups: Diff_Backup_Mon.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak taken at 2:00 AM on their respective days. 3. Transaction log backups: Hourly backups from Sunday 3:00 AM until Wednesday 10:00 AM, like TLog_Backup_Wed_09.bak, TLog_Backup_Wed_10.bak. Given the RPO (Recovery Point Objective) of 15 minutes, which of the following sequences of restore operations would ensure minimal data loss? A: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Wednesday. B: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Tuesday and Wednesday. C: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then Transaction Log backups from Wednesday 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM. D: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, then all Transaction Log backups from Sunday to Wednesday 10:00 AM. E: Full_Backup_Sun.bak, Diff_Backup_Mon.bak, Diff_Backup_Tue.bak, Diff_Backup_Wed.bak, then Transaction Log backups from Wednesday 2:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
	Optimizing Query Performance Indexing Join Optimization Execution Plans	SQL Server	Medium	3 mins	Solve
You are managing a SQL Server database for a large e-commerce platform. The database contains the following tables: Users often run a query to retrieve all orders from a specific date along with customer details and a breakdown of each order. Lately, this query has been performing poorly, especially on days with a high volume of orders. Given this schema, which of the following changes would MOST LIKELY enhance the performance of this query? A: Create a non-clustered index on Orders(OrderDate, OrderID) and a clustered index on OrderDetails(OrderID). B: Create a clustered index on Orders(CustomerID, OrderDate) and a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(ProductName). C: Increase the size of the OrderDetails(ProductName) column and add more RAM to the SQL Server machine. D: Create a clustered index on Orders(OrderDate) and a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(OrderID, Quantity). E: Partition the Orders table on OrderDate and create a non-clustered index on OrderDetails(DetailID, Price).
	Transaction Isolation Transaction Isolation Levels Snapshot Isolation	SQL Server	Medium	3 mins	Solve
You are managing a SQL Server instance that is experiencing performance degradation. After some analysis, you realize that the TempDB is under heavy stress due to numerous long-running transactions. Users have reported that some SELECT queries on a large table, named SalesData, are slower than expected. You consider implementing Snapshot Isolation to mitigate blocking issues. You're aware that Snapshot Isolation uses TempDB to store row versions. Given the situation, which combination of actions will help alleviate the stress on TempDB and enhance the performance of SELECT queries on SalesData? A: Move TempDB to a faster storage subsystem and enable Snapshot Isolation for SalesData. B: Increase the number of TempDB data files, shrink TempDB size, and enable Snapshot Isolation for the database. C: Implement Read Committed Snapshot Isolation (RCSI) for the database and partition the SalesData table. D: Reduce the TempDB size, implement table partitioning on SalesData, and enable Read Uncommitted isolation level for the SELECT queries. E: Create a non-clustered index on frequently queried columns of SalesData and enable row versioning for the entire database.
	Transaction Log Management Performance Tuning Log Management	SQL Server	Medium	3 mins	Solve
You are a DBA at a large company managing an SQL Server database which is crucial for daily operations. The database is configured with the Full recovery model. The database is experiencing considerable transaction log growth during business hours, which is impacting the disk space and performance. The following operations are performed on this database: 1. A large ETL process that runs every night, which transforms and loads data into several tables. 2. A data archiving job that runs every night, which removes old data from several tables. 3. Frequent read/write operations during the day as part of normal business operations. Given this scenario, which of the following strategies could help manage the transaction log growth effectively? A: Switch to the Simple recovery model. B: Schedule frequent log backup and cleanups during business hours. C: Shrink the transaction log file size during business hours. D: Increase the database file size.
	Multi Select JOIN GROUP BY	SQL	Medium	2 mins	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: How many rows does the following SQL query return?
	nth highest sales Nested queries User Defined Functions	SQL	Medium	3 mins	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: Which of the following SQL commands will find the ‘nth highest Sales’ if it exists (returns null otherwise)?
	Select & IN Nested queries	SQL	Medium	3 mins	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: Which of the following SQL queries would return the year when neither a football or cricket winner was chosen?
	Sorting Ubers Nested queries Join Comparison operators	SQL	Medium	3 mins	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: What will be the first two tuples resulting from the following SQL command?
	With, AVG & SUM MAX() MIN() Aggregate functions	SQL	Hard	2 mins	Solve
Consider the following SQL table: How many tuples does the following query return?

Test candidates on core SQL Server Hiring Test topics

Transactional and Relational Database: This skill involves understanding and working with databases that support transactions and relationships between data. It is essential to measure this skill in the test as it ensures the candidate's ability to design and manage databases efficiently.

Configurations: This skill encompasses the knowledge of configuring SQL Server settings, such as memory allocation, network protocols, and server options. Measuring this skill is important as it evaluates the candidate's capability to optimize the performance and security of a SQL Server installation.

Database & Database Objects: This skill evaluates the candidate's proficiency in creating, modifying, and managing databases and database objects like tables, views, and stored procedures. Assessing this skill is crucial as it reflects the candidate's ability to organize and manipulate data effectively in a SQL Server environment.

Installation: This skill involves the process of installing SQL Server, including the selection of appropriate installation options and configuring the necessary components. It is important to measure this skill as it assesses the candidate's understanding of the installation process to ensure a successful and reliable deployment of SQL Server.

Synchronization: This skill encompasses the ability to synchronize data across multiple servers or databases using techniques such as replication or mirroring. Measuring this skill is crucial as it demonstrates the candidate's capability to maintain consistent and up-to-date data in a distributed database environment.

Transaction Logs: This skill pertains to managing and analyzing transaction logs in a SQL Server database. Assessing this skill is important as it ensures the candidate's proficiency in troubleshooting and recovering from system failures, as well as maintaining data integrity through proper log management.

Database Monitoring & Maintenance: This skill involves monitoring the performance, availability, and health of SQL Server databases using various tools and techniques. It is essential to measure this skill as it reflects the candidate's ability to proactively identify and resolve performance issues, ensuring optimal database performance and availability.

Backup & Recovery: This skill encompasses creating and executing backup and recovery strategies to safeguard SQL Server databases against data loss and to restore them in the event of failures. Assessing this skill is important as it evaluates the candidate's knowledge and proficiency in protecting critical data and minimizing downtime.

SQL Server Database Security & Troubleshooting: This skill involves implementing and maintaining robust security measures to protect SQL Server databases from unauthorized access and ensuring data confidentiality. Measuring this skill is crucial as it assesses the candidate's capability to identify and resolve security vulnerabilities and troubleshoot issues effectively.

Storage Area Network (SAN): This skill pertains to working with SQL Server databases that utilize a Storage Area Network (SAN) for storage provisioning. Assessing this skill is important as it reflects the candidate's understanding of SAN technologies, ensuring efficient and reliable storage management for SQL Server environments.

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