MockQuestions

Oracle Performance Tuning Mock Interview

30 Questions Created By

To help you prepare for your Oracle Performance Tuning interview, here are 30 interview questions and answer examples.

First Question

30 Oracle Performance Tuning Interview Questions

10 Interview Questions With Sample Answers

1.   What are some of the different types of tuning you can perform in an Oracle environment?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

Most of the interviewer's questions are meant to determine your qualifications for the job you are interviewing for. They will ask a range of questions to determine your knowledge, experience, and expertise related to the position. By asking about the different types of tuning you can perform, they will understand your knowledge and a description of the experience you have in this area.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

When preparing for an interview, it is important that you research the organization, the job, and, if possible, the interviewer. Knowing as much as you can about these three areas will allow you to prepare yourself to answer the questions they are likely to ask. While you could never be 100% certain of what questions they will use during the interview, the more research you perform, the better you will be prepared.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"Some of the different types of tuning I perform on an Oracle database to optimize its performance include CPU and memory tuning, optimizing the IO functionality, tuning the applications, and finally, tuning the database functions. By addressing each of these areas, I ensure that the system is balanced and performing as well as possible."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

2.   What are some of the elements you can tune to optimize an Oracle database?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

As the interview progresses, the interviewer will continue to ask you questions about how you go about doing your job. These are known as operational questions. Operational questions usually ask you to describe the steps you take or the processes you use to perform in this role. Interviewers expect you to answer operational questions briefly and directly, describing how you accomplish the task you are being asked about.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

While this question seems similar to what you asked earlier in the interview, it is distinctively different. Differentiating questions during the interview is a key skill you should acquire when looking for a job. You need to completely understand the question before providing the answer the interviewer is looking for.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"The main two elements I tune when optimizing an oracle database include hit ratios and wait for events."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

3.   In the context of an Oracle database, what does an optimizer do?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

When asking you questions during an interview, the interviewer will use terminology common to the position to which you are applying. You are expected to be both familiar with the terminology and be able to respond to the question appropriately. Interviewers use this question format to confirm their knowledge of the profession and collect information asked for in their questions.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

Questions about the technology, processes, and procedures used in a job are known as technical questions. Like operational questions, interviewers use technical questions to confirm your knowledge and experience related to the job. When responding to a technical question, you should keep your answer brief and to the point and only provide the information the interviewer is asking you about. They will ask a follow-up question if they need additional information.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"In the context of oracle database tuning, an optimizer is a mechanism that will create the execution plan of an SQL statement used to locate the data within the database which the user needs."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

4.   In your opinion, what is performance tuning?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

The interviewer will ask you this question early in the interview to begin the discussion, learn more about you, and collect information they can use later in the interview. By asking your opinion about this topic, they are also interested in your communication style. They want to see how clearly you express yourself whether you can discuss complex technical topics in simple, easy-to-understand language.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

When formulating your answer to this question, you should be honest and state your opinion about the definition of performance tuning in your work. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, so focus on your communication style. Keep your answer brief and to the point, and don't elaborate too much on your definition of performance tuning.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"In my opinion, performance tuning of Oracle databases involves making optimal use of the system using existing resources. This will improve the database's performance and make it more efficient since no additional resources were added. It is important to understand how the database would be used when optimizing its functions."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

5.   In your opinion, which optimizer is the best one for most Oracle database tuning?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

It is not uncommon for interviewers to ask for your opinion, even if they are asking an operational or technical question. In jobs like this one, formal processes and procedures can be arbitrary and may differ depending on the individual. The interviewer will ask the question to discover which processes you prefer and whether they are similar to those currently used by the interviewer's organization.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

When asked for your opinion about a technical topic or operational procedure, you should answer honestly and truthfully. You should also be prepared for a follow-up question requesting that you justify your position on the topic, either through your experience or with commonly available data and statistics. Trying to artificially align your opinion of the topic with that of the organization would be a mistake.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"When tuning an Oracle database, I prefer to use the CBO or Cost-Based Optimization methodology. This is less restrictive than RBO and typically results in the most efficient Oracle DBMS. I always have the option of lawyering on the RBO if I believe it will enhance the results are obtained from the CBO."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

6.   The ESTAT events report indicates that you are getting busy buffer waits. What method can you use to find out what is causing this?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

The interviewer begins this question by making a statement about an event and what it indicates. They then ask a question related to the statement. Describing an issue followed by asking a question is a common format used by interviewers. Normally it is pretty straightforward, but they can also use this format to mislead you. If the scenario is incorrect or not related to the question, they usually expect you to correct them and then provide the appropriate information.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

While it is sometimes intimidating to correct the interviewer, it is okay to do this if you are sure that they have made an error, either intentionally or by mistake. If you elect to correct their statement, try to do so in a diplomatic manner to avoid insulting them in case the misstatement was made in error. Indicating that you know something is wrong and how to correct it will demonstrate your qualifications for this position.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

When the ESTAT events report shows that you are getting buffer busy waits, it normally indicates that there is contention in redo, rollback, or data blocks. When this occurs, I check the v$waitstat view to see what may be causing the problem. I look at the value of the 'count' column to see where the problem is and the 'class' column to see what may be causing it. UNDO indicates the issue is related to the rollback segments, and DATA tells me it is in the database buffers.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

7.   What guidelines do you typically follow when sizing the database block size and multi-block read for an application that does a lot of full-table scans?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

Most technical professions involve standards, best practices, and guidelines used to perform the job. This ensures that the actions taken by professionals in this role will be the same in response to similar situations. Interviewers are likely to question you about these throughout the interview to confirm your familiarity with them. They also want to make sure you follow the guidelines and best practices since this makes your actions more effective and efficient.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

Knowing about the industry standards, guidelines, and best practices is a critical requirement of a technical professional. You should both be aware of these and be able to discuss them during the interview. Demonstrating that you follow industry standards and guidelines will enhance your chances of getting this job.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"Oracle normally reads blocks in 64k chunks. Therefore, when sizing database block sizes and multi-block reads for an application, these should have a product equal to 64 or a multiple of 64."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

8.   What method would you use if you want to see the trace files in an Oracle database?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

This is another question about what command you would use in a specific scenario or situation. However, the interviewer has formatted this question as a response to a situation that you encounter in the course of your work. The interviewer may format questions differently to make the interview interesting, determine how you respond to different formats of questions, and require you to be creative when responding to their questions. No two interviewers are the same, and therefore their questions will vary.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

No matter how the interviewer asks the question, it is your responsibility to discern what information they are looking for. This will help you formulate your response and provide the interviewer with the information they expect. If you don't understand the question or need clarification, it is okay to ask the interviewer a question or two. The interviewer appreciates it when the candidate asks a question. However, overdoing this may signal to the interviewer that you are not as familiar with the topics as you need to be to perform this job.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"The method I would use to see the trace files in an Oracle database would be to invoke the command tkprof. The complete format for this command is--tkprof allllle.trc llkld.txt."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

9.   Can you describe the purpose of an Oracle SQL execution plan?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

While you are interviewing for a specific job that involves optimizing an Oracle database, you're likely to be asked questions about all the functions and components of the DBMS. Interviewers ask these types of questions to confirm that you have a complete understanding of the Oracle environment and can use all of the commands, variables, and other items within Oracle to tune and optimize the database. The interviewer may also ask you questions about related topics such as applications, storage, memory, and other components of a system that impact Oracle's performance.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

It is virtually impossible to know every item, component, command, and issue impacting an Oracle database's performance. Interviewers know this and will not expect you to know everything. However, you are expected to know the most important things, the common issues you will encounter, and the commands used to execute common tasks required of an Oracle administrator. Reviewing these before the interview will help prepare you for the majority of questions you will be asked. It is perfectly acceptable to admit that you do not know an answer to an interviewer's question as long as you can describe how you would locate the information needed to perform the task they describe.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"The purpose of an oracle SQL execution plan is to create a road map of how Oracle DBAs execute SQL. This helps Oracle administrators structure the database, create the tables, and execute SQLs to provide the information and data needed by the users to perform their jobs."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

10.   What commands would you use if you didn't know what SQL is currently being used by a session?

Why the Interviewer Asks This Question

As the interview progresses, the interviewer will continue to ask you about the commands you use to accomplish a task in this role. This could be a question that suggests that there are multiple answers since the interviewer used the plural form of commands. Interviewers will often give you hints and the content and the format of the questions they ask.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

How to Answer

It is critically important that you carefully listen to the interviewer's entire question before beginning to formulate your answer or begin to respond. This will ensure that you understand the question and are providing the information the interviewer expects in your response. Suppose you do not understand the question or aren't clear about what the interviewer is asking. In that case, it is appropriate to ask a clarifying question or begin your answer with a clarifying statement.

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

Answer Example

"There are two commands you can use if you don't know what SQL is currently being used by a session. These are v$sql and v$sql_area. v$sql stores statistics about each child version of a SQL statement stored in the Shared Pool, while v$sqlarea summarizes these statistics per sqlid."

Written by William Swansen on March 27th, 2022

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