DBMS PRACTICAL VIVA ANSWERS

Note : All these Answers are Copied from Notes (which was provided by Rahila Ma’am) and
some answers which are not in notes are copied from site geeks for geeks

1. What is data?

Ans :
Data
• Data is nothing but facts and figures that can be recorded in
system and have some special meaning assigned to it.
• In the context of computer science, it refers to information that
has been translated into a form that is efficient for movement or
processing.
• For example- name, age, address, account _no. etc,

2. What is Information?

Ans :
Information
• Information is the result of processing and organizing data to give it
context and meaning.
• It is data that has been analyzed, interpreted or structured in a way
that makes it useful and meaningful to users.
• Information provides insights, knowledge or understanding based
on the data presented.

3. What is a database?

Ans :
Database
• A Database is a collection of information or facts that is organized
so that it can be easily processed, managed, controlled, accessed or
updated.
• In a banking application, data is the whole collection of bank

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account numbers; bank customers’ names, addresses, and ages;
bank transactions and so on.
• Data in database can be added, updated, modified expanded and
deleted.

4. Define DBMS?

Ans :
Database Management System
• Database Management System (DBMS) is a collection of
interrelated data and set of programs to access those data. DBMS
provides a way to store and retrieve database information that is both
convenient and efficient.
• It allows users to store, process and analyze data easily. DBMS also
provides protection and security to the databases. It also maintains
data consistency in case of multiple users.
• DBMS provides us with an interface or a tool, to perform various
operations like creating database, storing data in it, updating data,
creating tables in the database and a lot more.
• Here are some examples of popular DBMS used these days: MySQL,
Oracle, IBM DB2, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Hadoop, Amazon Simple DB
(cloud based) etc.

5. Difference between Database and file Processing system?

Ans :

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 6. Advantages of Database over file processing system?

Ans :
Advantages of DBMS over file System –
• To provide data sharing
• Reduction of Data Redundancy
• Avoiding Inconsistency
• Transactional Support
• Maintaining Integrity
• Enforcement of Security

7. Disadvantages of Database?

Ans :
• Complexity
• Cost
• High Hardware Cost
• Performance
• Database Failure
• Huge Size
• Frequency Upgrade / Replacement Cycles
• Security

8. Define Entity, Relationship/cardinality, Attributes?

Ans :
Entity
• An entity can be a real-world object, either animate or inanimate,
that can be easily identifiable.
• For example, in a school database, students, teachers, classes, and
courses offered can be considered as entities. All these entities have
some attributes or properties that give them their identity.
• An entity set is a collection of similar types of entities. An entity set
may contain entities with attribute sharing similar values.
• For example, a Students set may contain all the students of a
school; likewise a Teachers set may contain all the teachers of a

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 school from all faculties. Entity sets need not be disjoint.
Relationship
• The diamond shape showcases a relationship in the ER diagram.
• It depicts the relationship between two entities.
• In the example below, both the student and the course are entities, and
study is the relationship between them.
Attribute
• An attribute exhibits the properties of an entity.
• You can illustrate an attribute with an oval shape in an ER diagram.
Cardinality
In database management, cardinality represents the number of times an entity of
an entity set participates in a relationship set. Or we can say that the cardinality
of a relationship is the number of tuples (rows) in a relationship. It is a
fundamental concept that helps define how data in different tables connect and
how many unique entries exist in a particular column. In this article, we will
discuss about cardinality in detail along with all its types.

9. Types of keys in SQL?

Ans :

10. SQL stands for?

Ans :
Structure Query Language
•SQL stands for Structured Query Language. It is used for storing and managing
data in relational database management system (RDMS).

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•It is a standard language for Relational Database System. It enables a user to
create, read, update and delete relational databases and tables.

11. Why do we use SQL?

Ans :
•SQL is easy to learn.
•SQL is used to access data from relational database management systems.
•SQL can execute queries against the database.
•SQL is used to describe the data.
•SQL is used to define the data in the database and manipulate it when needed.
•SQL is used to create and drop the database and table.
•SQL is used to create a view, stored procedure, function in a database.
•SQL allows users to set permissions on tables, procedures, and views.

12. What do you mean by redundant data?

Ans :
Redundancy means having multiple copies of the same data in the
database. This problem arises when a database is not normalized.

13. What do you mean by data duplication?

Ans :
Data duplication is a computational technique that removes multiple copies
of data that repeat. If the method is successfully used, storage utilization
may be increased, which might save capital cost because less storage media
would be needed overall to fulfill storage capacity requirements.

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 14. Define normalization?

Ans :
•Normalization is the process of organizing the data in the database.
•Normalization is used to minimize the redundancy from a relation or
set of relations. It is also used to eliminate undesirable characteristics
like Insertion, Update, and Deletion Anomalies.
•Normalization divides the larger table into smaller and links them
using relationships.
•The normal form is used to reduce redundancy from the database
table.

15. Types of Normalization?

Ans :
Normal forms: 1NF, 2NF, 3NF

16. Define all types of keys?

Ans :
1. Primary key
•It is the first key used to identify one and only one instance of an entity uniquely.
An entity can contain multiple keys, as we saw in the PERSON table. The key
which is most suitable from those lists becomes a primary key.

2. Candidate key
•A candidate key is an attribute or set of attributes that can uniquely identify a
tuple.
For example: In the EMPLOYEE table, id is best suited for the primary key. The
rest of the attributes, like SSN, Passport_Number, License_Number, etc.,
are considered a candidate key.
3. Super Key
Super key is an attribute set that can uniquely identify a tuple. A super key is a
superset of a candidate key.
For example: In the below EMPLOYEE table, for(EMPLOEE_ID, EMPLOYEE_NAME),
the name of two employees can be the same, but their EMPLYEE_ID can't be the

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same. Hence, this combination can also be a key. The super key would be
EMPLOYEE-ID (EMPLOYEE_ID, EMPLOYEE-NAME), etc.

4. Foreign key
•Foreign keys are the column or attributes of the table used to point to
the primary key of another table.

5. Alternate key
There may be one or more attributes or a combination of attributes that uniquely
identify each tuple in a relation. These attributes or combinations of the
attributes are called the candidate keys. One key is chosen as the primary key
from these candidate keys, and the remaining candidate key, if it exists, is termed
the alternate key. In other words, the total number of the alternate keys is the
total number of candidate keys minus the primary key. The alternate key may or
may not exist, if there is only one candidate key in a relation.
For example, employee relation has two attributes, Employee_Id and PAN_No,
that act as candidate keys. In this relation, Employee_Id is chosen as the primary
key, so the other candidate key, PAN_No, acts as the Alternate key.

6. Composite key
Whenever a primary key consists of more than one attribute, it is known as a
composite key. This key is also known as Concatenated Key.
For example, in employee relations, we assume that an employee may be
assigned multiple roles, and an employee may work on multiple projects
simultaneously. So the primary key will be composed of all three attributes,
namely Emp_ID, Emp_role, and Proj_ID in combination. So these attributes
act as a composite key since the primary key comprises more than one attribute.

17. Define all types of joins?

Ans :
INNER JOIN
INNER JOIN statement returns only those records or rows that have matching
values and is used to retrieve data that appears in both tables.

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OUTER JOIN
When applying an SQL INNER JOIN, the output returns only matching rows from
the stated tables. In contrast, if you use an SQL OUTER JOIN, it will retrieve not
only the matching rows but also the unmatched rows as well.

LEFT OUTER JOIN

Left Outer Join returns all the rows from the table on the left and columns of the
table on the right is null padded. Left Outer Join retrieves all the rows from both
the tables that satisfy the join condition along with the unmatched rows of the
left table.

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RIGHT OUTER JOIN
The RIGHT OUTER JOIN works by the same principle as the LEFT OUTER JOIN.
The RIGHT OUTER JOIN selects data from the right table (Table B) and matches
this data with the rows from the left table (Table A). The RIGHT JOIN returns a
result set that includes all rows in the right table, whether or not they have
matching rows from the left table. In case, a row in the right table does not have
any matching rows in the left table, the column of the left table in the result set
will have nulls.

SELF JOIN
The SELF JOIN allows you to join a table to itself. This implies that each row of the
table is combined with itself and with every other row of the table. The SELF JOIN
can be viewed as a join of two copies of the same table. The table is not actually
copied, but SQL performs the command as though it were. This is accomplished
by using table name aliases to give each instance of the table a separate name. It
is most useful for extracting hierarchical data or comparing rows within the same
table.

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CROSS JOIN
The CROSS JOIN command in SQL, also known as a cartesian join, returns all
combinations of rows from each table. Envision that you need to find all
combinations of size and color. In that case, a CROSS JOIN will be an asset. Note,
that this join does not need any condition to join two tables. In fact, CROSS JOIN
joins every row from the first table with every row from the second table and its
result comprises all combinations of records in two tables.

18. Types of Aggregate function?

Ans :

The most commonly used SQL aggregate functions are:

• MIN() - returns the smallest value within the selected

column

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 • MAX() - returns the largest value within the selected column
• COUNT() - returns the number of rows in a set
• SUM() - returns the total sum of a numerical column
• AVG() - returns the average value of a numerical column

19. Three level architecture?

Ans :

Three levels of DBMS architecture:-

1. Physical Level / Internal Schema /Internal View
2.Logical Level / Conceptual Schema / logical view
3. External Level / External Schema / External view

20. Components of DBMS?

Ans :
Components of DBMS are broadly classified as follows :
1.Users:
(a)Naïve User
(b)Application User
(c)Sophisticated User
(d)Database Administrator
2. Query Processor :
(a) DML Compiler
(b) Embedded DML pre-compiler
(c) DDL Interpreter
(d) Query Evaluation Engine
3. Storage Manager :
(a) Authorization and Integrity Manager
(b) Transaction Manager
(c) File Manager
(d) Buffer Manager
4. Data Structure :
(a) Data Files
(b) Data Dictionary

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(c) Indices
(d) Statistical Data
21. Define Data Abstraction?

Ans :
Data Abstraction
Database systems are made-up of complex data structures. To ease the user
interaction with database, the developers hide internal irrelevant details from
users. This process of hiding irrelevant details from user is called data
abstraction.

21. What is an ER diagram?

Ans :
• E-R Model-An entity relationship model, also called an
Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD), is a graphical representation of entities and
their relationships to each other.
• An entity is a piece of data - an “object” or a “thing” in real world that is
distinguishable from other objects.
• ERD can express the overall logical structure of database graphically.

22. Types of Data modeling?

Ans :
A Data Model is a logical structure of Database. It describes the design of
database to reflect entities, attributes, relationship among data, constrains etc.
Types of Data Models:
a) Object based logical Models – Describe data at the conceptual and view levels.
• E-R Model
b) Record based logical Models – Like Object based model, they also describe
data at the conceptual and view levels. These models specify logical structure of
database with records fields and attributes.
• Relational Model
• Hierarchical Model
• Network Model
c) Physical Data Models – These models describe data at the lowest level of
abstraction.

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 23.What is RDBMS?

Ans :

RDBMS(Relational Database Management System) is a software system that

manages relational databases. It provides a structured and organized approach to
store, retrieve, and manipulate data based on the principles of the relational
model.

24. Explain any 4 E.F codd rules?

Ans :
Rule 0: Foundation Rule - A system must qualify as a relational database
management system (RDBMS).
Rule 1: Information Rule - All information in the database must be
represented in tables.
Rule 2: Guaranteed Access Rule - Each piece of data must be accessible with
a combination of table name, primary key, and column name.
Rule 3: Systematic Treatment of Null Values - Null values must be supported
and treated systematically.

25.Explain Commands in database 1)DDL 2)DML 3)DCL 4)DQL 5)TCL

Ans :
DDL Commands
Data Definition Language (DDL)
•DDL changes the structure of the table like creating a table, deleting a table,
altering a table, etc.
•All the command of DDL are auto-committed that means it permanently save all
the changes in
the database.
Here are some commands that come under DDL:
•CREATE
•ALTER
•DROP
•TRUNCATE

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a. CREATE It is used to create a new table in the database.
Syntax:
CREATE TABLE TABLE_NAME (COLUMN_NAME DATATYPES[,....]);
Example:
CREATE TABLE EMPLOYEE(Name VARCHAR2(20), Email VARCHAR2(100), DOB
DATE);

b. DROP: It is used to delete both the structure and record stored in the table.
Syntax
DROP TABLE table_name;
Example
DROP TABLE EMPLOYEE;

c. ALTER: It is used to alter the structure of the database. This change could be
either to
modify the characteristics of an existing attribute or probably to add a new
attribute.
Syntax:
To add a new column in the table
ALTER TABLE table_name ADD column_name COLUMN-definition;
To modify existing column in the table:
ALTER TABLE table_name MODIFY(column_definitions....);
EXAMPLE
ALTER TABLE STU_DETAILS ADD(ADDRESS VARCHAR2(20));
ALTER TABLE STU_DETAILS MODIFY (NAME VARCHAR2(20));

d. TRUNCATE: It is used to delete all the rows from the table and free the space
containing
the table.
Syntax:
TRUNCATE TABLE table_name;
Example:
TRUNCATE TABLE EMPLOYEE;

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DML Commands
Data Manipulation Language
•DML commands are used to modify the database. It is responsible for all form of
changes in the
database.
•The command of DML is not auto-committed that means it can't permanently
save all the
changes in the database. They can be rollback.
Here are some commands that come under DML:
•INSERT
•UPDATE
•DELETE

a. INSERT: The INSERT statement is a SQL query. It is used to insert data into
the row of a table.
Syntax:
INSERT INTO TABLE_NAME
(col1, col2, col3,.... col N)
VALUES (value1, value2, value3, .... valueN);
Or
INSERT INTO TABLE_NAME
VALUES (value1, value2, value3, .... valueN);
For example:
INSERT INTO javatpoint (Author, Subject) VALUES ("Sonoo", "DBMS");

b. UPDATE: This command is used to update or modify the value of a column in

the table.
Syntax:
UPDATE table_name SET [column_name1= value1,...column_nameN = valueN]
[WHERE C
ONDITION]
For example:
UPDATE students
SET User_Name = 'Sonoo'
WHERE Student_Id = 3;

c. DELETE: It is used to remove one or more row from a table.

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Syntax:
DELETE FROM table_name [WHERE condition];
For example:
DELETE FROM javatpoint WHERE Author="Sonoo";

DCL Commands
Data Control Language
DCL commands are used to grant and take back authority from any database user.
Here are some commands that come under DCL:
create user user_name identified by admin_password;
Create user Rahila identified by 1234;
a. Grant: It is used to give user access privileges to a database.
Syntax:
grant privilege_name on object_name to {user_name | public | role_name}
Example
GRANT SELECT, UPDATE ON MY_TABLE TO SOME_USER, ANOTHER_USER;
b. Revoke: It is used to take back permissions from the user.
Syntax:
revoke privilege_name on object_name from { user_name | public | role_name}
Example
REVOKE SELECT, UPDATE ON MY_TABLE FROM USER1, USER2;

DQL Commands
Data Query Language
DQL is used to fetch the data from the database.
It uses only one command:
•SELECT
a. SELECT: This is the same as the projection operation of relational algebra. It is
used to
select the attribute based on the condition described by WHERE clause.
Syntax:
SELECT expressions FROM TABLES WHERE conditions;
For example:
SELECT emp_name FROM employee WHERE age > 20;

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TCL Command
Transaction Control Language
TCL commands can only use with DML commands like INSERT, DELETE and
UPDATE
only.
These operations are automatically committed in the database that's why they
cannot be used
while creating tables or dropping them.
Here are some commands that come under TCL:
•COMMIT
•ROLLBACK
•SAVEPOINT
a. Commit: Commit command is used to save all the transactions to the database.
Syntax:
COMMIT;
Example:
DELETE FROM CUSTOMERS WHERE AGE = 25;
COMMIT;
b. Rollback: Rollback command is used to undo transactions that have not already
been saved to the database.
Syntax:
ROLLBACK;
Example:
DELETE FROM CUSTOMERS WHERE AGE = 25;
ROLLBACK;
c. SAVEPOINT: It is used to roll the transaction back to a certain point without
rolling back the
entire transaction.
Syntax:
SAVEPOINT SAVEPOINT_NAME;

26. Types of SQL operator?

Ans :
Types of Operators in SQL
Different types of operators in SQL are:
• Arithmetic operator

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 • Comparison operator
• Logical operator
• Bitwise Operators
• Compound Operators

27. Types of Function in SQL?

Ans :
There are two types of functions in SQL:
• Aggregate Functions
• Scalar Functions (in built functions)

28. Define view

Ans :
A view in SQL is a saved SQL query that acts as a virtual table. It can fetch
data from one or more tables and present it in a customized format.

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 29. Define index and its types?

Ans :
Indexing improves database performance by minimizing the number of disc
visits required to fulfill a query. It is a data structure technique used to
locate and quickly access data in databases. Several database fields are
used to generate indexes.

30. Define synonyms

Ans :
A SYNONYM provides another name for database object, referred to as
original object, that may exist on a local or another server. A synonym
belongs to schema, name of synonym should be unique. A synonym cannot
be original object for an additional synonym and synonym cannot refer to
user-defined function.

31. Define sequence

Ans :
• A sequence is a database object that generates and produces integer
values in sequential order.
• It automatically generates the primary key and unique key values.
• It may be in ascending or descending order.
• It can be used for multiple tables.

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 32.Advantages of PL/SQL block?

Ans :
1.Integration with SQL
2.Procedural Language Features
3.Performance
4.Scalability
5. Security
6. Error Handling
7. Data Manipulation
8. Integration with External Programs

33.Define PL/SQL

Ans :
PL/SQL is an extension of SQL language that combines the data manipulation
power of SQL with the processing power of procedural language to create super
powerful SQL queries. PL/SQL ensures seamless processing of SQL statements by
enhancing the security, portability, and robustness of the Database.
PL/SQL means instructing the compiler ‘what to do’ through SQL and ‘how to do’
through its procedural way. Similar to other database languages, it gives more
control to the programmers by the use of loops, conditions and object-oriented
concepts. The PL/SQL Full form is “Procedural Language extensions to SQL”.

34. What are control structure?

Ans :
PL/SQL Control Structures are used to control flow of execution. PL/SQL provides
different kinds of statements to provide such type of procedural capabilities.
These statements are almost same as that of provided by other languages.

35.Define exception handling?

Ans :
An Exception is an error situation, which arises during program execution. When
an error occurs exception is raised, normal execution is stopped and control
transfers to exception handling part. Exception handlers are routines written to

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handle the exception. The exceptions can be internally defined (system-defined or
pre-defined) or User-defined exception.

36. Define cursor

Ans :
A cursor is a pointer to the work area or context area, used by the oracle engine
for executing SQL statements. Such a work area is privately used for SQL
operations by the oracle engine. When the oracle engine executes an SQL
statements, the row of data returned is stored in cursor and is called active data
set. And the cursor occupies memory size required to hold the number of rows in
the active dataset. Cursor containing the values retrieved from a table are opened
in the predefined area of the main memory by oracle engine. This data is then
transferred to the client machine via network.

37. Define procedure

Ans :
The stored procedure in PL/SQL is a program block that performs specific tasks.
It can be considered a function or a method. But the procedure does not return a
value directly like functions. It can be invoked by triggers or other procedures etc.
It reduces the network traffic and increases performance because the commands
in the stored procedure are executed as a single batch of code.

38. Define function

Ans :
The functions are similar to procedures in PL/SQL except for the fact that it has
the ability to return a value (specified with keyword RETURN) and performs
computation tasks. It has a unique name and acts as an independent block of
code. The data type of a function is set at the time of the creation of function. A
function may contain a nested block or describe inside other packages or blocks.
A function can return values with the help of the RETURN keyword and OUT
parameter.

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 39. Difference between function and procedure?

Ans :

40. Define Triggers

Ans :
Triggers are statements that are executed automatically in order of occurrence of
any event. Triggers are automatically and repeatedly called upon by oracle engine
on satisfying certain condition. Triggers can be activated or deactivated
depending on the requirements. If triggers are activated then they are executed
implicitly by oracle engine and if triggers are deactivated then they are executed
explicitly by oracle engine.

41. Define Data security?

Ans :
Database security refers to the protection of a database system from
unauthorized access, malicious activities, and data breaches. It involves
implementing various security measures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity,
and availability of the data stored in the database. Database security is essential
as databases often contain sensitive information, such as personal data, financial
records, and proprietary business information.

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 42. How will you protect your data from malicious activity?

Ans :
Access Control
Encryption
Auditing and Logging
Backup and Recovery

43. Define Transaction

Ans :
The transaction is a set of logically related operation. It contains a group of tasks.
A transaction is an action or series of actions. It is performed by a single user to
perform operations for accessing the contents of the database.

44. Define ACID Properties?

Ans :

Atomicity: This principle states that database transactions must be all or nothing.
If the transaction fails, the entire transaction is rolled back. Atomicity prevents
partial and incomplete transactions.
Consistency: According to this property, only valid data is written to the database.
Consistency enforces integrity constraints to maintain the accuracy and
correctness of data.
Isolation: Running transactions independently is the core of isolation. Changes in
one transaction will not impact others until committed. Isolation maintains data
integrity across concurrent transactions.
Durability: Durability guarantees that all committed transactions are permanently
recorded in the database. They persist even after system failure. Durability
provides recoverability.

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 45.Define database backup?

Ans :
Database backup basically means that a duplicate of the database information
and data is created and stored in backup server just to be on the safe side.
Transaction logs are also stored in the backup along with the database data
because without them, the data would be useless.

46. Types of recovery techniques?

Ans :
There are mainly two types of recovery techniques used in DBMS
•Rollback/Undo Recovery Technique
•Commit/Redo Recovery Technique

47. Define data warehouse

Ans :
A Data Warehouse is a centralized repository that stores large amounts of data
collected from different sources for reporting and analysis. It is designed to
facilitate querying and data analysis rather than transaction processing. Data
warehouses are crucial for businesses to analyze trends, perform business
intelligence, and support decision-making.

48. Define big data

Ans :
Big data refers to large, diverse sets of information that grow at ever-increasing
rates. The term encompasses the volume of information, the velocity or speed at
which it is created and collected, and the variety or scope of the data points being
covered (commonly known as the "Three V's" of big data). Big data provides the
raw material used in data mining.

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 49. Define data lakes

Ans :
A data lake is a central location that holds a large amount of data in its native,
raw format. Compared to a hierarchical data warehouse, which stores data in
files or folders, a data lake uses a flat architecture and object storage to store
the data. Object storage stores data with metadata tags and a unique identifier,
which makes it easier to locate and retrieve data across regions, and improves
performance. By leveraging inexpensive object storage and open formats, data
lakes enable many applications to take advantage of the data. Data lakes typically
contain a massive amount of data stored in its raw, native format. This data is
made available on-demand, as needed; when a data lake is
queried, a subset of data is selected based on the query’s criteria and presented
for analysis.

50. Define joins and its types

Ans :
This question is repeated you will find the answer above…….

51. Tier Architecture

Ans :

Database architecture can be seen as a single tier or multi-tier. But logically,

database architecture is of two types like: 2-tier architecture and 3-tier
architecture.

52.Study all syntax

Ans :
Study All Syntax From the Notes……………

Thank You

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