PL/SQL developer interview perspective 10 Sections

From a PL/SQL developer interview perspective, here are the top 10 important points you should focus on:

1. PL/SQL Syntax and Basics

Understanding the structure of PL/SQL blocks (declaration, execution, exception handling sections).

Mastery of control structures like loops (FOR, WHILE), conditional statements (IF-THEN-ELSE).

1. Stored Procedures and Functions

Ability to create and use stored procedures and functions.

Knowledge of passing parameters (IN, OUT, INOUT), and returning values efficiently.

Understanding when to use functions vs. procedures.

1. Cursors

Deep understanding of both implicit and explicit cursors.

Using cursors for row-by-row processing, and handling cursor attributes.

Avoiding pitfalls like cursor memory leaks and knowing when to close cursors.

1. Triggers

Knowledge of trigger types (BEFORE, AFTER, INSTEAD OF, statement-level vs. row-level).

Use cases of triggers for enforcing business rules, auditing, or cascading actions.

1. Exception Handling

Handling predefined and user-defined exceptions.

Using WHEN OTHERS clause properly, logging exceptions, and re-throwing errors when necessary.

1. PL/SQL Packages

Creating and maintaining packages to group related procedures, functions, and variables.

Advantages of using packages (e.g., modularization, encapsulation, better performance through package state).

1. Performance Tuning

Writing optimized PL/SQL code using techniques like BULK COLLECT, FORALL, and minimizing context switching between SQL and PL/SQL.

Understanding execution plans and how to use indexes and materialized views to speed up queries.

Reducing unnecessary data fetches and using bind variables for efficient query execution.

1. Transactions and Locking

Managing transactions using COMMIT, ROLLBACK, and SAVEPOINT.

Understanding isolation levels, locks (row-level, table-level), and deadlock resolution strategies.

Ensuring proper concurrency control in a multi-user environment.

1. Dynamic SQL

Ability to write and execute dynamic SQL using EXECUTE IMMEDIATE or DBMS_SQL.

Understanding the use of dynamic SQL for building queries on the fly, and preventing SQL injection attacks through bind variables.

1. PL/SQL Collections

Proficiency in using PL/SQL collections like associative arrays, nested tables, and VARRAYs.

Using collections for bulk processing, avoiding unnecessary context switches, and optimizing performance.

These points will help you showcase a strong grasp of core PL/SQL concepts, best practices, and performance optimization techniques during the interview.