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Teradata Interview Questions

Teradata and Oracle have different architectures. Teradata uses a massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture where data and processing are distributed across multiple nodes. Each Teradata node contains processing units called AMPs that work together in parallel. Oracle uses a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) architecture where multiple CPUs share memory and disk space on a single server. Oracle 12c added some parallel processing capabilities but remains primarily SMP based. The key difference is Teradata distributes data, processing, and memory across nodes for massive parallelism while Oracle relies on parallelism within a single server.

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Gopinath Gujarathi
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173 views

Teradata Interview Questions

Teradata and Oracle have different architectures. Teradata uses a massively parallel processing (MPP) architecture where data and processing are distributed across multiple nodes. Each Teradata node contains processing units called AMPs that work together in parallel. Oracle uses a symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) architecture where multiple CPUs share memory and disk space on a single server. Oracle 12c added some parallel processing capabilities but remains primarily SMP based. The key difference is Teradata distributes data, processing, and memory across nodes for massive parallelism while Oracle relies on parallelism within a single server.

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Gopinath Gujarathi
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© © All Rights Reserved
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1.

Components of Teradata Architecture

2. What is Bynet?
Ans: The BYNET is a high-speed interconnect (network) that enables multiple nodes
in the system to communicate.

3. what is a Node?
Ans: A node is a term for a processing unit under the control of a single operating
system and each node owns a portion of the database. The node is where the
processing occurs for the Teradata RDBMS (A node is a basic building block of a
Teradata system, and contains a large number of hardware and software
components).

4. what is a PE?
Ans: Parsing Engine is a combination of parser and dispatcher. It Communicate with
client -> Manage sessions -> Parse SQL statements -> Communicate with AMPs ->
Return result to the client

5. PDE?
Ans: Parallel Database Extensions (PDE) is an interface layer on the top of operating
system. Its functions include: executing vprocs (virtualprocessors), providing a
parallel environment,
scheduling sessions, debugging, etc

6. What is Host Channel Adapter?

7. What is an AMP?
Ans: Access Module Processor BYNET interface
Manage database
Interface to disk subsystem

8. What are VPORCs?


Ans: Combination of PEs and AMPs

9. What is Network Channel Adapter?

10. CLI?
Ans: Call Level Interface, makes parallel access possible. CLI is responsible for
creating and managing the parcels that travel back and forth between Teradata and
the host. It permits the host to send multiple tasks (sessions) to Teradata at the
same time.

11.TDP?
Ans: Teradata Dircetor Program, Route the packets to the specified Teradata RDBMS
server

12. CLIQUE?
Ans: clique is a group of nodes that share access to the same disk arrays.

13. HOW MESSAGE IS ROUTED BETWEEN NODES AND VPROCS


Ans: by the PDE and BYNET software using Point-to-point, Multicast, Broadcast

14. What is SMP and MPP?


Ans: Symmetric Multiporcessing and Massively Parallel Processing.
Symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) - An SMP Teradata system has a single node that
contains multiple CPUs sharing a memory pool.
Massively parallel processing (MPP) - Multiple SMP nodes working together comprise
a larger, MPP implementation of Teradata. The nodes are connected using the
BYNET, which allows multiple virtual processors on multiple nodes to communicate
with each other.

1. What is data warehouse?


Ans: A data warehouse is a subject-oriented, integrated, time-varying, non-volatile
and Accessible collection of data that is used primarily in organizational decision
making.

2. Why Data warehouse?


Ans: For Reliable reporting, Rapid access to data, Integrated data, Flexible
presentation of and Better decision making

3. What is OLAP?
Ans: Online Analytical Processing

4. What is OLTP?
Ans: Online Transaction protocol

5. What is dimensional modelling?


Ans: Dimensional Modelling is a design concept used by many data warehouse
desginers to build thier datawarehouse. In this design model all the data is stored in
two types of tables - Facts table and Dimension table. Fact table contains the
facts/measurements of the business and the dimension table contains the context
of measuremnets ie the dimensions on which the facts are calculated.

6. What is Star Schema?


Ans: A fact table in the middle surrounded by a set of dimension tables.

7. What is Snoflake Schema?


Ans: A refinement of star schema where some dimensional hierarchy is normalized
into a set of smaller dimension tables, forming a shape similar to snowflake

8.What is a Data mart?


Ans: A data mart is a subset of a data warehouse. It is a functional segment of an
enterprise restricted for purposes of security, locality, performance, or business
necessity using modeling and information delivery techniques identical to data
warehousing.

9. what are the components of Data Warehouse Architecture


Ans:

10. What is ETL?


Ans: Extraction, Transformation and Loading.

11. What are slowly changing dimensions?


Ans: Dimensions that are changing with time.

1. What is a Primary Index? What is the maximum limit of Primary indexes for a
table?
Ans: The Primary index is the Physical Mechanism used to retrieve and distribute
data.

Primary Indexes define the way the data is distributed. Indexes are used to access
rows from a table without having to search the whole table. In the Teradata RDBMS,
an index is made up of one or more columns in a table. upto 64 columns can
defined in an Index. One Primary Index per table.

A Primary Index is the mechanism for assigning a data row to an AMP and a location
on the AMPs disks. It is also used to access rows without having to search the entire
table.

2. What is UPI and NUPI?


Ans: For a given row, the combination of the data values in the columns of a Unique
Primary Index are not duplicated in other rows within the table. This uniqueness
guarantees uniform data distribution and direct access.
For a given row, the combination of the data values in the columns of a Non-Unique
Primary Index can be duplicated in other rows within the table. A NUPI can cause
skewed data, but in specific instances can still be a good Primary Index choice.

3. What is USI and NUSI?


Ans: A Unique Secondary Index (USI) serves two possible purposes:
^Enforces uniqueness in a column or group of columns. The database will check
USIs to see if the values are unique. For example, if you have chosen different

columns for the Primary Key and Primary Index, you can make the Primary Key a USI
to enforce uniqueness on the Primary Key.
^Speeds up access to a row. Accessing a row with a USI requires one or two AMPs,
which is less direct than a UPI (one AMP) access, but more efficient than a full table
scan.

A Non-Unique Secondary Index (NUSI) is usually specified to prevent full table


scans, in which every row of a table is read. The Optimizer determines whether a
full table scan or NUSI access will be more efficient, then picks the best method.
Accessing a row with a NUSI requires all AMPs.

4. What is a Hashmap?
Ans: Hash Map indicate which AMP holds the row.

5. What is a row hash?


Ans: It is 32-bit formula (value) generated by hash algorithm for the primary index
value.

6. What is Hash synonymn?


Ans: When two different index values hash identically. It is sometimes referred to as
a hash collision.

7. What are Teradata objects? Breifly explain definition of each of them?


Databases: A defined object that may contain a collection of Teradata objects.
Users: Databases that each have a logon ID and password for logging on to
Teradata.
Tables: Two-dimensional structures of columns and rows of data stored on the disk
drives. (Require Perm Space)
Views: A virtual "window" to subsets of one or more tables or other views, predefined using a single SELECT statement. (Use no Perm Space)
Macros: Definitions of one or more Teradata SQL and report formatting commands.
(Use no Perm Space)

Triggers: One or more Teradata SQL statements associated with a table and
executed when specified conditions are met. (Use no Perm Space)
Stored Procedures: Combinations of procedural and non-procedural statements run
using a single CALL statement. (Require Perm Space)

8. Why do we need collect statistics?


Ans: For better performance of the query. The elapsed time of queries is frequently
reduced from hours to minutes through judicious collection of statistics.

Q. Teradata Vs Oracle (Architecture)

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