Advanced Database Management System (ADBMS) - Key Concepts

What is DBMS?

A Database Management System (DBMS) is software used to create, manage, and operate databases. It

provides tools for data insertion, retrieval, updating, and deletion. DBMS ensures data integrity, security, and

reduces data redundancy. It supports multiple users and maintains concurrency control. Examples: MySQL,

Oracle, PostgreSQL. It allows backup and recovery and uses schemas to define data structure.

What is RDBMS?

Relational DBMS (RDBMS) is a type of DBMS based on the relational model by E.F. Codd. Data is organized

into tables (relations) with rows and columns. It uses SQL for querying. RDBMS maintains relationships using

keys (primary, foreign). Examples include Oracle, MySQL, and SQL Server. It supports ACID properties and

normalization for data integrity.

State SQL DDL, DML, DCL statements.

DDL (Data Definition Language): CREATE, ALTER, DROP defines structure.

DML (Data Manipulation Language): SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE manipulates data.

DCL (Data Control Language): GRANT, REVOKE controls access.

These categories help organize SQL operations for database management.

Explain SELECT, GROUP BY, and HAVING clause.

SELECT retrieves specific data from tables.

GROUP BY groups rows with the same values in columns and is used with aggregate functions.

HAVING filters grouped records based on a condition (used with GROUP BY).

Explain string and set operations.

String operations include CONCAT, LENGTH, SUBSTR, UPPER, LOWER, TRIM, etc.

Set operations combine results of two or more queries: UNION, INTERSECT, MINUS/EXCEPT.

UNION combines without duplicates, INTERSECT gives common rows, MINUS returns rows from first query

not in second.

Describe aggregate functions.

Aggregate functions perform calculations on multiple rows:

SUM total value, AVG average value, COUNT number of rows,

Describe nested subqueries.

A nested subquery is a query inside another query. It runs first and its result is used by the outer query.

They can be in SELECT, FROM, or WHERE clauses. Types include scalar, row, and correlated subqueries.

Describe embedded and dynamic SQL.

Embedded SQL is SQL written within a programming language like C, Java. Uses host variables.

Dynamic SQL is constructed and executed at runtime. Allows flexible query construction based on conditions.

What are joins?

Joins combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column.

Types: INNER JOIN (matching rows), LEFT JOIN (all left rows + matched), RIGHT JOIN, FULL JOIN.

Used for complex data retrieval across multiple tables.

Creating, executing, deleting procedures; describe functions.

Create Procedure: CREATE PROCEDURE proc_name AS BEGIN ... END;

Execute: EXEC proc_name;

Delete: DROP PROCEDURE proc_name;

Functions return a value; Procedures may not. Functions are used in SELECT, WHERE, etc.

What are procedures and functions?

Procedures are blocks of code for tasks, may or may not return values.

Functions are similar but always return a single value. Functions are invoked in SQL statements.

What is cursor management?

Cursor is a pointer to a result set. It allows row-by-row processing.

Steps: Declare, Open, Fetch, Close. Types: Implicit, Explicit. Used when query returns multiple rows.

Describe PL/SQL.

PL/SQL is Oracles procedural extension to SQL. It includes loops, conditions, and variables.

It supports modular code through procedures, functions, triggers, and packages.

Describe exception.

Exceptions are errors during program execution. Types: Predefined (e.g., NO_DATA_FOUND), User-defined.
Handled using EXCEPTION block in PL/SQL: BEGIN ... EXCEPTION WHEN ... THEN ... END;

How to create, modify, enable/disable, delete trigger.

Create: CREATE TRIGGER trig_name BEFORE/AFTER ... ON table.

Modify: Use ALTER TRIGGER.

Enable/Disable: ALTER TRIGGER trig_name ENABLE/DISABLE;

Delete: DROP TRIGGER trig_name;

What is a trigger?

A trigger is a stored procedure that automatically executes in response to specific database events.

Used for auditing, validation, and enforcing business rules. Fires on INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE.

What is object, state, and uses of object?

Object: A data structure in OODBMS combining data and behavior.

State: Current data held by an object.

Uses: Reusability, encapsulation, and modularity. Used in object-oriented databases.

Describe types of object; discuss features of objects.

Types: Persistent objects, Transient objects.

Features: Encapsulation, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Identity. Used in complex data modeling.

What is NoSQL?

NoSQL databases are non-relational, used for large-scale data storage and real-time web apps.

They handle unstructured, semi-structured data. Examples: MongoDB, Cassandra, Redis.

Explain need, features, uses of NoSQL.

Need: Scalability, performance with big data, flexibility with data models.

Features: Schema-less, horizontally scalable, supports various data formats.

Use: Web apps, real-time analytics, IoT, distributed systems.

What is normalization (with example)?

Normalization is organizing data to reduce redundancy and improve integrity.

Example:

Unnormalized: Order(ID, Name, Product1, Product2)

1NF: Order(ID, Name, Product)

3NF: Remove transitive dependencies.

Discuss ACID properties of transaction.

ACID stands for:

Atomicity All or nothing.

Consistency Maintains valid state.

Isolation Transactions dont interfere.

Durability Changes persist even after crash.