DBMS QUESTION BANK

MODULE 1- Introduction to Database Systems

1. Define a database. Discuss the implicit properties of database.
2. Define Database Management System (DBMS). Explain the functions provided by DBMS. Draw
the figure of database system.
3. Explain the University database, drawing the tables required, along with defining, constructing
and manipulation of University database.
4. Discuss the main characteristics of the database approach and how it differs from traditional file
system.
5. Discuss the advantages/capabilities and disadvantages of using DBMS.
6. Why would you choose a database system instead of simply storing data in flat files? When
would it make sense not to use database system?
7. What is transaction? In what way it is different from ordinary program in C?
8. What is meant by “Persistent storage for program objects”? Explain.
9. Briefly explain the advantages of object oriented systems.
10. Define & explain the importance database catalog (relations & columns). Explain the internal
storage format of a catalog with an example.
11. What do you mean by “actors on the scene”? Explain in detail.
12. What do you mean by “actors behind the scene”? Explain in detail.
13. How the database capabilities can be extended for new applications?
14. What are the responsibilities of DBA (Database Administrators) and database designers?
15. What are “end users” in DBMS? Explain the categories of end users.
16. What is a data model? Explain the categories of data models.
17. Define & explain the following terms with an example for each.
a. Snapshot b. Database Schema c. Schema Construct d. Schema Diagram
e. Instances f. Metadata
18. Define the terms in DBMS: Empty state

Module 2 -Relational Model and Relational Algebra

1. Explain the various update operations involved in Relational model.

2. Explain the steps involved in ER mapping to relational mapping taking suitable example.
3. Explain the following operations in Relational Algebra and give one example for each
i) Rename ii) Cartesian product iii) Natural join iv) Division
4. Discuss the entity integrity and referential integrity constraints. Why is each considered
important?
5. Discuss the various update operations on relations and the types of integrity constraints that must
be checked for each update operation.
6. Explain the select and project operations as used in relational algebra.
7. Discuss the different relational algebra operations.
8. Explain Basic Unary and set operation in Relational Algebra operations.
9. List the operations of the relational algebra and the purpose of each.
10. Explain the aggregate functions used in relational algebra. give examples.
11. Explain the different relational model constraints & possible violation during update operation.
12. Consider the following relations for a database that keeps track of business trips of sales persons
in a sales office:
Salesperson (Salespersonid, Name, Start-year, Dept-no)
Trip (Salespersonid, from, to, Departure-date, Return-date, trip-id) Expense (trp-id,
AccountNo, Amount)
Specify the foreign keys for the above schema. Then specify the following queries in relational
algebra.
1. Give the details (all attributes of trip relation) for trip that exceeded 10,000/- in expenses.
2. Print the ‘Salespersonid’ and ‘Name’ of the salespersons who took trips to ‘delhi’.
3. Print the total trip expenses incurred by the salesman with Salespersonid = ‘504’.
13. With an example explain clearly JOIN and UNION operations in relational algebra. Bring out
the difference between natural JOIN and OUTER JOIN
14. Define different set operations in relation algebra. Give one example for each.
15. Consider the following schema and write the relational algebra expressions for the queries given
below:
SAILORS(Sid, Sname, rating, age)
BOATS(bid, bname, color)
RESERVES(sid, bid,day)
(i) Find names of sailors who reserved green boat
(ii) Find the colors of boats reserved by “Ramesh”
(iii) Find names of sailors who have reserved a red or a green boat.
(iv) Find the “sids” of sailors with age over 20 who have not registered a red boat. 22.
Chapter 2: SQL – 1
1. What is SQL? What are its uses? Explain the schema and catalog concepts in SQL?
2. Explain the data types that are allowed for SQL attributes.
3. What is domain in SQL? Explain with an example.
4. What are the different types of constraints in SQL. Explain.
5. Explain with an example, different types of “attribute constraints”. [NOT NULL, DEFAULT,
CHECK].
6. What is meant by integrity constraint? Explain the importance of key and referential integrity
constraints. How referential integrity constraint is implemented in SQL?
7. How do you specify constraints on tuples using CHECK command? Explain with an example.
8. Exaplain the schema change statements of SQL (schema evolution commands), with examples
for each.
9. Explain with an example, the basic constraints that can be specified when creating a table in
SQL.
10. Explain the ALTER TABLE command. Explain how the new constraint can be added and also
an existing constraint can be removed using suitable examples.
11. Describe the six clauses in the syntax of an SQL Retieval query, with an example. Show what
type of constructs can be specified in each of the six clauses. Which of the six clauses are required
and which are optional.
12. Explain “Unspecified WHERE Clause and Use of the Asterisk”.
13. How the ambiguity can be solved by aliasing in SQL. Explain with an example.
14. Define multiset. Why tables are considered as sets in SQL?
15. State the difference between DISTINCT and ALL in SQL with examples for each.
16. Exaplain the string pattern matching operator of SQL with examples.
17. Explain Between command with an example.
18. Explain INSERT, DELETE , UPDATE statements in SQL taking suitable examples.
19. Which command is used for ordering the query results. Explain with the syntax and an example.
20. Explain three valued logic in SQL.
21. Explain nested and corelated nested queries in SQL with example.
22. Explain IN and EXISTS operator with suitable examples.
23. What are the aggregate functions in SQL? Explain with examples.
24. Explain how group by clause works? What is the difference between Where and Having
clause? Explain with an example each.
25. What is UNION compatibility? Why do the UNION, INTERSECTION and DIFFERENCE
operations require that the relations on whom they are applied be union compatible?
26. Consider the following schema for a company database:
 Employee (Name, SSN, Address, Sex, Salary, Dno) Department (Dname, Dnumber,
MGRSSN, MGRSTART Date) Dept-Locations (Dnumber, Dlocations)
Project (Pname, Pnumber, Plocations, Dnum) Works-On
(ESSN, PNo, Hours)
Dependent (ESSN, Dependent-name, Sex, Bdate, Relationship)
Give the queries in SQL
a) Retrieve the names and address of employees who work for “Research” Department.
b) List all the project names on which employee “Smith” is working.
c) Retrieve all employees who either work in department and make over 25000 per year or work in
department 5 and make over 30,000.
d) Retrieve the SSN of all employees who either work in department 5 or directly supervise an
employee who works in department number 5.
e) Retrieve names of each employee who have only daughter dependent.
27. Consider the following relational database schema
Student (Student-id,Sname,major,GPA)
Faculty (Faculty-id,fname,dept,designation,salary)
Course (Course-id,Cname,Faculty-id) Enrol (Course-id,Student-id,grade)
Write the following queries in SQL:
a.List the names of all students enrolled for the course “IS6T1” and have received “A” grade.
b.List all the departments having an average salary of above Rs. 10,000.
c.Give a 20% raise to salary of all faculty.
d.List the names of all faculty members beginning with “P” and ending with letter “A”.
e. Add ‘John’ as an employee with id = 99, and Major =’Maths’ GPA=’B’.
f. Retrieve the faculty who gets the second highest salary.
28. Consider the following relations for a database.
Supplier (Sno, Sname, Status, City)
Product (EnQ. Pname, Color. Weight, City) Shipments (Sno, Pno, Qty)
29. Specify the following queries in SQL.
i) Retrieve names of supplier who supply part P2.
ii) Retrieve the names of suppliers who do not supply any part supplied by S2.
iii) Retrieve parts number for aU parts supplied by more than one supplier.
iv) for each part supplied, get the part number, maximum quantity, minimum quantity supplied for
that part.
v) Retrieve supplier numbers for suppliers with status less than the current maximum in the supplier
table.
Module 3 -Advances Queries
1. What are aggregate functions? And list the aggregate functions supported by SQL?
2. What is view in SQL? How is it defined?
3. List out the statements associated with a database transaction?
4. Describe queries with complex types?
5. What are the types of reference? Explain it with suitable example.
6. Give the syntax of assertion & triggers?
Module 4 -Normalization: Database Design Theory
1. What is the need for normalization? Explain the first, second and third normal forms with
examples.
2. Explain informal design guidelines for relation schemas.
3. What is functional dependency? Write an algorithm to find a minimal cover for a set of
functional
dependencies.
4. What is the need for normalization? Explain second normal form.
5. Which normal form is based on the concept to transitive dependency? Explain with an example
the decomposition into 3NF.
6. Explain multivalued dependency. Explain 4NF with an example.
7. Explain any Two informal quality measures employed for a relation schema Design?
8. Explain: a. Inclusion dependency b. Domain Key Normal Form
9. Explain multivolume dependency and fourth normal form, with an example.
10. Explain lossless join property.
11. What are the ACID Properties? Explain any One?
12. What is serializibility? How can seriaizability? Justify your answer?

MODULE 5- Transaction Management

1. What are ACID properties? Explain.
2. Explain properties of a transaction.
3. With a neat state transition diagram, discuss the different states of transaction.
4. What is a schedule? Explain with an example conflict serializable schedule.
5. What are the anomalies occur due to interleave execution (concurrent transactions)? Explain
them with an example.
6. Explain transaction support in SQL.
7. Briefly discuss the two phase locking (2PL) protocol used in concurrency control. How does it
guarantee serializability? Discuss its advantages. How does it vary from strict 2PL?
8. Write note on: a) Time stamp based concurrency control b) Write ahead log protocol
c) Shadow paging
9. Explain Multiversion concurrency control with an example.
10. Explain Multiple granularity locking with suitable examples.
11. Explain all the phases involved in ARIES algorithm with an example/ describe the three steps in
crash recovery in Aries. What is the goal of each phase.