Sql Questions needed for "new hire" test!
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We want to develop a test for potential new hire programmers (not DBA's). The questions should focus on t-sql (joins, stored procs, interesting questions, EM, etc). We're not trying to trick anyone, just to gauge where their t-sql knowledge is.
Any question suggestions? (Please include answer too!)
TIA,
Bill
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Write a snippet of code with intentional mistake and let them figure it out
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Bill,
Steve Jones posted these two articles (actually one - the other is the answers to the quiz) on "who do you hire". I actually used this in a recent interview that I did for another company (helping out with the interview process) and it worked great.
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/sjones/whodoyouhire.asp
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/sjones/sqlanswers.asp
Hope it helps you as well.
David
David
@SQLTentmaker“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose” - Jim Elliot
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Thanks
.I need to modify this, but the main point still stands. Make someone write some code and use questions that show someone understands SQL, NOT that they memorized something.
Here's another great reference:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000073.html
Steve Jones
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I would give them some question where the easy answer would be a cursor, but the little-bit-harder answer would be a set-based solution. Not too difficult of course, just to see who's thinking the right way.
Chris Hedgate @ Apptus Technologies (http://www.apptus.se)
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A good way to get code that best suits your needs, especially if you are in a specific line of business is to use code or examples based that you have in prodution or issues you have caught. This way you get folks who know SQL and spot those who are a better fit to your current environment.
"Don't roll your eyes at me. I will tape them in place." (Teacher on Boston Public)
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I'm a big fan of the "lab" approach. Create some scenarious that require a candidate to code. Also create some scenarios that require a candidate to do some basic administration tasks, if this is required.
Sit 'em down at a computer where they can't do any damage, give 'em the full suite of tools, to include Books Online (BOL). Let 'em go at it, then grade them on their effort. Make some of the questions esoteric enough that most people SHOULD have to go to BOL. This will also let you gauge how good they are at finding the answer when they don't know it off the top of their head.
K. Brian Kelley
http://www.truthsolutions.com/
Author: Start to Finish Guide to SQL Server Performance Monitoring
http://www.netimpress.com/shop/product.asp?ProductID=NI-SQL1
K. Brian Kelley
@kbriankelley -
I agree with the Lab approach.
After all, thats how we work. We sit at a computer with an issue, study code, use BOL and try to identify a problem and the correct it.
I think a good mix of questions plus a Lab works well.
Clive Strong
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Ask them to name a few bugs in SQL Server. If they can't name any, they haven't worked with SQL Server outside of their tutorial CDs!
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I would test their knowledge of how transactions work within SQL Server. A good example is what happens when you have stored proc with a transaction with three inserts in it. If the first insert succeeds, but then the second insert fails due to a primary key constraint violation. By default, the entire transaction is NOT rolled back. If they get this question correct, ask them how they would force a rollback of the entire transaction.
I would also give them this scenario:
You want to assign permissions only to views and stored procs and NOT to the underlying tables. You have the need to execute dynamic queries using the EXEC statment within your stored procs. How would they accomplish this?
I hope that this helps some.
Matthew Bando
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