| 1 | What are the main components that make up the SQL Server architecture, and what role does each one play? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Beginner |
| 2 | What are the main differences between SQL Server Express, Standard, and Enterprise editions? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Beginner |
| 3 | How does SQL Server's memory architecture work, particularly regarding the buffer pool and how it affects performance? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Intermediate |
| 4 | What are the licensing implications and cost considerations when choosing between SQL Server editions for a growing company? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Advanced |
| 5 | What is tempdb, and why is its configuration particularly important for overall SQL Server performance? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Intermediate |
| 6 | How does SQL Server on Linux differ architecturally from the traditional Windows based installation, and what should teams consider before choosing it? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Intermediate |
| 7 | How would you plan a hardware and configuration strategy for a new SQL Server installation supporting a large, performance critical application? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Advanced |
| 8 | What is the difference between a SQL Server login and a database user? SQL Server › SQL Server Security & Permissions | SQL Server | SQL Server Security & Permissions | Beginner |
| 9 | What is the difference between Windows Authentication and SQL Server Authentication? SQL Server › SQL Server Security & Permissions | SQL Server | SQL Server Security & Permissions | Beginner |
| 10 | What is the performance overhead comparison between SQL Server Profiler, server side traces, and Extended Events, and how should this inform monitoring decisions on a production system? SQL Server › SQL Server Profiler & Extended Events | SQL Server | SQL Server Profiler & Extended Events | Advanced |
| 11 | What are the three main types of backups in SQL Server, and what does each one capture? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Beginner |
| 12 | How do you restore a SQL Server database from a full backup file? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Beginner |
| 13 | What is the difference between a partition function and a partition scheme in SQL Server? SQL Server › Partitioning | SQL Server | Partitioning | Beginner |
| 14 | What are the licensing and edition requirements for using Always On Availability Groups in SQL Server? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Intermediate |
| 15 | What SQL Server edition requirements exist for using In-Memory OLTP features? SQL Server › In-Memory OLTP (Memory-Optimized Tables) | SQL Server | In-Memory OLTP (Memory-Optimized Tables) | Intermediate |
| 16 | What is the difference between Query Store's READ_WRITE and READ_ONLY operational modes, and when does SQL Server switch between them? SQL Server › Query Store | SQL Server | Query Store | Intermediate |
| 17 | What improvements did SQL Server 2019 introduce for scalar function performance through a feature called scalar UDF inlining? SQL Server › User Defined Functions | SQL Server | User Defined Functions | Intermediate |
| 18 | What is the performance overhead of Transparent Data Encryption, and how does it compare across different SQL Server versions? SQL Server › Transparent Data Encryption | SQL Server | Transparent Data Encryption | Advanced |
| 19 | How does replication compare to Always On Availability Groups for keeping data synchronized across multiple servers, and when would you choose one over the other? SQL Server › Replication | SQL Server | Replication | Advanced |
| 20 | What is the difference between automatic failover and manual failover in an Always On Availability Group? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Intermediate |
| 21 | What is an availability group listener, and why is it important for applications connecting to an Always On Availability Group? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Intermediate |
| 22 | How do you enable Change Data Capture on a specific table, and what does that process actually create? SQL Server › Change Data Capture (CDC) | SQL Server | Change Data Capture (CDC) | Intermediate |
| 23 | How is Change Data Capture different from using triggers to track changes to a table? SQL Server › Change Data Capture (CDC) | SQL Server | Change Data Capture (CDC) | Intermediate |
| 24 | How do you disable Change Data Capture on a table or an entire database once it is no longer needed? SQL Server › Change Data Capture (CDC) | SQL Server | Change Data Capture (CDC) | Intermediate |
| 25 | How does columnstore compression work, and why does it typically achieve much higher compression ratios than regular row based storage? SQL Server › Columnstore Indexes | SQL Server | Columnstore Indexes | Intermediate |
| 26 | What roles do the publisher, distributor, and subscriber play in a transactional replication setup? SQL Server › Replication | SQL Server | Replication | Intermediate |
| 27 | What steps are involved in setting up transactional replication for the first time between a publisher and a new subscriber? SQL Server › Replication | SQL Server | Replication | Intermediate |
| 28 | How would you plan a disaster recovery strategy that combines Always On Availability Groups across multiple data centers with regular backups? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Advanced |
| 29 | How would you configure Query Store's capture and retention settings to balance detailed monitoring with storage overhead on a very busy production database? SQL Server › Query Store | SQL Server | Query Store | Advanced |
| 30 | How does tempdb contention affect the performance of applications that heavily rely on temporary tables, and what strategies help mitigate this? SQL Server › Temporary Tables & Table Variables | SQL Server | Temporary Tables & Table Variables | Advanced |
| 31 | What happens when a hash join does not have enough memory available to build its hash table entirely in memory, and how does this affect performance? SQL Server › Hash Indexes & Hash Join Operations | SQL Server | Hash Indexes & Hash Join Operations | Advanced |