Oracle 1z0-071 Exam Made Easy: Step-by-Step Preparation Guide

To format a date in Oracle SQL, TO_CHAR function is used to convert date types to string with a specified format:

Option A: SELECT TO_CHAR(SYSDATE, 'FMDAY, DD MONTH, YYYY') FROM DUAL;

This correctly applies the date format model 'FMDAY, DD MONTH, YYYY', which will display the date as requested: "MONDAY, 21 MAY, 2019". FM modifier is used to remove padding blanks or leading zeros.

Options B, C, and D do not achieve the desired output:

Option B is incorrect because TO_DATE converts a string to a date, not format a date.

Option C and D have incorrect format strings that do not match the required output format.

A self join is a regular join, but the table is joined with itself. This kind of join can take the form of an inner join, a left outer join, or even a full outer join depending on the requirement.

A. The join key column must have an index. (Incorrect)

While indexes can improve the performance of joins by reducing the cost of the lookup operations, they are not a requirement for a self join. A self join can be performed with or without an index on the join key columns.

B. It can be a left outer join. (Correct)

A self join can indeed be a left outer join. This is useful when you want to include all records from the 'left' side of the join (the table itself), even if the join condition does not find any matching record on the 'right' side (the table itself again).

Synonyms in Oracle are aliases for database objects that can simplify SQL statements for database users.

A. The term "GLOBAL" is not used in the creation of synonyms in Oracle.

B. The statement without the keyword PUBLIC will create a private synonym that is only accessible to the user creating the synonym, not all users.

C. The correct syntax does not include PUBLIC as a prefix to the synonym name itself, making this option incorrect.

D. You cannot specify the SYS schema for creating synonyms, as it is reserved for system objects.

E. This is the correct syntax to create a public synonym, which makes the underlying object accessible to all users.

References:

Oracle Database SQL Language Reference, 12c Release 1 (12.1): "CREATE SYNONYM"

A: True, the name of a column can be changed in Oracle using the ALTER TABLE ... RENAME COLUMN command.

B: False, you cannot change a column's data type from NUMBER to VARCHAR2 if the table contains data, unless the change does not result in data loss or inconsistency.

C: True, it is possible to change a DATE data type column to TIMESTAMP because TIMESTAMP is an extension of DATE that includes fractional seconds. This operation is allowed if there is no data loss.

D: False, any column that is not part of a primary key or does not have a non-deferrable constraint can generally be dropped unless it contains data that does not allow for such a change.

E: False, the DEFAULT clause can be added to a column provided there is no data that contradicts the default value or it doesn't violate any constraints.

These statements are verified against the Oracle Database 12c SQL documentation, specifically the sections on data types, the ALTER TABLE command, and the use of literals in SQL expressions.

In Oracle Database 12c, regarding a full outer join:

A. It includes rows that are returned by an inner join. This is true. A full outer join includes all rows from both joined tables, matching wherever possible. When there's a match in both tables (as with an inner join), these rows are included.

D. It returns matched and unmatched rows from both tables being joined. This is correct and the essence of a full outer join. It combines the results of both left and right outer joins, showing all rows from both tables with matching rows from the opposite table where available.

Options B, C, and E are incorrect:

B is incorrect because the Oracle join operator (+) is used for syntax in older versions and cannot implement a full outer join by using (+) on both sides. Proper syntax uses the FULL OUTER JOIN keyword.

C is incorrect as a Cartesian product is the result of a cross join, not a full outer join.

E is incorrect because it only describes the scenario of a full anti-join, not a full outer join.

When you need to compare dates and calculate the difference in months between two dates, you use the MONTHS_BETWEEN function in Oracle SQL.

A. This statement is incorrect because MONTHS_BETWEEN takes the later date first, then the earlier date.

B. This statement is correct. The MONTHS_BETWEEN function returns the number of months between two dates. It takes the later date (in this case, SYSDATE) first and the earlier date (start_date) second. If the start_date is within the last 25 months, the result will be less than or equal to 25.

C. This statement is incorrect. The expression TO_NUMBER(start_date - SYSDATE) would not give the correct number of months between the dates.

D. This statement is incorrect. The ADD_MONTHS(start_date, 25) function adds 25 months to start_date, and comparing it to SYSDATE would show dates that are at least 25 months in the future.

Regarding creating tables in an Oracle database:

B. The same table name can be used for tables in different schemas: In Oracle, a schema is essentially a namespace within the database; thus, the same table name can exist in different schemas without conflict, as each schema is distinct.

C. A system privilege is required: To create tables, a user must have the necessary system privileges, typically granted explicitly or through roles such as CREATE TABLE or administrative privileges depending on the environment setup.

Incorrect options for all three repeated questions:

A: Oracle SQL does not allow specifying the maximum number of rows directly in a CREATE TABLE statement; this is controlled by storage allocation and database design rather than table creation syntax.

D: Creating an external table does not create the physical file. It merely creates a table structure that allows access to data stored in an external file specified in the directory; the file itself must already exist or be managed outside of Oracle.

E: A primary key constraint is not mandatory for creating tables. While it is a common practice to define a primary key to enforce entity integrity, it is not required by the Oracle SQL syntax for table creation.

These answers and explanations are aligned with Oracle Database 12c SQL documentation and standard practices.

The query's goal is to return a list of countries that have no departments linked to them.

Option B and Option D are the correct answers because they use set operations that will effectively return countries that do not have a corresponding entry in the departments table:

Option B uses the NOT IN subquery to exclude countries that have departments linked to them. It looks for country_id values in the countries table that are not present in the list of country_id values associated with locations that are, in turn, associated with departments. This will correctly return countries that have no departments.

Option D uses the MINUS set operator, which subtracts the results of the second SELECT statement from the results of the first. This statement will return all countries from the countries table minus those that have an associated department_id in the departments table, effectively listing countries with no departments.

Option A and Option C are incorrect because:

Option A will not execute successfully as it tries to join tables using a column (country_id) that doesn't exist in the departments table, which will lead to an error.

Option C's use of INTERSECT is incorrect for this requirement. INTERSECT returns only the rows that exist in both queries. Since we want countries with no departments, using INTERSECT would actually return the opposite of what is required.

References:

Oracle Documentation on NOT IN clause: SQL Language Reference - Subquery

Oracle Documentation on MINUS operator: SQL Language Reference - Set Operators

Therefore, the correct options are B and D, which use subquery exclusion and the MINUS set operator, respectively, to accurately identify and return countries without departments.

Regarding creating tables in an Oracle database:

B. The same table name can be used for tables in different schemas: In Oracle, a schema is essentially a namespace within the database; thus, the same table name can exist in different schemas without conflict, as each schema is distinct.

C. A system privilege is required: To create tables, a user must have the necessary system privileges, typically granted explicitly or through roles such as CREATE TABLE or administrative privileges depending on the environment setup.

Incorrect options for all three repeated questions:

A: Oracle SQL does not allow specifying the maximum number of rows directly in a CREATE TABLE statement; this is controlled by storage allocation and database design rather than table creation syntax.

D: Creating an external table does not create the physical file. It merely creates a table structure that allows access to data stored in an external file specified in the directory; the file itself must already exist or be managed outside of Oracle.

E: A primary key constraint is not mandatory for creating tables. While it is a common practice to define a primary key to enforce entity integrity, it is not required by the Oracle SQL syntax for table creation.

These answers and explanations are aligned with Oracle Database 12c SQL documentation and standard practices.

Regarding the properties and capabilities of virtual columns in Oracle Database:

C. They can be indexed: In Oracle, virtual columns can indeed be indexed. This allows for performance optimization on queries that utilize these columns, despite the fact that their values are derived and not stored physically.

D. They cannot have a data type explicitly specified: The data type of a virtual column is derived from the expression used to define it. Therefore, it is not specified explicitly but is inferred from the expression itself.

Incorrect options:

A: Virtual columns cannot be referenced in the WHERE clause of UPDATE or DELETE statements because they are not stored and cannot be individually modified.

B: Virtual columns cannot be referenced in the SET clause of an UPDATE statement since they are derived from other column values and cannot be updated directly.

E: Virtual columns cannot reference other virtual columns in their expressions due to the potential for recursive and complex dependencies.