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Oracle SQL Advanced Features Flashcards

6 cards from real Oracle SQL practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 6 Oracle SQL Advanced Features flashcards as text

  1. What is a bind variable in Oracle SQL and why is it important?

    Answer: A placeholder in SQL that promotes cursor sharing and prevents hard parses

    Bind variables replace literal values with placeholders (e.g., :var), allowing Oracle to reuse execution plans and preventing SQL injection.

  2. Which Oracle SQL feature enables row-level security by filtering rows based on the current user?

    Answer: Virtual Private Database (VPD)

    Virtual Private Database (VPD) uses DBMS_RLS to attach security policies to tables, automatically appending WHERE clauses based on the current user.

  3. What does the EXPLAIN PLAN statement do in Oracle SQL?

    Answer: Shows the execution plan Oracle will use to run a query without executing it

    EXPLAIN PLAN stores the optimizer's execution plan for a SQL statement in the PLAN_TABLE without actually running the query.

  4. Which Oracle SQL hint forces the optimizer to use a specific index?

    Answer: /*+ INDEX(table index_name) */

    The INDEX hint instructs the optimizer to use a specific index for the query, overriding its cost-based decision.

  5. What is the purpose of the DBMS_STATS package in Oracle SQL?

    Answer: Gathers optimizer statistics on tables, indexes, and columns

    DBMS_STATS gathers and manages optimizer statistics (row counts, data distribution, column histograms) that Oracle uses to generate efficient execution plans.

  6. Which Oracle SQL feature allows you to query XML data stored in a column using SQL?

    Answer: XMLTABLE

    XMLTABLE transforms XML data into relational rows and columns, enabling SQL queries against XML content stored in XMLType columns.