Teradata performance tuning and optimization Answers: 1. collecting statistics 2. Explain Statements 3.

Avoid Product Joins when possible 4. select appropriate primary index to avoid skewness in storage 5. Avoid Redistribution when possible 6. Use sub-selects instead of big "IN" lists 7. Use derived tables 8. Use GROUP BY instead of DISTINCT ( GROUP BY sorts the data locally on the VPROC. DISTINCT sorts the data after it is redistributed) 9. Use Compression on large tables ================================================================================ == How many codd's rules are satisfied by teradata database? Answers: 12 codds rules.

================================================================================ == What is the difference between Global temporary tables and Volatile temporary tables? Answers: Global Temporary tables (GTT) 1. When they are created, its definition goes into Data Dictionary. 2. When materialized data goes in temp space. 3. That's why, data is active upto the session ends, and definition will remain there up-to its not dropped using Drop table statement.If dropped from some other session then its should be Drop table all; 4. you can collect stats on GTT. Volatile Temporary tables (VTT) 1. Table Definition is stored in System cache 2. Data is stored in spool space. 3. thats why, data and table definition both are active only upto session ends. 4. No collect stats for VTT.If you are using volatile table, you cannot put the default values on column level (while creating table) ================================================================================ == What is the difference between start schema and Fsldm? Answers: FSLDM --> Financial Services Logical Data Model (Teradata FS-LDM 7.0) its developed by Teradata for the financial sectors (Specifically for Bank). it can be customised based on the user requirement. StarSchema --> Its a relational database schema for representing multidimensional data. The data is stored in a central fact table, with one or more tables holding information on each dimension.

================================================================================ == Join Strategies There are 2 tables, table A with 10 million records, table B has 100 million records, now we are joining both tables, when we seen Explain Plan the plan showing TD will took the table A and it will redistributes itNow the Question is: By that plan is the optimizer is correct job or not ? Justify Ans2. From the same above example now the optimizer is taking Table B (100 million records) and it is distributing it, Now is the optimizer is doing best? and How you avoid this situation Answers: Teradata is smart enough to decide when to redistribute and when to copy. It compares the tables. Are they comparable? or one is big as compared to the other?Based on simple logic it decides whether to distribute the smaller table on all the AMPs or to copy. what I mean is the small table is copied into all the AMPs in the SPOOL space.Remember all always the Join's has to take place on the AMPs SPOOL Space.By redistributing it is making sure that the 100 million rows table gets the feeling that it is making AMP local JOIN. Remember the basic thing what ever Teradata does. It does keeping in consideration for Space and Performance and not to forget the Efficiency. My simple formula: If the table is small redistribute them to all the AMPs to have the AMP local Join. Always JOINs are made AMP local if it cannot then you have the high chance of running out of SPOOL space. ================================================================================ == What are set tables and multiset tables in Teradata?Explain with an appropriate example? Answers: 1) Set tables cannot accept duplicate at row level not Index or key level. Example of rows for set table: R1 c2 c3 c4 ..cn 1 2 3 4 ... 9 Accepted 1 2 3 4 ... 9 Duplicate is Rejected 2 1 2 4 ... 9 3 2 4 4 ... 9 4 3 4 4 ... 9 2) Multi set Tables can accept duplicate at row level not Index or key level.Exmaple of rows for multi set table: R1 c2 c3 c4 .. cn 1 2 3 4 ... 9 1 2 3 4 ... 9 Duplicate is Accepted 2 1 2 4 ...9 3 2 4 4 ...9 3 2 4 4 ...9 Duplicate is Accepted ================================================================================ = What is FILLER command in Teradata? Answers:

While using the mload of fastload if you don't want to load a particular filed in the datafile to the target then use this filler command to achieve this ================================================================================ == How a Referential integrity is handled in Teradata? Answers: By use of TPUMP utility, referential integrity is handled in teradata

================================================================================ == Explain about Skew Factor? Answers: The data distribution of table among AMPs is called Skew Factor . Generally For Non-Unique PI we get duplicate values so the more duplicate vales we get more the data have same row hash so all the same data will come to same amp, it makes data distribution inequality,One will store more data and other amp stores less amount of data, when we are accessing full table, The amp which is having more data will take longer time and makes other amps waiting which leads processing wastage In this situation (unequal distribution of data)we get Skew Factor HighFor this type of tables we should avoid full table scans. ex:AMP0 AMP110000(10%) 9000000(90%)in this situation skew factor is very high 90% ================================================================================ == Why AMP & PE are called Vprocs? Answers: Vprocs: Virtual process From PE to AMP (This is the network root via MSP(message passing layer),The processing data will store in Disks(These are Physical disks),Each Amp have too many P.disks,to migrate these P. disks The Bynet Network maintains Virtual disks. These V.disks will responsible for data migration.hence they are called as Virtual Process (VPROCS). ================================================================================ == Why Fload doesnt support multiset table? Answers:

Fast Load will load the Data Fastly,Mean Concurrently,Bulk Insert Internally TeraData server will Create Bulk insert DML statement (Like: insert into Table1 as sel * from Table2 with data) For Fast Performance it will not support the duplicate values,Referential Integrity. ================================================================================ == What is use of compress in teradata?Explain? Answers:

Compression is used to Minimize the table size, for example when the table size is increasing anonymously We can use Compression to reduce the size of the table Conditions:1.Compression can be declared at the time of table creation2.We can compress up to 256 column values(not columns) 3.We can't compress variable length fields (vartext,varchar..) Explanation for 2 condition:create table tab1(::Order_type char(25) compress ('air','sea','road'):)in the above example order type have 3 fields, one should be selected by the user, so one of the field will repeat for every order, like these column values we can use compress statement because these are repeating for entire table, like these column values TD supports 256 col generally NCR people will provides ready made scripts for these type of compressions However, we can store only one value per column and not 3(air, sea, road). The compressed value is stored in column header and is to be used as default of that column unless a value is present. e.g. Dept of Taxes in Washington has a database that tracks all people working in Washington. Around 99.9% of the tax payers would have Washington as their state code on their address. Instead of storing Washington in millions of records the compress will store the value Washington in the table header. Now, a value can be assumed in a row as a default unless another value exists inside the column ================================================================================ == What is the process to restart the multiload if it fails? Answers: MULTILOAD will creates 2 error tables, 1 work table When MULTILOAD fails We have to unlock the Main Table, here error tables and work tables are not locked like FLOAD. To Unlock the Main Table in case of acquisation Phase : Mload RELEASE MLOAD ; To release lock in application phase failure : MLOADRELEASE MLOAD .IN APPLY; ================================================================================ == Can we load a Multi set table using MLOAD? Answers: We can Load SET, MULTISET tables using Mload, But here when loading into MULTISET table using MLOAD duplicate rows will not be rejected, we have to take care of them before loading.But in case of Fload when we are loading into MULTISET duplicate rows are automatically rejected, FLOAD will not load duplicate rows weather table is SET or MULTISET ================================================================================ == Can I use drop statement in the utility fload? Answers: YES,But you have to declare it out of the FLOAD Block it means it should not come between .begin loading,.end loading FLOAD also supports DELETE,CREATE,DROP statements which we have to declare out of FLOAD blocking the FLOAD Block we can give only INSERT

================================================================================ == Is it possible that there r two primary key will be in a same table? Answers: Primary key ========== 1. A table should have only one primary key 2. More than one column can consist of a primary key upto 64 columns 3. Can not be NULL values (missing values) 4. Should be unique values (no duplicate value) Foreign key ========== 1. A table may have zero or more than that up-to 32 keys 2. More than one column can consist a primary key up to 64 columns 3. Can have NULL values 4. Can have duplicate values 5. There should be a corresponding primary key in the parent table to enforce referential integrity for a foreign key ================================================================================ == In a table can we use primary key in one column and in another column both unique and not null constrains.if yes how? Answers: Yes, you can have a column for Primary key and have another column which will have no duplicates or null.e.g.A Salary Table will have employee ID as primary key. The table also contains TAX-ID which can not be null or duplicate ================================================================================ == What are the types of tables in Teradata ? Answers: 1. set table 2. multiset table 3. derived table 4. global temporary table(temporary table) 5. volatile table Posted by Vinay SHet at 1:26 PM 0 comments Links to this post Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: interview questions

Teradata interview questions PART 1

How many error tables are there in fload and Mload and what is their significance/use? Can we see the data of error tables? When mload job fails, can we access mload tables? If yes then how? Answers:

Fload uses 2 error tables ET TABLE 1: where format of data is not correct. ET TABLE 2: violations of UPI it maintains only error field name, errorcode and data-parcel only.

Mload also uses 2 error tables (ET and UV), 1 work table and 1 log table 1. ET TABLE - Data error MultiLoad uses the ET table, also called the Acquisition Phase error table, to store data errors found during the acquisition phase of a MultiLoad import task. 2. UV TABLE - UPI violations MultiLoad uses the UV table, also called the Application Phase error table, to store data errors found during the application phase of a MultiLoad import or delete task

Apart from error tables, it also has work and log tables 3. WORK TABLE - WT Mload loads the selected records in the work table 4. LOG TABLE A log table maintains record of all checkpoints related to the load job, it is essential l/ mandatory to specify a log table in mload job. This table will be useful in case you have a job abort or restart due to any reason.

How Teradata makes sure that there are no duplicate rows being inserted when its a SET table? Answers: Teradata will redirect the new inserted row as per its PI to the target AMP (on the basis of its row hash value), and if it find same row hash value in that AMP (hash synonyms) then it start comparing the whole row, and find out if duplicate. If its a duplicate it silently skips it without throwing any error.

What is basic Teradata query language? Answers: 1. It allows us to write SQL statements along with BTEQ commands. We can use BTEQ for importing, exporting and reporting purposes. 2. The commands start with a (.) dot and can be terminated by using (;), it is not mandatory to use (;). 3. BTEQ will assume any thing written with out a dot as a SQL statement and requires a (;) to terminate it.

What are cliques? What is Vdisk and how it will communicate with physical data storage at the time of data retrieval through AMP? Answers: A clique is a set of Teradata nodes that share a common set of disk arrays. Cabling a subset of nodes to the same disk arrays creates a clique. Each AMP vproc must have access to an array controller, which in turn accesses the physical disks. AMP vprocs are associated with one or more ranks (or mirrored pairs) of data. The total disk space associated

with an AMP is called a vdisk. A vdisk may have up to three ranks. Hence Vdisk will communicate with physical storage through array controllers.

What is the difference between MultiLoad & Fast load interns of Performance? Answers: If you want to load, empty table then you use the fastload, so it will very useful than the MultiLoad ,because fastload performs the loading of the data in 2phase and its no need a work table for loading the data . So it is faster as well as it follows the below steps to load the data in the table Phase1 - It moves all the records to the entire AMP first without any hashing Phase2 - After giving end loading command, Amp will hashes the record and send it to the appropriate AMPS. MultiLoad: It does the loading in the 5 phases Phase1 - It will get the import file and checks the script Phase2 - It reads the record from the base table and store in the work table Phase3 - In this Application phase it locks the table header Phase4 - In the DML operation will done in the tables Phase5 - In this table locks will be released and work tables will be dropped. Which two statements are true about a foreign key? Answers: Each Foreign Key must exist as a Primary Key. Foreign Keys can change values over time. Answer-1: First: True Second: False 1. Foreign Keys can change values over time. 2. Each Foreign Key must exist as a Primary Key. How does indexing improve query performance? Answers: Indexing is a way to physically reorganize the records to enable some frequently used queries to run faster. The index can be used as a pointer to the large table. It helps to locate the required row quickly and then return it back to the user. or The frequently used queries need not hit a large table for data. they can get what they want from the index itself. - cover queries. Index comes with the overhead of maintenance. Teradata maintains its index by itself. Each time an insert/update/delete is done on the table the indexes will also need to be updated and maintained. Indexes cannot be accessed directly by users. Only the optimizer has access to the index . What is a common data source for the central enterprise data warehouse?

Answers: ODS=>Operational Data Source

What are the enhanced features in Teradata V2R5 and V2R6? Answers: V2R6 included the feature of replica in it. in which copy of data base are available on another system which means V2R6 provide the additional data protection as comparison to V2R5 while if data from one system has been vanishes.

Where is the GRANT table option usually done? When tables are newly created, what is the default role and what the default privileges which get assigned? Answers: The GRANT option for any particular table depends on the privileges of the user. If it is an admin user you can grant privileges at any point of time. The default roles associated with the newly created tables depend on he schema in which they are created.

What is error table? What is the use of error table? Answers: The Error Table contains information concerning: - Data conversion errors Constraint violations and other error conditions: * Contains rows which failed to be manipulated due to constraint violations or Translation error * Captures rows that contain duplicate Values for UPIs. * It logs errors & exceptions that occurs during the apply phase. * It logs errors that are occurs during the acquisition phase.

What is optimization and performance tuning and How does it work in practical projects. Explain with an example. Answers: Optimization is the technique of selecting the least expensive plan (fastest plan) for the query to fetch results. Optimization is directly proportional to the availability of -1. CPU resources 2. Systems resources - amps PEs etc. Teradata performance tuning is a technique of improving the process in order for query to perform faster with the minimal use of CPU resources.

Does SDLC changes when you use Teradata instead of Oracle? Answers: If the teradata is going to be only a data base means It won?t change the System development life cycle (SDLC) If you are going to use the Teradata utilities then it will change the Architecture or SDLC

If your schema is going to be in 3NF then there wont be huge in change

What is an optimization and performance tuning and how does it really work in practical projects? Answers: Performance tuning and optimization of a query involves collecting statistics on join columns, avoiding cross product join, selection of appropriate primary index (to avoid skewness in storage) and using secondary index. Avoiding NUSI is advisable.

What are two examples of an OLTP environment? Answers: The two examples of OLTP are: 1- ATM. 2- POS