SQL Server Administration & RDBMS Fundamentals (L2 Core)
- Explain RDBMS concepts and how SQL Server stores and manages data.
- Walk through the steps to install and configure SQL Server on a Windows server.
- How do you perform a minor and major SQL Server upgrade, and what prechecks are mandatory?
- What SQL Server versions have you supported (2008 / 2012 / 2014 / later), and what differences matter operationally?
Backup, Restore & Disaster Recovery
- Explain Full, Differential, and Transaction Log backups and when each is required.
- How do you restore a database to a specific point in time?
- What risks arise if transaction log backups stop, and how do you resolve it?
- Explain log shipping and how you monitor its health.
- What validations do you perform after a successful restore?
Performance Monitoring & Basic Tuning
- How do you identify slow****running or blocking queries in SQL Server?
- What are common causes of deadlocks, and how do you handle them as L2?
- Explain the purpose of indexes and when you rebuild vs reorganize them.
- How do you monitor CPU, memory, and disk I/O for database performance issues?
- When should an L2 DBA escalate to L3 for performance tuning?
High Availability & Replication (Awareness Level)
- Explain AlwaysOn Availability Groups at a conceptual level.
- What is the difference between AlwaysOn and Log Shipping?
- How do you check the health of a secondary/replica database?
- What role does an L2 DBA play during failover or DR drills?