How to Be PL/SQL Programmer - Job Description, Skills, and Interview Questions

Nov 13, 2020 / 5 Minutes Read / By Albert

How to Become

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The increased prevalence of PL/SQL programming has had a direct effect on the development of software applications. This powerful language, which combines relational database elements with procedural programming, has enabled organizations to create more efficient and powerful programs. As a result, businesses are now able to manage more complex data operations and develop integrations with other systems faster.

organizations are now able to build and deploy applications more quickly and cost-effectively. Consequently, PL/SQL programming has become an essential tool for software developers in a variety of industries.

Steps How to Become

Obtain a Bachelor's Degree. A bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field is necessary for becoming a PL/SQL programmer. Courses in this field will cover topics such as software engineering, computer networks, and programming languages.
Learn PL/SQL. After obtaining a bachelor's degree, the next step is to learn the PL/SQL programming language. This can be done through self-study, attending an online course, or signing up for a class at a local college.
Develop Your Skills. Once you have a basic understanding of PL/SQL, it is important to continue developing your skills. This can include participating in online forums, reading technical documents and tutorials, and attending seminars or workshops related to PL/SQL.
Obtain Certification. Obtaining certification in PL/SQL programming is another way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to employers. Most certifications require passing an examination and may require additional training or experience in order to qualify for the exam.
Look for Job Opportunities. Once you have the necessary qualifications, you will be ready to start looking for job opportunities in the field of PL/SQL programming. Many employers prefer applicants who have experience with the language, so it is important to include this information on your resume or cover letter.
Keep Learning. The world of technology is constantly changing and it is important for PL/SQL programmers to keep up with the latest advancements in their field. This could include attending seminars, taking online courses, or subscribing to newsletters and other publications related to PL/SQL programming.

The increasing demand for reliable and qualified PL/SQL programmers has led to a significant rise in the number of qualified individuals seeking certification. The need for certified PL/SQL professionals is largely driven by organizations that rely on the language for their core business operations. To meet this demand, organizations are investing in training and certifications to ensure that their programmers are competent and up-to-date with the latest developments in the language.

In addition, the increased demand for certified PL/SQL professionals has created a competitive job market, making it essential for those seeking employment to have the necessary qualifications and certifications to stand out. this increased demand for reliable and qualified PL/SQL programmers is beneficial for both employers and potential employees, creating opportunities for more experienced professionals as well as providing a platform for those interested in pursuing a career in programming.

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Job Description

Design and develop PL/SQL procedures, functions, packages, triggers, and views to implement business requirements.
Analyze and optimize existing PL/SQL code for best performance.
Develop and test stored procedures, functions, packages, triggers and other database objects to support application development.
Monitor and troubleshoot production issues related to databases and PL/SQL code.
Maintain and improve existing databases and PL/SQL code.
Create complex queries and reports to support business requirements.
Work closely with application developers to ensure optimal performance of applications.
Create technical design documents for new or existing databases and PL/SQL code.
Participate in the design, development, testing and maintenance of the database applications.
Perform database tuning and performance monitoring to ensure high performance of applications.

Skills and Competencies to Have

Expert knowledge of SQL, PL/SQL programming language, Oracle databases, and related technologies.
Strong development, debugging, and troubleshooting skills.
Ability to write complex SQL queries to extract data from multiple databases.
Knowledge of data modeling techniques and database design.
Understanding of normalization and de-normalization concepts.
Ability to optimize database performance.
Knowledge of best practices in software development.
Familiarity with software design patterns, object-oriented programming and other programming paradigms.
Ability to develop stored procedures, triggers, functions and packages.
Expertise in database security and user access control.
Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
Excellent communication, organizational and problem-solving skills.

Being a successful PL/SQL programmer requires a wide range of skills. The most important skill is the ability to write code that is efficient and effective. This includes being able to analyze a problem and develop a solution, as well as knowing how to write PL/SQL code that is reliable and secure.

A strong understanding of database architecture and design principles is also important in order to ensure that the code written is optimized for performance and scalability. knowledge of SQL and other programming languages is beneficial in order to be able to quickly develop solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of the project. Finally, good communication skills are essential in order to effectively share ideas and solutions with other members of the development team.

These skills, when combined, give PL/SQL programmers the ability to create solutions that are powerful and reliable.

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Frequent Interview Questions

What experience do you have in developing, coding and testing PL/SQL programs?
How familiar are you with the Oracle database architecture?
What PL/SQL packages have you designed or modified?
What strategies do you use to debug PL/SQL code?
Describe a complex PL/SQL query that you wrote recently.
How do you optimize PL/SQL code for performance?
What do you consider the most challenging aspects of working with PL/SQL code?
How do you ensure data integrity in your PL/SQL programs?
What experience do you have in developing database triggers and stored procedures?
Tell us about a time when you had to troubleshoot an issue related to a PL/SQL program.

Common Tools in Industry

Oracle SQL Developer. A development environment for working with Oracle databases. (eg: writing and debugging PL/SQL scripts)
TOAD for Oracle. Database development and administration tool for managing Oracle databases. (eg: creating schema objects, writing and executing queries, and performing database administration tasks)
SQL*Plus. Command-line interface for working with Oracle databases. (eg: writing and executing SQL queries)
Quest Code Tester for Oracle. Unit testing tool for Oracle PL/SQL code. (eg: testing individual units of code to ensure that they are performing as expected)
ApexSQL Refactor. A refactoring and formatting tool for Oracle SQL code. (eg: formatting existing SQL code to make it more readable and easier to maintain)
Oracle JDeveloper. A Java IDE for developing Java applications that interact with Oracle databases. (eg: creating Java applications to read, write, and update data in Oracle databases)

Professional Organizations to Know

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
British Computer Society (BCS)
Oracle PL/SQL User Group
International Oracle Users Group (IOUG)
International Association of PL/SQL Professionals (IAPP)
International PHP Association (IPA)
Association for Database Management Systems (ADMS)
Database Administrators Association (DAA)
International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP)
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

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Common Important Terms

SQL. Structured Query Language. An industry-standard language used to interact with databases.
PL/SQL. Procedural Language/Structured Query Language. An extension of SQL to provide procedural programming capabilities.
Database Management System (DBMS). A software system that provides storage and access to data in a database.
Trigger. An event-driven program that is executed when certain conditions are met in the database.
Stored Procedure. A precompiled set of SQL statements that can be executed multiple times without having to be re-parsed and compiled.
Cursor. A control structure used in PL/SQL to retrieve data from a database.
Index. A data structure used to quickly identify and access data stored in a database.
Query Optimizer. A component of a DBMS that determines the most efficient way to execute a query.
Transaction. A set of operations that must either all complete successfully or all fail as a unit.
Data Modeling. The process of designing and creating a data structure that defines the relationships between data elements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is PL/SQL? A1: PL/SQL is a procedural language extension to Structured Query Language (SQL) that adds logic and control to the database language. Q2: What does PL/SQL stand for? A2: PL/SQL stands for Procedural Language/Structured Query Language. Q3: What are the benefits of using PL/SQL? A3: PL/SQL provides developers with a powerful and flexible tool for building applications. It is easier to maintain, more secure, and more efficient than SQL alone. Additionally, PL/SQL is more scalable, allowing larger and more complex applications to be built. Q4: What are the components of a PL/SQL program? A4: A PL/SQL program is composed of four components: declarations, executable statements, exception handlers, and cursor processing. The declarations section is used to define variables and constants, while the executable statements perform tasks. Exception handlers are used to handle errors and exceptions, while cursor processing allows the program to process multiple rows at once. Q5: What are the data types available in PL/SQL? A5: PL/SQL provides several data types, including character strings, numbers, dates, booleans, and large objects. Additionally, user-defined types can be created to handle specific data needs.

Web Resources

PL / SQL Developer | NC State Online and Distance Education online-distance.ncsu.edu
Oracle SQL & PL/SQL Developer + Java Programmer Online www.uis.edu
Oracle SQL and PL/SQL Developer - Professional Development training.unh.edu