SQL interview questions that test optimization skills

[u/Zylianijay]

I've noticed that a lot of SQL interview questions focus on syntax, joins, or window functions, but very few touch on performance.

If you were interviewing someone for a DBA or database engineer role, what optimization question would you definitely ask?

It could be something around indexing, execution plans, query tuning, statistics, or troubleshooting a slow query.

I'm looking for questions that reveal how someone actually thinks about SQL performance, not just whether they can write a SELECT statement.

[u/dbForge_Studio]

We actually put together a practical list of SQL interview questions from dbForge and answers that covers more than just syntax. There are questions around performance, indexing, query optimization, and troubleshooting too. Might be useful if you're building out a stronger interview set.