| 1 | What are the three recovery models available in SQL Server, and how do they affect your backup strategy? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Intermediate |
| 2 | How would you design a comprehensive backup and recovery strategy for a large, business critical database with strict recovery time and recovery point objectives? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Advanced |
| 3 | How do you verify that a backup file is not corrupted and can actually be restored successfully? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Advanced |
| 4 | What are the three main types of backups in SQL Server, and what does each one capture? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Beginner |
| 5 | How do you restore a SQL Server database from a full backup file? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Beginner |
| 6 | How do you automate regular backups in SQL Server so they run consistently without manual effort? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Intermediate |
| 7 | How would you perform a point in time restore to recover a database to the exact moment just before an accidental data deletion? SQL Server › Backup & Recovery | SQL Server | Backup & Recovery | Intermediate |
| 8 | How do managed cloud Redis services typically handle backup and disaster recovery differently than a self hosted Redis instance? Redis › Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Redis | Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Intermediate |
| 9 | What are the four common disaster recovery strategies on AWS, including backup and restore and pilot light? AWS › AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | AWS | AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | Intermediate |
| 10 | How does cross region backup copying in AWS Backup support disaster recovery objectives? AWS › AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | AWS | AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | Intermediate |
| 11 | How does AWS Elastic Disaster Recovery differ from traditional backup based recovery approaches? AWS › AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | AWS | AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | Advanced |
| 12 | What is a reasonable backup schedule and retention policy to establish for a production Redis instance? Redis › Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Redis | Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Intermediate |
| 13 | How do you create a manual backup of your Redis data at a specific point in time? Redis › Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Redis | Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Beginner |
| 14 | How do you restore a Redis instance from a previously saved RDB backup file? Redis › Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Redis | Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Beginner |
| 15 | What is AWS Backup and how does it simplify managing backups across multiple AWS services? AWS › AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | AWS | AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | Beginner |
| 16 | What is the difference between Recovery Point Objective and Recovery Time Objective in disaster recovery planning? AWS › AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | AWS | AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | Beginner |
| 17 | How would you set up a disaster recovery plan for Redis that accounts for an entire data center or region becoming unavailable? Redis › Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Redis | Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Intermediate |
| 18 | How do backup vaults and vault lock in AWS Backup help protect against accidental or malicious data deletion? AWS › AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | AWS | AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | Intermediate |
| 19 | How would you design and test a complete disaster recovery drill for a Redis based application to verify your team can actually recover successfully under pressure? Redis › Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Redis | Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Advanced |
| 20 | What considerations are important when backing up a very large Redis dataset without significantly impacting production performance during the backup process? Redis › Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Redis | Redis Backup & Disaster Recovery | Advanced |
| 21 | How should an organization test and validate its disaster recovery plan to ensure it actually works during a real event? AWS › AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | AWS | AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery | Advanced |
| 22 | How does automated backup and point in time recovery work in RDS, and what recovery options does it provide? AWS › RDS & Databases | AWS | RDS & Databases | Intermediate |
| 23 | How would you plan a disaster recovery strategy that combines Always On Availability Groups across multiple data centers with regular backups? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Advanced |
| 24 | How should an organization design a comprehensive database resilience and disaster recovery strategy combining Multi-AZ, read replicas, cross region replication, and automated backups? AWS › RDS & Databases | AWS | RDS & Databases | Advanced |
| 25 | How does a Volume Gateway provide block storage that can be used for backup or as a primary storage volume for on premises applications? AWS › AWS Storage Gateway | AWS | AWS Storage Gateway | Intermediate |
| 26 | What is a Tape Gateway, and how does it help organizations modernize their existing backup processes that rely on physical tape systems? AWS › AWS Storage Gateway | AWS | AWS Storage Gateway | Intermediate |
| 27 | How does the Reliability pillar guide architectural decisions around fault tolerance, disaster recovery, and automatic recovery from failure? AWS › Well-Architected Framework | AWS | Well-Architected Framework | Intermediate |
| 28 | How can Storage Gateway support a disaster recovery strategy where an on premises application's data can be quickly recovered or accessed directly from AWS during an outage? AWS › AWS Storage Gateway | AWS | AWS Storage Gateway | Advanced |
| 29 | What is an Always On Availability Group in SQL Server, and what problem does it solve? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Beginner |
| 30 | What is the difference between the primary replica and secondary replicas in an Always On Availability Group? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Beginner |
| 31 | Does data stored in a memory optimized table get lost if the SQL Server instance restarts? SQL Server › In-Memory OLTP (Memory-Optimized Tables) | SQL Server | In-Memory OLTP (Memory-Optimized Tables) | Beginner |
| 32 | What is table partitioning in SQL Server, and what problem does it help solve for very large tables? SQL Server › Partitioning | SQL Server | Partitioning | Beginner |
| 33 | What is the difference between a partition function and a partition scheme in SQL Server? SQL Server › Partitioning | SQL Server | Partitioning | Beginner |
| 34 | What is SQL Server replication, and what problem does it help solve? SQL Server › Replication | SQL Server | Replication | Beginner |
| 35 | What is SQL Server Agent, and what kinds of tasks is it typically used to automate? SQL Server › SQL Server Agent & Job Scheduling | SQL Server | SQL Server Agent & Job Scheduling | Beginner |
| 36 | What are the main components that make up the SQL Server architecture, and what role does each one play? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Beginner |
| 37 | What does ACID stand for, and what does each letter represent in the context of database transactions? SQL Server › Transactions & ACID | SQL Server | Transactions & ACID | Beginner |
| 38 | What is Transparent Data Encryption in SQL Server, and what specifically does it protect? SQL Server › Transparent Data Encryption | SQL Server | Transparent Data Encryption | Beginner |
| 39 | What is the difference between what Transparent Data Encryption protects against compared to Dynamic Data Masking? SQL Server › Transparent Data Encryption | SQL Server | Transparent Data Encryption | Beginner |
| 40 | What is RDB persistence in Redis, and how does it work? Redis › Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Redis | Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Beginner |
| 41 | What is AOF, or append only file, persistence, and how does it differ from RDB snapshots? Redis › Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Redis | Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Beginner |
| 42 | What is the difference between SQS Standard queues and FIFO queues? AWS › Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service) | AWS | Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service) | Beginner |
| 43 | How does AWS Outposts maintain a connection to the AWS Region it is associated with? AWS › AWS Outposts & Hybrid Cloud | AWS | AWS Outposts & Hybrid Cloud | Beginner |
| 44 | What is Amazon RDS and what benefits does it provide over managing a database server yourself on EC2? AWS › RDS & Databases | AWS | RDS & Databases | Beginner |
| 45 | What is Multi-AZ deployment in RDS, and how does it improve database availability? AWS › RDS & Databases | AWS | RDS & Databases | Beginner |
| 46 | What is Amazon S3 and what makes it well suited for storing virtually unlimited amounts of data? AWS › S3 & Storage | AWS | S3 & Storage | Beginner |
| 47 | What are the different S3 storage classes, and how do you choose the right one for a specific type of data? AWS › S3 & Storage | AWS | S3 & Storage | Beginner |
| 48 | What is the AWS Well-Architected Framework and what are its six pillars? AWS › Well-Architected Framework | AWS | Well-Architected Framework | Beginner |
| 49 | What is the AWS Well-Architected Tool, and how does it help teams conduct a structured architecture review? AWS › Well-Architected Framework | AWS | Well-Architected Framework | Beginner |
| 50 | What is the difference between automatic failover and manual failover in an Always On Availability Group? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Intermediate |
| 51 | What are the licensing and edition requirements for using Always On Availability Groups in SQL Server? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Intermediate |
| 52 | How do you disable Change Data Capture on a table or an entire database once it is no longer needed? SQL Server › Change Data Capture (CDC) | SQL Server | Change Data Capture (CDC) | Intermediate |
| 53 | How does a sliding window pattern work for automatically archiving old data using partitioning? SQL Server › Partitioning | SQL Server | Partitioning | Intermediate |
| 54 | What is the difference between Query Store's READ_WRITE and READ_ONLY operational modes, and when does SQL Server switch between them? SQL Server › Query Store | SQL Server | Query Store | Intermediate |
| 55 | What roles do the publisher, distributor, and subscriber play in a transactional replication setup? SQL Server › Replication | SQL Server | Replication | Intermediate |
| 56 | What steps are involved in setting up transactional replication for the first time between a publisher and a new subscriber? SQL Server › Replication | SQL Server | Replication | Intermediate |
| 57 | How do you configure a SQL Server Agent job to send an email alert if it fails? SQL Server › SQL Server Agent & Job Scheduling | SQL Server | SQL Server Agent & Job Scheduling | Intermediate |
| 58 | What security considerations should be kept in mind when configuring the account that SQL Server Agent jobs run under? SQL Server › SQL Server Agent & Job Scheduling | SQL Server | SQL Server Agent & Job Scheduling | Intermediate |
| 59 | How does SQL Server on Linux differ architecturally from the traditional Windows based installation, and what should teams consider before choosing it? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Intermediate |
| 60 | What is the principle of least privilege, and how should it guide how you grant permissions in SQL Server? SQL Server › SQL Server Security & Permissions | SQL Server | SQL Server Security & Permissions | Intermediate |
| 61 | What is the hierarchy of encryption keys and certificates involved in setting up Transparent Data Encryption? SQL Server › Transparent Data Encryption | SQL Server | Transparent Data Encryption | Intermediate |
| 62 | Why is it critically important to back up the certificate used for Transparent Data Encryption, and what happens if it is lost? SQL Server › Transparent Data Encryption | SQL Server | Transparent Data Encryption | Intermediate |
| 63 | How do you check whether Transparent Data Encryption is currently enabled on a specific database? SQL Server › Transparent Data Encryption | SQL Server | Transparent Data Encryption | Intermediate |
| 64 | What are the different appendfsync options available for AOF persistence, and how do they balance durability against performance? Redis › Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Redis | Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Intermediate |
| 65 | What happens if Redis's persistence files, whether RDB or AOF, become corrupted, and how would you attempt to recover? Redis › Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Redis | Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Intermediate |
| 66 | How do you deploy Redis on Kubernetes using a StatefulSet rather than a regular Deployment, and why is this distinction important? Redis › Redis with Docker & Kubernetes | Redis | Redis with Docker & Kubernetes | Intermediate |
| 67 | How do EFS mount targets work across multiple Availability Zones? AWS › Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) | AWS | Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) | Intermediate |
| 68 | How does EFS ensure data durability and availability? AWS › Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) | AWS | Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) | Intermediate |
| 69 | How does replication work in ElastiCache for Redis to provide high availability? AWS › Amazon ElastiCache (Redis & Memcached) | AWS | Amazon ElastiCache (Redis & Memcached) | Intermediate |
| 70 | What are Route 53 health checks, and how do they support failover routing? AWS › Amazon Route 53 & DNS Management | AWS | Amazon Route 53 & DNS Management | Intermediate |
| 71 | What is the difference between SNS Standard and FIFO topics? AWS › Amazon SNS (Simple Notification Service) | AWS | Amazon SNS (Simple Notification Service) | Intermediate |
| 72 | What is a dead letter queue in SQS, and why is it useful for handling failed messages? AWS › Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service) | AWS | Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service) | Intermediate |
| 73 | How can Auto Scaling Groups span multiple Availability Zones to improve application availability? AWS › Auto Scaling Groups | AWS | Auto Scaling Groups | Intermediate |
| 74 | How does DMS support continuous data replication using change data capture to minimize downtime during a migration? AWS › AWS Database Migration Service & Application Migration | AWS | AWS Database Migration Service & Application Migration | Intermediate |
| 75 | What is AWS Application Migration Service, and how does it support migrating entire servers, not just databases, into AWS? AWS › AWS Database Migration Service & Application Migration | AWS | AWS Database Migration Service & Application Migration | Intermediate |
| 76 | How does a Site to Site VPN connection provide a quicker, lower cost alternative to Direct Connect for hybrid connectivity? AWS › AWS Direct Connect & Hybrid Connectivity | AWS | AWS Direct Connect & Hybrid Connectivity | Intermediate |
| 77 | How can Direct Connect and Site to Site VPN be combined to provide a highly available hybrid connectivity design? AWS › AWS Direct Connect & Hybrid Connectivity | AWS | AWS Direct Connect & Hybrid Connectivity | Intermediate |
| 78 | How do you design a multi region architecture, and what are the key challenges involved compared to a multi Availability Zone design within a single region? AWS › AWS Global Infrastructure (Regions, AZs & Edge Locations) | AWS | AWS Global Infrastructure (Regions, AZs & Edge Locations) | Intermediate |
| 79 | How do S3 lifecycle policies automatically transition objects between storage classes or delete them entirely based on defined rules? AWS › S3 & Storage | AWS | S3 & Storage | Intermediate |
| 80 | What is S3 versioning, and how does it help protect against accidental object deletion or overwrite? AWS › S3 & Storage | AWS | S3 & Storage | Intermediate |
| 81 | How do you decide between synchronous commit mode and asynchronous commit mode for a specific replica in an Always On Availability Group? SQL Server › Always On Availability Groups | SQL Server | Always On Availability Groups | Advanced |
| 82 | What are the performance and storage considerations to keep in mind before enabling Change Data Capture on a very high volume table? SQL Server › Change Data Capture (CDC) | SQL Server | Change Data Capture (CDC) | Advanced |
| 83 | How would you decide on an appropriate partitioning strategy, including the partition key and boundary values, for a very large table in a new system? SQL Server › Partitioning | SQL Server | Partitioning | Advanced |
| 84 | How would you configure Query Store's capture and retention settings to balance detailed monitoring with storage overhead on a very busy production database? SQL Server › Query Store | SQL Server | Query Store | Advanced |
| 85 | How would you plan a hardware and configuration strategy for a new SQL Server installation supporting a large, performance critical application? SQL Server › SQL Server Architecture & Editions | SQL Server | SQL Server Architecture & Editions | Advanced |
| 86 | How do long running transactions negatively impact overall system performance, and what strategies help avoid this problem? SQL Server › Transactions & ACID | SQL Server | Transactions & ACID | Advanced |
| 87 | How would you migrate a TDE encrypted database to a new server, and what specific steps are required to ensure the migration succeeds? SQL Server › Transparent Data Encryption | SQL Server | Transparent Data Encryption | Advanced |
| 88 | How would you plan and execute resharding a Redis Cluster to add a new node and redistribute existing hash slots? Redis › Cluster Sharding & Hash Slots | Redis | Cluster Sharding & Hash Slots | Advanced |
| 89 | How would you design a Redis Cluster deployment to properly balance high availability, performance, and cost for a large scale production application? Redis › Clustering | Redis | Clustering | Advanced |
| 90 | What is a split brain scenario in the context of Redis Cluster, and how does the cluster protect against it? Redis › Clustering | Redis | Clustering | Advanced |
| 91 | How would you design an analytics system using HyperLogLog to track unique visitors across multiple time periods, such as daily, weekly, and monthly counts? Redis › HyperLogLog in Redis | Redis | HyperLogLog in Redis | Advanced |
| 92 | How would you design a persistence strategy that combines both RDB and AOF to get the benefits of both approaches? Redis › Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Redis | Persistence (RDB/AOF) | Advanced |
| 93 | How would you deploy Redis Sentinel across multiple data centers or availability zones to maximize resilience against a localized failure? Redis › Redis Sentinel & High Availability | Redis | Redis Sentinel & High Availability | Advanced |
| 94 | How does CloudFront support multi region high availability and failover for an application? AWS › Amazon CloudFront & Content Delivery | AWS | Amazon CloudFront & Content Delivery | Advanced |
| 95 | How does DynamoDB Global Tables support multi region applications? AWS › Amazon DynamoDB | AWS | Amazon DynamoDB | Advanced |
| 96 | What strategies are available for performing zero downtime upgrades of an EKS cluster's Kubernetes version? AWS › Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) | AWS | Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) | Advanced |
| 97 | How does data retention and replay work in Kinesis Data Streams? AWS › Amazon Kinesis & Data Streaming | AWS | Amazon Kinesis & Data Streaming | Advanced |
| 98 | What strategies help you design SQS based systems for exactly once processing semantics despite the underlying at least once delivery guarantee? AWS › Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service) | AWS | Amazon SQS (Simple Queue Service) | Advanced |
| 99 | How do lifecycle hooks in Auto Scaling Groups let you customize instance launch and termination behavior? AWS › Auto Scaling Groups | AWS | Auto Scaling Groups | Advanced |
| 100 | What are the key considerations for validating data integrity and application performance after completing a large scale database or application migration? AWS › AWS Database Migration Service & Application Migration | AWS | AWS Database Migration Service & Application Migration | Advanced |
| 101 | How can KMS multi region keys support encryption and decryption of the same data across multiple AWS regions without needing to re encrypt data during a cross region transfer? AWS › AWS KMS & Data Encryption | AWS | AWS KMS & Data Encryption | Advanced |
| 102 | How does S3 Object Lock support compliance requirements for write once read many, or WORM, data storage? AWS › S3 & Storage | AWS | S3 & Storage | Advanced |
| 103 | How can S3 Multi-Region Access Points and Cross-Region Replication support building a resilient, low latency, globally distributed storage architecture? AWS › S3 & Storage | AWS | S3 & Storage | Advanced |
| 104 | How do you conduct an effective Well-Architected review for a complex, business critical workload, and what should happen with the findings afterward? AWS › Well-Architected Framework | AWS | Well-Architected Framework | Advanced |