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IT Certifications · 98-364

Exam 98-364: Database Fundamentals Practice Test

Database fundamentals covers how relational data is organized, queried, and maintained. Practice topics include selecting and sorting records with SQL, grouping rows for counts, removing duplicate results, and expressing relationships between tables. The questions also touch on data integrity, transactions, backups, and changes to stored records—skills used to retrieve accurate information and protect database contents.

Exam overview

Exam providerMicrosoft
Exam code98-364
CategoryIT Certifications

About the Exam 98-364: Database Fundamentals Exam

Work with relational databases by distinguishing tables, columns, rows, and the relationships that connect records. SQL tasks include filtering rows with WHERE, ordering output with ORDER BY, grouping records for aggregate calculations, and using DISTINCT to suppress duplicate results. Join choices determine whether unmatched records remain in a result, while primary and foreign keys help identify rows and enforce valid references. Data maintenance involves choosing commands that insert, update, or delete records without confusing query output with stored data. Transaction concepts matter when multiple changes must succeed or fail together, and backup planning supports recovery after data loss. Function use, such as converting displayed text to uppercase, also illustrates the difference between transforming query results and changing persisted values.

Sample Practice Questions

Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.

Question 1

A database administrator wants a regularly recoverable copy of database contents in case the primary database is lost. What is the most direct measure?

  1. ACreate and verify backups on a suitable schedule
  2. BAdd an index to every column
  3. CRename the database each week
  4. DSort all tables alphabetically
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Backups provide copies from which data can be restored after loss or damage. A schedule and restore verification help ensure the copies are usable and sufficiently current.

Question 2

A table contains repeated rows that are identical in every column. Which SQL keyword can request that duplicate result rows be removed from a query result?

  1. ADISTINCT
  2. BASC
  3. CLIKE
  4. DTOP
Show answerCorrect answer: A

SELECT DISTINCT returns only unique combinations of the selected column values. It affects the query result and does not by itself remove duplicate records from the underlying table.

Question 3

A report needs the number of orders placed by each customer. Which SQL feature is used to calculate a count separately for each customer?

  1. AGROUP BY CustomerID with COUNT(*)
  2. BORDER BY CustomerID with COUNT(*)
  3. CDISTINCT CustomerID without an aggregate
  4. DWHERE CustomerID = COUNT(*)
Show answerCorrect answer: A

COUNT(*) calculates the number of rows, and GROUP BY CustomerID partitions those rows into customer groups so a count can be returned for each one.

Question 4

A query returns a list of invoice amounts. The results should be arranged from the smallest amount to the largest. Which ordering direction is appropriate?

  1. AAscending
  2. BDescending
  3. CRandom
  4. DGrouped
Show answerCorrect answer: A

Ascending order arranges numeric values from smallest to largest. Descending order would arrange them from largest to smallest.

Question 5

A table has a column containing a department code. The database should ensure each code matches a code already listed in a Departments table. Which database feature is designed for this relationship?

  1. AForeign key constraint
  2. BDefault value
  3. CDatabase view
  4. DSort order
Show answerCorrect answer: A

A foreign key can require values in one table to correspond to key values in a referenced table, helping maintain referential integrity.

Question 6

A query needs to keep every row from a list of departments, including departments that currently have no employees, while showing matching employees when present. Which join type is appropriate when Departments is the left-side table?

  1. AINNER JOIN
  2. BLEFT OUTER JOIN
  3. CCROSS JOIN
  4. DSELF JOIN
Show answerCorrect answer: B

A left outer join retains all rows from the left table and includes matching rows from the right table where available. Unmatched right-side columns are typically returned as NULL.

Question 7

A database stores one row for each sale. A sales report needs to show only rows where the sale amount is greater than 500. Which clause filters individual rows before they are returned?

  1. AHAVING
  2. BWHERE
  3. CORDER BY
  4. DGROUP BY
Show answerCorrect answer: B

WHERE filters rows that meet a condition. HAVING is used to filter groups after grouping and aggregation, while ORDER BY sorts results and GROUP BY forms groups.

How to use this practice test

The free US Practice Tests bank contains 50 questions for this exam. Each session presents up to 20 questions selected at random and shows results afterward. Use a session to check how well you distinguish SQL clauses, joins, constraints, and data-maintenance operations; revisit any missed concept by writing a small query or tracing its effect on a sample table.

Preparation tips

  • Write queries that combine WHERE, ORDER BY, GROUP BY, and COUNT, and note which clauses filter rows versus aggregate results.
  • Draw two related tables and compare INNER JOIN with LEFT JOIN, including what happens when a department or customer has no matching row.
  • Practice identifying primary-key and foreign-key roles, then test how a foreign-key constraint prevents references to missing records.
  • Trace a two-step account transfer as a transaction and explain why both updates must commit together or be rolled back.
  • Separate retrieval from maintenance: compare SELECT expressions such as UPPER() with UPDATE statements that change stored values, and outline a backup-and-restore scenario.
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