Re: WANTED: Interview questions about Informix

>From: uunet!cbnewsk.cb.att.com!chardin (christopher.hardin) >Message-Id: <1992Apr20.192845.15367@cbnewsk.cb.att.com> >Subject: WANTED: Interview questions about Informix >Date: 20 Apr 92 19:28:45 GMT >X-Informix-List-Id: <news.1040> > >Greetings, > > Every now and again, I have to interview programmers to fill a >contractor position. The problem I have is what do I ask these people? >They say they have N years experience with Informix; how can I prove it?. > > If you had to hire someone, what kind of questions would you ask? >I think the questions would have to range from ESQL/C to 4GL. Most of these >interviews are done over the phone, so the questions can't be too involved: I4GL: A. Which versions of I4GL have you used? (1.00, 1.10, 1.10.03, 4.00, 4.10) B. Which database engines have you used? (SE, Turbo, OnLine) C. How do you organise the source code for a project? Object files? Forms? Messages? Log files? D. What are the problems with the Program-Compile facility? How do you circumvent them? E. How do you arrange that the function keys used by a project can be changed with the minimum of fuss. F. What are the problems with INPUT ARRAY? G. What are the problems with CONSTRUCT? H. How do you handle security in an application? I. What's your favourite undocumented feature. J. What's your least favourite documented feature. K. What's your least favourite undocumented feature. L. What's your favourite documented feature. M. How do you handle transactions? With INPUT ARRAY? ESQL/C: A. As for I4GL. (Add versions 2, 3 and 5.00 to list; delete 1.10.03) B. As for I4GL. C. As for I4GL. D. How do you handle SELECT statements typed by the user at run time? (Answer A: well, you take the code from the manual and fix it.) (Answer B: well, you use SQLDA structures. And the code in the manual isn't all that much help because: -- it doesn't illustrate DATETIME, INTERVAL, BLOBS, VARCHAR, etc. -- it isn't fully generalised. -- etc. ) (Answer C: I don't) E. Which undocumented functions do you know about? I,J,K,L: As for I4GL. And so it goes on. You also need to check on the engines, and probably database design. On second thoughts, if you've done the design, you don't want a know-it-all who tells you how you should have done it:-} Yours, Jonathan Leffler (johnl@obelix.informix.com)