Oracle Certification Exam

Tuning Oracle SQL is the third of five courses in the Oracle Performance Tuning Certification Series.
In keeping with its commitment to provide standards for technical competency, Oracle has given the exams associated with the Oracle Certified Professional Program a large amount of internal Oracle support.

Oracle provides in-depth technical specifications and sample exams to assist candidates in preparing for certification.
Oracle also provides extensive online test information and updates.

The Oracle 1Z0-071 exam, officially titled "Oracle Database SQL", does exist on its own and does not require any formal prerequisites. However, it can also serve as a foundational stepping stone in several Oracle certification paths.
✅ Key Facts About 1Z0-071: Oracle Database SQL

• Exam Code: 1Z0-071
• Title: Oracle Database SQL
• Type: Associate-level certification
• Status: Still active and widely recognized as of Oracle 23c/23ai
• Target Audience: Developers, DBAs, data analysts, and aspiring Oracle professionals

🧭 Certification Pathways Involving 1Z0-071
The exam is most commonly used as a foundational or elective component in multiple Oracle certification tracks:

Certification Track	Role	Is 1Z0-071 Required?
Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate	Entry-level SQL expertise	✅ Yes
Oracle Database Administration Certified Professional (OCP)	DBA	✅ Recommended (optional if starting with OCA Java or 19c Admin)
Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate	Developer	✅ Optional, but strongly recommended
Oracle Cloud Data Management Certifications	Cloud DBA	❌ Not required, but helpful background

Depending on your focus, here’s what typically comes next:

• For Aspiring DBAs:

  1. 1Z0-071: Oracle Database SQL
  2. 1Z0-082: Oracle Database Administration I
  3. 1Z0-083: Oracle Database Administration II
     • Earns Oracle Certified Professional (OCP)

• For SQL/PLSQL Developers:

  1. 1Z0-071: Oracle Database SQL
  2. 1Z0-149: Oracle Database Program with PL/SQL

🧑‍🎓 Study Materials and Official Sources

• Oracle University
  • Offers an optional course: Oracle Database: Introduction to SQL
• Oracle Learning Explorer
  • Free tier has SQL practice labs
• Books
  • OCA Oracle Database SQL Exam Guide (Exam 1Z0-071) by Steve O’Hearn
• Practice Exams
  • Available via Pearson VUE, Whizlabs, etc.

✅ Summary

• The 1Z0-071 exam stands alone as a certification but is widely used as a foundation for more advanced Oracle certifications.
• It is a great entry point into Oracle's certification ecosystem for both developers and DBAs.

The Oracle 1Z0-071 exam, "Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate," which is the current general associate-level Oracle Database SQL exam. The Oracle 1Z0-071 exam, officially titled "Oracle Database SQL Certified Associate," is a certification exam designed to validate a candidate’s proficiency in writing and managing SQL queries within Oracle Database environments, including Oracle 23ai. The exam tests foundational and intermediate SQL skills, covering topics such as querying data using SELECT statements, managing tables, implementing constraints, and performing data manipulation (DML) and data definition (DDL) operations. Candidates are expected to demonstrate knowledge of joins, subqueries, set operators, and functions, as well as an understanding of database objects like views, sequences, and indexes. Achieving this certification establishes a strong baseline for professionals aiming to work as database developers, administrators, or analysts in Oracle ecosystems.
The exam consists of approximately 60-70 multiple-choice questions, with a duration of 120 minutes and a passing score typically around 63% (subject to Oracle’s discretion). It emphasizes practical SQL application, requiring candidates to interpret query results, troubleshoot syntax errors, and optimize basic queries. Preparation often involves hands-on practice with Oracle Database, leveraging resources like Oracle’s official study guides, online courses, and practice exams. Familiarity with tools like SQL*Plus or SQL Developer is beneficial, as is understanding Oracle-specific SQL extensions. While the exam focuses on core SQL standards, it also tests Oracle-specific features, such as hierarchical queries and analytic functions, which are critical for real-world database tasks.
For Oracle 23ai, the 1Z0-071 exam remains relevant, as SQL fundamentals are consistent across Oracle Database versions, though new features like AI Vector Search^[1] or enhanced JSON support may not be heavily tested. The certification is a stepping stone for advanced Oracle certifications, such as the Oracle Database Administrator Certified Professional. Candidates should focus on mastering execution plans (e.g., using EXPLAIN PLAN) and understanding performance implications of SQL constructs, as these align with Oracle 23ai’s tuning capabilities. By earning this certification, professionals demonstrate their ability to efficiently interact with Oracle databases, making them valuable in data-driven industries.

Software Multitenancy refers to a software architecture in which a single instance of a software runs on a server and serves multiple tenants. A tenant is a group of users who share a common access with specific privileges to the software instance. With a multitenant architecture, a software application is designed to provide every tenant a dedicated share of the instance including its data, configuration, user management, tenant individual functionality and non-functional properties. Multitenancy contrasts with multi-instance architectures, where separate software instances operate on behalf of different tenants.

[1] AI Vector Search: AI Vector Search in Oracle 23ai allows you to perform semantic searches on data by converting it into numerical "vector embeddings." This enables the database to find information based on its meaning and context, rather than just keywords, by identifying vectors that are mathematically "close" to each other.