Product Perfect

Developed by Larry Ellison in 1985, Paradox Application Language (PAL) is a proprietary 4GL programming language designed for use with the Oracle database. PAL is no longer supported by Oracle, but there are still a number of resources available online for those who wish to learn more about it. Source: - [Oracle Database Programming with Paradox Application Language (PAL)](https://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14228/palintro.htm)

Ask the right questions secure the right PAL (Paradox Application Language) talent among an increasingly shrinking pool of talent.

First 20 minutes

General PAL (Paradox Application Language) app knowledge and experience

The first 20 minutes of the interview should seek to understand the candidate's general background in PAL (Paradox Application Language) application development, including their experience with various programming languages, databases, and their approach to designing scalable and maintainable systems.

What are the basic data types in PAL?

The basic data types in PAL include String, Number, Date, Time, Logical, and Memo.

How would you declare a variable in PAL?

In PAL, you declare a variable using the 'var' keyword followed by the variable name and its type. For example, 'var myVariable String'.

What is the purpose of the 'endMethod' statement in PAL?

The 'endMethod' statement is used to signify the end of a method in PAL.

How would you handle errors in PAL?

In PAL, you can handle errors using the 'onFail' statement. This allows you to specify a block of code to be executed when an error occurs.

What is the difference between 'if' and 'case' statements in PAL?

'if' statement is used when you want to test a condition and execute a block of code if the condition is true. 'case' statement, on the other hand, allows you to test a variable against a list of values and execute the first block of code where the value matches.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

What you’re looking for early on

Does the candidate have a solid understanding of PAL?

Has the candidate demonstrated problem-solving skills during the interview?

Is the candidate able to communicate effectively?

Does the candidate have experience with database management?

Next 20 minutes

Specific PAL (Paradox Application Language) development questions

The next 20 minutes of the interview should focus on the candidate's expertise with specific backend frameworks, their understanding of RESTful APIs, and their experience in handling data storage and retrieval efficiently.

How would you create a loop in PAL?

In PAL, you can create a loop using the 'for' or 'while' statements. For example, 'for i from 1 to 10 step 1' or 'while condition'.

What is the purpose of the 'return' statement in PAL?

The 'return' statement is used to end the execution of a method and optionally return a value from that method.

Describe the difference between local and global variables in PAL.

Local variables are declared within a method and can only be accessed within that method. Global variables, on the other hand, are declared outside of any methods and can be accessed from anywhere in the program.

How would you create a custom method in PAL?

In PAL, you can create a custom method using the 'method' keyword followed by the method name and its parameters. For example, 'method myMethod(param1 String, param2 Number)'.

What is the purpose of the 'self' keyword in PAL?

The 'self' keyword is used to refer to the current instance of an object within a method.

The hiring guide has been successfully sent to your email address.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

At this point, a skilled PAL (Paradox Application Language) engineer should demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, proficiency in PAL (Paradox Application Language) programming language, and knowledge of software development methodologies. Red flags include lack of hands-on experience, inability to articulate complex concepts, or unfamiliarity with standard coding practices.

Digging deeper

Code questions

These will help you see the candidate's real-world development capabilities with PAL (Paradox Application Language).

What does the following simple PAL code do?
var
  i: Integer;
begin
  for i := 1 to 10 do
    WriteLn(i);
end.
This code prints the numbers from 1 to 10 on separate lines.
What will be the output of the following PAL code?
var
  s: String;
begin
  s := 'Hello, World!';
  WriteLn(Copy(s, 1, 5));
end.
The output will be 'Hello'. The Copy function is used to extract a substring from a string. Here, it starts from the first character and takes 5 characters.
What does the following PAL code do?
var
  arr: Array[1..5] of Integer;
  i: Integer;
begin
  for i := 1 to 5 do
    arr[i] := i * i;
  WriteLn(arr);
end.
This code creates an array with 5 elements, each of which is the square of its index. Then it prints the array.
What does the following PAL code do?
var
  i: Integer;
begin
  i := 1;
  while i <= 10 do
  begin
    WriteLn(i);
    if i = 5 then
      Break;
    Inc(i);
  end;
end.
This code prints the numbers from 1 to 5. It uses a while loop to print numbers from 1 to 10, but it breaks the loop when the number is 5.

Wrap-up questions

Final candidate for PAL (Paradox Application Language) Developer role questions

The final few questions should evaluate the candidate's teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, assess their knowledge of microservices architecture, serverless computing, and how they handle PAL (Paradox Application Language) application deployments. Inquire about their experience in handling system failures and their approach to debugging and troubleshooting.

How would you create an object in PAL?

In PAL, you can create an object using the 'new' keyword followed by the class name. For example, 'var myObject = new MyClass'.

Describe the difference between 'public' and 'private' methods in PAL.

Public methods can be accessed from anywhere in the program, while private methods can only be accessed within the class they are declared in.

How would you handle exceptions in PAL?

In PAL, you can handle exceptions using the 'try' and 'catch' statements. The 'try' block contains the code that may throw an exception, and the 'catch' block contains the code to handle the exception.

PAL (Paradox Application Language) application related

Product Perfect's PAL (Paradox Application Language) development capabilities

Beyond hiring for your PAL (Paradox Application Language) engineering team, you may be in the market for additional help. Product Perfect provides seasoned expertise in PAL (Paradox Application Language) projects, and can engage in multiple capacities.

PAL (Paradox Application Language) Consultive assessments

PAL (Paradox Application Language) Application Conversion Assessment PAL (Paradox Application Language) Application Integration Assessment PAL (Paradox Application Language) Data & Database Integration Assessment

Custom PAL (Paradox Application Language) development projects

Custom PAL (Paradox Application Language) App Conversion PAL (Paradox Application Language) Custom App Development Process App UI Design for PAL (Paradox Application Language) Facelifts

Hiring guide for PAL (Paradox Application Language) Engineers

PAL (Paradox Application Language) Developer Hiring Guide

What you’re looking for early on

The ideal back-end app developer

What you’re looking to see on the PAL (Paradox Application Language) engineer at this point.

PAL (Paradox Application Language) Consultive assessments

Custom PAL (Paradox Application Language) development projects