High-Performance Development - C#, VB, SQL, ASP.NET

Word Reversal

In C# or C++, write a function that reverses the order of the words in a string. For example, your function should transform the string "I pledge allegiance to the flag." to "flag. the to allegiance pledge I". Assume that all words are space delimited and treat punctuation the same as letters.

Permutations

In C# or C++, write a function that takes a string, and returns an array with every permutation of the characters in the string. Example: Input: "cat" Output: {cat, cta, tca, tac, act, atc}

Sql SELECT Winners and Runners Up

Write a single T-SQL query that returns the name and age of everyone in the Winners and RunnersUp tables:

Answer 1: Linq

One has to wonder why this question asks for a T-SQL and 

Answer 2: Subquery

SELECT ContestantName, Age

Answer 3: Multi-Table Select

SELECT DISTINCT C.ContestantName, Age

New and Improved

We notice the table design as described in the puzzle is less optimal. While I do understand the objective is to determine the solver's level of SQL expertise let's see if we can improve the table design and in turn the SQL statement to select the winners and runners up.

• Name
  The table has a column only for a person's first name. 
  
  A better approach would be to have columns for both first and last names.
   
• Age
  Storing a person's age is not the best approach since a person's age is changing on a yearly basis.
  
  A better approach is to store the person's birth date using the DateTime data type.
   
• Multi-Table
  Store the same information (the contestant's name) in multiple locations is considered bad database design.
  
  A better approach is to store the contestant's name in one location. 
   
• No Primary Key
  These tables have no primary key. Although one could argue that the contestant's name is the primary key.
  
  A better option is to add a primary key. We'll call it ContestantId.
   
• FinishPosition
  
  We add a new column named FinishPosition. Possible values are:
  
  -1 : the contestant did not finish in the winners or runnersup positions. 
  1 : contestant finished a winner.
  2 : contestant finished a runners up.
   
• Column Order
  
  You'll notice in our new table design we've ordered the columns in alphabetical order (except for the primary key column). This makes it easier for the database designer to locate columns.

New Table Design: Contestants

New SQL Design

SELECT NameFirst, NameLast, BirthDate FROM Contestants WHERE FinishPosition > 0 ORDER BY FinishPosition