Repository related Questions Q. What is the difference between PowerCenter and PowerMart?

With PowerCenter, you receive all product functionality, including the ability to register multiple servers, share metadata across repositories, and partition data. A PowerCenter license lets you create a single repository that you can configure as a global repository, the core component of a data warehouse. PowerMart includes all features except distributed metadata, multiple registered servers, and data partitioning. Also, the various options available with PowerCenter (such as PowerCenter ntegration !erver for "W, PowerConnect for "M #"$, PowerConnect for "M M%!eries, PowerConnect for !AP &'(, PowerConnect for !iebel, and PowerConnect for People!oft) are not available with PowerMart. Q. What are the new features and enhancements in PowerCenter 5.1? *he ma+or features and enhancements to PowerCenter ,.- are. a) Performance /nhancements Hi h precision decimal arithmetic. *he nformatica !erver optimi0es data throughput to increase performance of sessions using the /nable #ecimal Arithmetic option. !o"#ecimal and $ re ate functions. *he nformatica !erver uses improved algorithms to increase performance of *o1#ecimal and all aggregate functions such as percentile, median, and average. Cache mana ement. *he nformatica !erver uses better cache management to increase performance of Aggregator, 2oiner, 3oo4up, and &an4 transformations. Partition sessions with sorted a re ation. 5ou can partition sessions with Aggregator transformation that use sorted input. *his improves memory usage and increases performance of sessions that have sorted data.

b) &elaxed #ata Code Page 6alidation When enabled, the nformatica Client and nformatica !erver lift code page selection and validation restrictions. 5ou can select any supported code page for source, target, loo4up, and stored procedure data. c) #esigner 7eatures and /nhancements #ebu mapplets. 5ou can debug a mapplet within a mapping in the Mapping #esigner. 5ou can set brea4points in transformations in the mapplet. %upport for slash character &'( in table and field names. 5ou can use the #esigner to import source and target definitions with table and field names containing the slash character ('). *his allows you to import !AP "W source definitions by connecting directly to the underlying database tables.

d) !erver Manager 7eatures and /nhancements Continuous sessions. 5ou can schedule a session to run continuously. A continuous session starts automatically when the 3oad Manager starts. When the session stops, it

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restarts immediately without rescheduling. 8se continuous sessions when reading real time sources, such as "M M%!eries. Partition sessions with sorted a re ators. 5ou can partition sessions with sorted aggregators in a mapping. Re ister multiple ser)ers a ainst a local repository. 5ou can register multiple PowerCenter !ervers against a local repository.

Q. What is a repository? *he nformatica repository is a relational database that stores information, or metadata, used by the nformatica !erver and Client tools. *he repository also stores administrative information such as usernames and passwords, permissions and privileges, and product version. We create and maintain the repository with the &epository Manager client tool. With the &epository Manager, we can also create folders to organi0e metadata and groups to organi0e users. Q. What are different *inds of repository ob+ects? $nd what it will contain? &epository ob+ects displayed in the 9avigator can include sources, targets, transformations, mappings, mapplets, shortcuts, sessions, batches, and session logs. Q. What is a metadata? #esigning a data mart involves writing and storing a complex set of instructions. 5ou need to 4now where to get data (sources), how to change it, and where to write the information (targets). PowerMart and PowerCenter call this set of instructions metadata. /ach piece of metadata (for example, the description of a source table in an operational database) can contain comments about it. n summary, Metadata can include information such as mappings describing how to transform source data, sessions indicating when you want the nformatica !erver to perform the transformations, and connect strings for sources and targets. Q. What are folders? 7olders let you organi0e your wor4 in the repository, providing a way to separate different types of metadata or different pro+ects into easily identifiable areas. Q. What is a %hared ,older? A shared folder is one, whose contents are available to all other folders in the same repository. f we plan on using the same piece of metadata in several pro+ects (for example, a description of the C8!*:M/&! table that provides data for a variety of purposes), you might put that metadata in the shared folder. Q. What are mappin s? A mapping specifies how to move and transform data from sources to targets. Mappings include source and target definitions and transformations. *ransformations describe how the nformatica !erver transforms data. Mappings can also include shortcuts, reusable transformations, and mapplets. 8se the Mapping #esigner tool in the #esigner to create mappings.

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Q. What are mapplets? 5ou can design a mapplet to contain sets of transformation logic to be reused in multiple mappings within a folder, a repository, or a domain. &ather than recreate the same set of transformations each time, you can create a mapplet containing the transformations, then add instances of the mapplet to individual mappings. 8se the Mapplet #esigner tool in the #esigner to create mapplets. Q. What are !ransformations? A transformation generates, modifies, or passes data through ports that you connect in a mapping or mapplet. When you build a mapping, you add transformations and configure them to handle data according to your business purpose. 8se the *ransformation #eveloper tool in the #esigner to create transformations. Q. What are Reusable transformations? 5ou can design a transformation to be reused in multiple mappings within a folder, a repository, or a domain. &ather than recreate the same transformation each time, you can ma4e the transformation reusable, then add instances of the transformation to individual mappings. 8se the *ransformation #eveloper tool in the #esigner to create reusable transformations. Q. What are %essions and -atches? !essions and batches store information about how and when the nformatica !erver moves data through mappings. 5ou create a session for each mapping you want to run. 5ou can group several sessions together in a batch. 8se the !erver Manager to create sessions and batches. Q. What are %hortcuts? We can create shortcuts to ob+ects in shared folders. !hortcuts provide the easiest way to reuse ob+ects. We use a shortcut as if it were the actual ob+ect, and when we ma4e a change to the original ob+ect, all shortcuts inherit the change. !hortcuts to folders in the same repository are 4nown as local shortcuts. !hortcuts to the global repository are called global shortcuts. We use the #esigner to create shortcuts. Q. What are %ource definitions? #etailed descriptions of database ob+ects (tables, views, synonyms), flat files, ;M3 files, or Cobol files that provide source data. 7or example, a source definition might be the complete structure of the /MP3:5//! table, including the table name, column names and datatypes, and any constraints applied to these columns, such as 9:* 9833 or P& MA&5 </5. 8se the !ource Analy0er tool in the #esigner to import and create source definitions. Q. What are !ar et definitions? #etailed descriptions for database ob+ects, flat files, Cobol files, or ;M3 files to receive transformed data. #uring a session, the nformatica !erver writes the resulting data to session targets. 8se the Warehouse #esigner tool in the #esigner to import or create target definitions. Q. What is #ynamic #ata %tore?

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*he need to share data is +ust as pressing as the need to share metadata. :ften, several data marts in the same organi0ation need the same information. 7or example, several data marts may need to read the same product data from operational sources, perform the same profitability calculations, and format this information to ma4e it easy to review. f each data mart reads, transforms, and writes this product data separately, the throughput for the entire organi0ation is lower than it could be. A more efficient approach would be to read, transform, and write the data to one central data store shared by all data marts. *ransformation is a processing=intensive tas4, so performing the profitability calculations once saves time. *herefore, this 4ind of dynamic data store (##!) improves throughput at the level of the entire organi0ation, including all data marts. *o improve performance further, you might want to capture incremental changes to sources. 7or example, rather than reading all the product data each time you update the ##!, you can improve performance by capturing only the inserts, deletes, and updates that have occurred in the P&:#8C*! table since the last time you updated the ##!. *he ##! has one additional advantage beyond performance. when you move data into the ##!, you can format it in a standard fashion. 7or example, you can prune sensitive employee data that should not be stored in any data mart. :r you can display date and time values in a standard format. 5ou can perform these and other data cleansing tas4s when you move data into the ##! instead of performing them repeatedly in separate data marts. Q. When should you create the dynamic data store? #o you need a ##% at all? *o decide whether you should create a dynamic data store (##!), consider the following issues. How much data do you need to store in the ##%? *he one principal advantage of data marts is the selectivity of information included in it. nstead of a copy of everything potentially relevant from the :3*P database and flat files, data marts contain only the information needed to answer specific >uestions for a specific audience (for example, sales performance data used by the sales division). A dynamic data store is a hybrid of the galactic warehouse and the individual data mart, since it includes all the data needed for all the data marts it supplies. f the dynamic data store contains nearly as much information as the :3*P source, you might not need the intermediate step of the dynamic data store. ?owever, if the dynamic data store includes substantially less than all the data in the source databases and flat files, you should consider creating a ##! staging area. What *ind of standards do you need to enforce in your data marts? Creating a ##! is an important techni>ue in enforcing standards. f data marts depend on the ##! for information, you can provide that data in the range and format you want everyone to use. 7or example, if you want all data marts to include the same information on customers, you can put all the data needed for this standard customer profile in the ##!. Any data mart that reads customer data from the ##! should include all the information in this profile. How often do you update the contents of the ##%? f you plan to fre>uently update data in data marts, you need to update the contents of the ##! at least as often as you update the individual data marts that the ##! feeds. 5ou may find it easier to read data directly from source databases and flat file systems if it becomes burdensome to update the ##! fast enough to 4eep up with the needs of individual data marts. :r, if particular data marts need updates significantly faster than others, you can bypass the ##! for these fast update data marts.

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.s the data in the ##% simply a copy of data from source systems/ or do you plan to reformat this information before storin it in the ##%? :ne advantage of the dynamic data store is that, if you plan on reformatting information in the same fashion for several data marts, you only need to format it once for the dynamic data store. Part of this >uestion is whether you 4eep the data normali0ed when you copy it to the ##!. How often do you need to +oin data from different systems? :n occasion, you may need to +oin records >ueried from different databases or read from different flat file systems. *he more fre>uently you need to perform this type of heterogeneous +oin, the more advantageous it would be to perform all such +oins within the ##!, then ma4e the results available to all data marts that use the ##! as a source.

Q. What is a 0lobal repository? *he centrali0ed repository in a domain, a group of connected repositories. /ach domain can contain one global repository. *he global repository can contain common ob+ects to be shared throughout the domain through global shortcuts. :nce created, you cannot change a global repository to a local repository. 5ou can promote an existing local repository to a global repository. Q. What is 1ocal Repository? /ach local repository in the domain can connect to the global repository and use ob+ects in its shared folders. A folder in a local repository can be copied to other local repositories while 4eeping all local and global shortcuts intact. Q. What are the different types of loc*s? *here are five 4inds of loc4s on repository ob+ects. Read loc*. Created when you open a repository ob+ect in a folder for which you do not have write permission. Also created when you open an ob+ect with an existing write loc4. Write loc*. Created when you create or edit a repository ob+ect in a folder for which you have write permission. 23ecute loc*. Created when you start a session or batch, or when the nformatica !erver starts a scheduled session or batch. ,etch loc*. Created when the repository reads information about repository ob+ects from the database. %a)e loc*. Created when you save information to the repository.

Q. $fter creatin users and user roups/ and rantin different sets of pri)ile es/ . find that none of the repository users can perform certain tas*s/ e)en the $dministrator. &epository privileges are limited by the database privileges granted to the database user who created the repository. f the database user (one of the default users created in the Administrators group) does not have full database privileges in the repository database, you need to edit the database user to allow all privileges in the database. Q. . created a new roup and remo)ed the -rowse Repository pri)ile e from the roup. Why does e)ery user in the roup still ha)e that pri)ile e? Privileges granted to individual users ta4e precedence over any group restrictions. "rowse &epository is a default privilege granted to all new users and groups. *herefore, to remove the

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privilege from users in a group, you must remove the privilege from the group, and every user in the group. Q. . do not want a user roup to create or edit sessions and batches/ but . need them to access the %er)er Mana er to stop the .nformatica %er)er. *o permit a user to access the !erver Manager to stop the nformatica !erver, you must grant them both the Create !essions and "atches, and Administer !erver privileges. *o restrict the user from creating or editing sessions and batches, you must restrict the user@s write permissions on a folder level. Alternatively, the user can use pmcmd to stop the nformatica !erver with the Administer !erver privilege alone. Q. How does read permission affect the use of the command line pro ram/ pmcmd? *o use pmcmd, you do not need to view a folder before starting a session or batch within the folder. *herefore, you do not need read permission to start sessions or batches with pmcmd. 5ou must, however, 4now the exact name of the session or batch and the folder in which it exists. With pmcmd, you can start any session or batch in the repository if you have the !ession :perator privilege or execute permission on the folder. Q. My pri)ile es indicate . should be able to edit ob+ects in the repository/ but . cannot edit any metadata. 5ou may be wor4ing in a folder with restrictive permissions. Chec4 the folder permissions to see if you belong to a group whose privileges are restricted by the folder owner. Q. . ha)e the $dminister Repository Pri)ile e/ but . cannot access a repository usin the Repository Mana er. *o perform administration tas4s in the &epository Manager with the Administer &epository privilege, you must also have the default privilege "rowse &epository. 5ou can assign "rowse &epository directly to a user login, or you can inherit "rowse &epository from a group.

Questions related to %er)er Mana er

Q. What is 2)ent4-ased %chedulin ? When you use event=based scheduling, the nformatica !erver starts a session when it locates the specified indicator file. *o use event=based scheduling, you need a shell command, script, or batch file to create an indicator file when all sources are available. *he file must be created or sent to a directory local to the nformatica !erver. *he file can be of any format recogni0ed by the nformatica !erver operating system. *he nformatica !erver deletes the indicator file once the session starts. 8se the following syntax to ping the nformatica !erver on a 89 ; system.

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pmcmd ping ABuser1name C Duser1env1varE Bpassword C Dpassword1env1varEF Ahostname.Fportno 8se the following syntax to start a session or batch on a 89 ; system. pmcmd start Buser1name C Duser1env1varE Bpassword C Dpassword1env1varE Ahostname.Fportno Afolder1name.FBsession1name C batch1nameE A.pfGparam1fileF session1flag wait1flag 8se the following syntax to stop a session or batch on a 89 ; system. pmcmd stop Buser1name C Duser1env1varE Bpassword C Dpassword1env1varE Ahostname.FportnoAfolder1name.FBsession1name C batch1nameE session1flag 8se the following syntax to stop the nformatica !erver on a 89 ; system. pmcmd stopserver Buser1name C Duser1env1varE Bpassword C Dpassword1env1varE Ahostname.Fportno Q. What are the different types of Commit inter)als? *he different commit intervals are. !ar et4based commit. *he nformatica !erver commits data based on the number of target rows and the 4ey constraints on the target table. *he commit point also depends on the buffer bloc4 si0e and the commit interval. %ource4based commit. *he nformatica !erver commits data based on the number of source rows. *he commit point is the commit interval you configure in the session properties.

#esi ner Questions Q. What are the tools pro)ided by #esi ner? *he #esigner provides the following tools. %ource $naly5er. 8se to import or create source definitions for flat file, ;M3, Cobol, /&P, and relational sources. Warehouse #esi ner. 8se to import or create target definitions. !ransformation #e)eloper. 8se to create reusable transformations. Mapplet #esi ner. 8se to create mapplets. Mappin #esi ner. 8se to create mappings.

Q. What is a transformation? A transformation is a repository ob+ect that generates, modifies, or passes data. 5ou configure logic in a transformation that the nformatica !erver uses to transform data. *he #esigner provides a set of transformations that perform specific functions. 7or example, an Aggregator transformation performs calculations on groups of data.

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/ach transformation has rules for configuring and connecting in a mapping. 7or more information about wor4ing with a specific transformation, refer to the chapter in this boo4 that discusses that particular transformation. 5ou can create transformations to use once in a mapping, or you can create reusable transformations to use in multiple mappings. Q. What are the different types of !ransformations? (Mascot) a) $ re ator transformation6 *he Aggregator transformation allows you to perform aggregate calculations, such as averages and sums. *he Aggregator transformation is unli4e the /xpression transformation, in that you can use the Aggregator transformation to perform calculations on groups. *he /xpression transformation permits you to perform calculations on a row=by=row basis only. (Mascot) b( 23pression transformation6 5ou can use the /xpression transformations to calculate values in a single row before you write to the target. 7or example, you might need to ad+ust employee salaries, concatenate first and last names, or convert strings to numbers. 5ou can use the /xpression transformation to perform any non=aggregate calculations. 5ou can also use the /xpression transformation to test conditional statements before you output the results to target tables or other transformations. c) ,ilter transformation6 *he 7ilter transformation provides the means for filtering rows in a mapping. 5ou pass all the rows from a source transformation through the 7ilter transformation, and then enter a filter condition for the transformation. All ports in a 7ilter transformation are input'output, and only rows that meet the condition pass through the 7ilter transformation. d) 7oiner transformation6 While a !ource %ualifier transformation can +oin data originating from a common source database, the 2oiner transformation +oins two related heterogeneous sources residing in different locations or file systems. e) 1oo*up transformation6 8se a 3oo4up transformation in your mapping to loo4 up data in a relational table, view, or synonym. mport a loo4up definition from any relational database to which both the nformatica Client and !erver can connect. 5ou can use multiple 3oo4up transformations in a mapping. *he nformatica !erver >ueries the loo4up table based on the loo4up ports in the transformation. t compares 3oo4up transformation port values to loo4up table column values based on the loo4up condition. 8se the result of the loo4up to pass to other transformations and the target. Q. What is the difference between $ Q. What is 8pdate %trate y? When we design our data warehouse, we need to decide what type of information to store in targets. As part of our target table design, we need to determine whether to maintain all the historic data or +ust the most recent changes. *he model we choose constitutes our update strategy, how to handle changes to existing records. 8pdate strategy flags a record for update, insert, delete, or re+ect. We use this transformation when we want to exert fine control over updates to a target, based on some condition we apply. 7or example, we might use the 8pdate !trategy transformation to flag all customer records for update when the mailing address has changed, or flag all employee records for re+ect for people no longer wor4ing for the company. re ate and 23pression !ransformation? (Mascot)

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Q. Where do you define update strate y? We can set the 8pdate strategy at two different levels. Within a session. When you configure a session, you can instruct the nformatica !erver to either treat all records in the same way (for example, treat all records as inserts), or use instructions coded into the session mapping to flag records for different database operations. Within a mappin . Within a mapping, you use the 8pdate !trategy transformation to flag records for insert, delete, update, or re+ect. Q. What are the ad)anta es of ha)in the 8pdate strate y at %ession 1e)el? Q. What is a loo*up table? &9P.! .nfotech/ Pune( *he loo4up table can be a single table, or we can +oin multiple tables in the same database using a loo4up >uery override. *he nformatica !erver >ueries the loo4up table or an in=memory cache of the table for all incoming rows into the 3oo4up transformation. f your mapping includes heterogeneous +oins, we can use any of the mapping sources or mapping targets as the loo4up table. Q. What is a 1oo*up transformation and what are its uses? We use a 3oo4up transformation in our mapping to loo4 up data in a relational table, view or synonym. We can use the 3oo4up transformation for the following purposes. Het a related value. 7or example, if our source table includes employee #, but we want to include the employee name in our target table to ma4e our summary data easier to read. Perform a calculation. Many normali0ed tables include values used in a calculation, such as gross sales per invoice or sales tax, but not the calculated value (such as net sales). 8pdate slowly changing dimension tables. We can use a 3oo4up transformation to determine whether records already exist in the target. Q. What are connected and unconnected 1oo*up transformations? We can configure a connected 3oo4up transformation to receive input directly from the mapping pipeline, or we can configure an unconnected 3oo4up transformation to receive input from the result of an expression in another transformation. An unconnected 3oo4up transformation exists separate from the pipeline in the mapping. We write an expression using the .3<P reference >ualifier to call the loo4up within another transformation. A common use for unconnected 3oo4up transformations is to update slowly changing dimension tables. Q. What is the difference between connected loo*up and unconnected loo*up? #ifferences between Connected and 8nconnected 3oo4ups.

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Connected 1oo*up &eceives input values directly from the pipeline. We can use a dynamic or static cache !upports user=defined default values

8nconnected 1oo*up &eceives input values from the result of a .3<P expression in another transformation. We can use a static cache #oes not support user=defined default values

Q. What is %e:uence 0enerator !ransformation? &Mascot( *he !e>uence Henerator transformation generates numeric values. We can use the !e>uence Henerator to create uni>ue primary 4ey values, replace missing primary 4eys, or cycle through a se>uential range of numbers. *he !e>uence Heneration transformation is a connected transformation. t contains two output ports that we can connect to one or more transformations. Q. What are the uses of a %e:uence 0enerator transformation? We can perform the following tas4s with a !e>uence Henerator transformation. o Create 4eys o &eplace missing values o Cycle through a se>uential range of numbers Q. What are the ad)anta es of %e:uence enerator? .s it necessary/ if so why? We can ma4e a !e>uence Henerator reusable, and use it in multiple mappings. We might reuse a !e>uence Henerator when we perform multiple loads to a single target. 7or example, if we have a large input file that we separate into three sessions running in parallel, we can use a !e>uence Henerator to generate primary 4ey values. f we use different !e>uence Henerators, the nformatica !erver might accidentally generate duplicate 4ey values. nstead, we can use the same reusable !e>uence Henerator for all three sessions to provide a uni>ue value for each target row. Q. How is the %e:uence 0enerator transformation different from other transformations? *he !e>uence Henerator is uni>ue among all transformations because we cannot add, edit, or delete its default ports (9/;*6A3 and C8&&6A3). 8nli4e other transformations we cannot override the !e>uence Henerator transformation properties at the session level. *his protecxts the integrity of the se>uence values generated. Q. What does .nformatica do? How it is useful? Q. What is the difference between .nformatica )ersion 1.;.< and 1.;.=? %. What are the complex filters used till now in your applicationsI %. 7eartures of nformatica

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%. ?ave you used nformaticaI which versionI %. ?ow do you set up a schedule for data loading from scratchI describe step=by=step. %. ?ow do you use mappletI %. What are the different data source types you have used with nformaticaI %. s it possible to run one loading session with one particular target and multiple types of data sourcesI

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