Mapping Design

Includes Informatica PowerCenter 8.1.1

The PowerCenter 8 Mapping Design examination is composed of the following
sections listed
below. In order to ensure that you are prepared for the test, review the subtopics
associated
with each section. The Informatica documentation is an excellent source of
information on the
material that will be covered in the examination. If you are thoroughly
knowledgeable in the
areas mentioned in this Skill Set Inventory, you will do well on the examination.
The examination is designed to test for expert level knowledge. Informatica
strongly
urges you to attain a complete understanding of these topics before you attempt to
take
the examination. Hands-on experience with the software is the best way to gain this
understanding.
1. XML sources and targets
A. Be familiar with the procedures and methods involved in defining an XML source
definition.
B. Know how to define and use an XML target definition.
C. Know the limitations associated with using XML targets.
D. Understand how XML definitions are related to code pages.
E. Know how to edit existing XML definitions.
F. Understand how the Designer validates XML sources.
2. Data type formats and conversions
A. Understand the date/time formats available in the transformation language.
B. Be familiar with how transformation functions handle null values.
C. Know the valid input datatypes for the various conversion functions.
D. Know how transformation functions behave when given incorrectly formatted
arguments.
E. Know how to extract a desired subset of data from a given input (the hour from a
date/time value, for example).
3. The Debugger
A. Be familiar with the procedure to run a debug session.
B. Know the rules for working with breakpoints.
C. Know how to test expressions in a debug session.
D. Be familiar with the options available while using the debugger.
E. Know how debugger session properties and breakpoints can be saved.
4. Custom and Union transformations
A. Understand how the Custom transformation works.
B. Understand the rules and guidelines of the Custom and Union transformations;
modes, input and output groups, scope, etc.
C. Know the purpose of the Union transformation.

5. User-defined functions
A. Know how to create user-defined functions.
B. Know how to use and manage user-defined functions.
C. Understand the different properties for user-defined functions.
D. Know how to create expressions with user-defined functions.
6. Normalizer transformation
A. Be familiar with the possible uses of the Normalizer transformation.
B. Understand how to read a COBOL data source in a mapping.
C. Be familiar with the rules regarding reusable Normalizer transformations.
D. Know how the OCCURS and REDEFINES COBOL keywords affect the Normalizer
transformation.
7. Lookup transformation
A. Know the difference between static and dynamic lookup caches.
B. Know the advantages and disadvantages of dynamic lookup caches.
C. Be familiar with the rules regarding Lookup SQL overrides.
D. Know how to improve Lookup transformation performance.
E. Know how to use a dynamic Lookup transformation in a mapping.
8. Mapping parameters and variables
A. Understand the differences between mapping parameters and variables.
B. Know how to create and use mapping parameters and variables.
C. Understand what affects the value of a mapping variable.
D. Know the parameter order of precedence.
E. Understand how to use the property mapping variable aggregation type.
F. Be familiar with the rules affecting parameters used with mapplets and reusable
transformations.
9. Transaction control
A. Understand how the Transaction Control transformation works, and the purpose
of
each related variable.
B. Know how to create and use a Transaction Control transformation in a mapping.
C. Know the difference between effective and ineffective Transaction Control
transformations and what makes it effective or ineffective.
D. Know the rules and guidelines for using Transaction Control transformations in a
mapping.
E. Understand the meaning and purpose of a transaction control unit.
10. Advanced expressions
A. Be familiar with all special functions, such as ABORT and ERROR.
B. Know the allowable input data types for the Informatica transformation language
functions.
C. Know how to use expressions to set variables.
D. Know the details behind the meaning and use of expression time stamps.
E. Understand how to use the system variables.
11. Mapping optimization
A. Know how to collect and view performance details for transformations in a

mapping.
B. Know how to use local variables to improve transformation performance.
C. Know when is the best time in the development cycle to optimize mappings.
D. Be familiar with specific mapping optimization techniques described in the
PowerCenter documentation.
12. Version control
A. Know the difference between a deleted object and a purged object.
B. Understand parent/child relationships in a versioned repository.
C. Understand how to view object history and how/when objects get versioned.
13. Incremental Aggregation
A. Understand how Incremental Aggregation works.
B. Know how to use Incremental Aggregation.
C. Know how to work with the session Sort Order property.
D. Know which files are created when an Incremental Aggregation runs.