Some Important OBIEE Interview Questions:

February 1, 2012
Here is some important interview questions which will help to gain more knowledge in OBIEE.I
have seen the below questions in many blogs unfortunately didnt found solutions for that.So I
have answered the below questions.Please comment your ideas so that we can rectify the
mistakes.
1. What is the default location of a repository file?
A)C:\OracleBI\server\Repository
2. How many repository files can be loaded to a BI Server simultaneously? Assume its a single
server
with single instance of BI Server running just to keep things easy
A)BI Server only can handle one repository file in online mode
3. If you have more than 3 repository files mentioned in your NQSConfig.ini file as default,
which one
gets loaded to the memory when the BI Server is started?
Ex:
Star = SamplerRepository1.rpd, DEFAULT;
Star = SamplerRepository2.rpd, DEFAULT;
Star = SamplerRepository3.rpd, DEFAULT;
A)Oracle BI server will not be started.
4. How do you import Essbase Cubes into your repository?
A.)1.Open the repository with the admin tool.

2.Go to File>Import from Multi-dimensional.

3.Enter your credentials and click OK, select your cube and import.
5. Whats XMLA and where is it used for in OBIEE context?
A.)Extended multi lanaguage analysis ,in previous version named as xmla nothing but a cube.
6. Can you change the location of your rpd file in your OBIEE Configuration? If Yes, Where
would
you mention the new location of this rpd file for Bi Server?
A.) It cannot be changed.
7. What kind of joins would you perform in the physical layer of the repository file when

opened with

Administration tool?
A.)Physical joins and Complex joins.
8. What are the minimum services needed to load a repository file onto memory and view a
dashboard
which has reports that have been refreshed on a scheduled basis?
A.) All services are needed.
9. Can you use an OLTP backend database for creating a dashboard?
A.) Yes
10. How many tables are needed in minimum to pass through the Consistency Checking in
Logical
Layer (Business Mapping and Modeling Layer) of the repository?
A.)One dimension and Fact Table

11.What is a complex join in OBIEE and why, where is it used?

A.)The complex join in the BMM is it will dynamically select
which Logical table sources to join together from the Logical tables.
In Pyhsical layer
12. Is it mandatory to have hierarchies defined in your repository? If Yes, where does it help?

If No,

what happens in the reports?

A.)Yes it is mandatory.
13. How do you create outer joins in physical layer?
A.)We cannot create outer joins in Physical alyer.
14. What does Consistency Checking perform; What are the minimum criteria to pass

consistency

checking for a given repository?

A.)Need One Dimension and fact in BMM and appropraite folders in Presentaion layer
15.Does OBIEE store physical sql ? How is physical sql generated in OBIEE environments?
A.)Yes it stores.We can check in mange sessions and Nqquery log.
16. Are there any occasions where physical sql is not generated when running against a

backend

database like Oracle, SQL Server or any other relational database?

A.It will effect due to Log level.
17.What is the best default logging level for production users?
A.)Log level 2

18.What is the difference between logging level 1 and 2?

A.)Level 1 Logs the SQL statement issued from the client application and logs elapsed times for
query compilation, query execution, query cache processing, and back-end database
processing.
Logs the query status (success, failure, termination, or timeout). Logs the user ID, session ID,
and request ID for each query.
Level 2 Logs everything logged in Level 1.
Additionally, for each query, logs the repository name, business model name, presentation
catalog (called Subject Area in Answers) name, SQL for the queries issued against physical

databases, queries issued against the cache, number of rows returned from each query against
a physical database and from queries issued against the cache, and the number of rows
returned to the client application.
19. What are the different places (files) to view the physical sql generated by an Answers
report?
A.) Manage sessions and NQQuery log.
20.)Where does the BI Server logs its start, stop and restart times in the file system?
A.)In NQServer log (C:\OracleBI\server\Log)
21. You have two tables Table 1 and Table 2 joined by a foreign key in the database? They are
imported

together from the database into your physical layer. Is this relationship still preserved in the
OBIEE

physical layer?
A.) Yes,it will
22.Same as question 22 but what happens if you import each table seperately?

A.)Keys will be affected but not the joins.

23.If Table 1 and Table 2 are dragged from physical layer to BMM layer, which table becomes
a Fact Table and which table becomes a Dimension Table?
A.)Table with primary key becomes Dimension and table with foreign key becomes Fact table.
24.What if the tables (Table 1 and Table 2) are not joined, then what happens in BMM layer?
A.)Both acts like Fact table in BMM.
25.How many server instances can coexist in an OBIEE cluster?
A.)There are two server instances:
Master server. A master server is a clustered Oracle BI Server to which the Administration Tool
connects for online repository changes. In the NQClusterConfig.INI file, the parameter
MASTER_SERVER specifies the Oracle BI Server that functions as the master server.
Slave server. A slave server is a clustered Oracle BI Server that does not allow online repository
changes. It is used in load balancing of ODBC sessions to the Oracle BI Server cluster. If the
master server is ever down, the Administration Tool will connect to an available slave server,
but in read-only mode.

26.Aggregation rules are set on top of columns (Physical Columns or Logical

Columns or Both)

A.)Logical Columns.
27.What are the pre-requisites for using aggregate persistence wizard? What does aggregate
persistence wizard create and what does it help with?
A.)Creation and initial population of aggregates, persists them in a back-end database and
configures the BI Server metadata layer so that theyre used when appropriate.
28. Can you import data in multiple sheets from an Excel file? How do you import data from
an Excel sheet? (Forget about csv files for now)

A.)Yes we can import data from multiple sheets from an excel file
Steps to follow:
1.Create system DSN for Excel file
2.After creating ODBC Connection for system DSN , Go to Administration tool > File > Import
> From Database > Select Data source > select the files which you want to import.
29. What are the uses of Execute Direct SQL feature in Answers? Is it a good practice to allow

this feature for production users?

A.)Check physical connectivity to the database and Check report or dashboard performance
(Performance Tuning) ..etc.No,it will overload Production Users.

3o. How do you disable Execute Direct SQL feature for all the users of your repository?
A.)We can disable Execute Direct SQL by the path below:
Answers > Settings > Administration > Manage Privilege .
31. What are Chronological Keys in OBIEE? How are they different from Logical Keys?
A.)Chronological key is the key which uniquely identifies the data at particular level.
chronological key is mostly used in time dimensions where time series functions are used.

Where as logical key is the key which is used to define the unique elements in each logical
level.A logical level may have more than one level key. When that is the case, specify the key
that is the primary key of that level.It is used to specify the columns which is used for drill
down and which is used as primary keys.
32.What are the different ways to authenticate an user in OBIEE system? Can OBIEE
authenticate a user passing through multiple authentication methods?
A.)OBIEE Support four types of authentication.
1)LDAP Authentication : Users are authenticated based on credentials stored in LDAP.This is the
BEST method to do authentication in OBIEE and it supports companys Single Sign On (SSO)
philosophy as well.

2)External Table Authentication : If users belongs to multiple groups ,that information is being
pulled from the data base scheme table.This usually implemented with LDAP Authentication
3)Database Authentication: The Oracle BI Server can authenticates user based on database
logins. If a user has read permission on a specific database.Oracle BI Presentation Services
authenticates those users

4)Oracle BI Server User Authentication: User are directly crated in OBIEE and are

authenticated against those credentials. This is the worst authentication method if company has
larger then few people using the system. Believe me Maintenance is a nightmare here.
Two authentication methods are usually combined together.like LDAP and external table
authentication.
And as i said earlier LDAP and/or LDAP with external table are BEST authentication(Again each
case is different)
Oracle BI Server User Authentication is not quite popular as it has its support/maintenance
issue associated ,once system grows beyond certain users
33.Does OBIEE support ragged hierarchies? What is the procedure to import ragged
hierarchies from Essbase?
A.)OBIEE 11g supports ragged hierarchies.
34. You are trying to open a repository using Admin tool and when you click to say Open
Online; a dialogue box pops up saying Your rpd is available in read-only mode. How can
you edit thisrepository by opening online?

A.)We can avoid this error by deleting the .log and .sav in repository directory and restarting
the services.

35.What is the default configuration for caching in NQSConfig.ini file? How method does the
OBIEE use for clearing its cache?

A.)To disable in rpd In NQSConfig.INI file(OracleBI\server\Config) set ENABLE = NO under

Cahce section.

If you make it as NO cahce will never save cahce again in rpd.

36.What is MUDE/ MUD in OBIEE? On what basis would you create projects?
A.)Oracle BI repository development environment is not set up for multiple users. A more
efficient development environment would permit developers to modify a repository

simultaneously and then check in changes. This can be done by setting up the multi user
environment using the Oracle BI Administration Tool to support concurrent development.
37.In MUDE, Can two resources checkout the same project simultaneously?
A.)NO
38.What are the different documentation mechanisms available in Admin tool? How do you
create documentation for your Answers users against all objects available in your subject
areas?
A.)RPD DocumentationTools>Utilities>Repository Documentation
We can do dashboard and report documnention by CATALOG MANAGER.
39.You are running a dashboard report and check whether it is using cache? What are the

different caches that can be used to serve its customer faster? (remember we are not talking
about cache in BI Server only) How does a dashboard request gets served from all available
caches?
A.)To clear Cache:
if its presentation server then go to Settings > Manage Session > Close all Cursors
if its bi server.. go to Admin tool(rpd) > Manage > Cache > Action > Purge
To disable in rpd In NQSConfig.INI file(OracleBI\server\Config) set ENABLE = NO under
Cahce section.

If you make it as NO cahce will never save cahce again in rpd.

Physical table->general>Cacheable

40. Is it better to cache a fact table or dimension table or both in the BI Server level? Why?
(Forgetother caches from above question)
A.)Better to cache at fact table.
41. You recently changed the columns of your presentation catalog as your manager wants to
enforce naming standards for all customer facing apps. What happens to all the dashboard
requests written prior ot this change? Do they function properly or do they appear broken? If

Yes, they will function How does they work? If Not, reports appears broken what can you do
to fix this? Give examples.
A.)If Alias table is avaliable for Presentaion table then all the reports work fine.
42. What are the different hierarchy types available in OBIEE? When would you use them?
A.) Level-based hierarchies (structure hierarchies):Consists of an ordered set of two or more
levels.

Dimensions with parent-child hierarchies (value hierarchies):Consists of values that define the
hierarchy in a parent-child relationship and does not contain named levels

Ragged hierarchies:A hierarchy in which all the lowest-level members do not have the same
depth. Skip-level hierarchy :A hierarchy in which certain members do not have values for
certain higher levels.
43. How do you create radio buttons on your OBIEE dashboard?
A.)We should paste the following code in the Text box.
<script type=text/javascript>
function getElementsByClass(searchClass,node,tag) {
var classElements = new Array();
if ( node == null )
node = document;

if ( tag == null )
tag = *;
var els = node.getElementsByTagName(tag);
var elsLen = els.length;
var pattern = new RegExp((^|\\s)+searchClass+(\\s|$));
for (i = 0, j = 0; i < elsLen; i++) {
if ( pattern.test(els[i].className) ) {
classElements[j] = els[i];
j++;
}
}
return classElements;
}
var tables = getElementsByClass(DashboardPromptViewTable,null, table);
for (var table = 0; table < tables.length; table++){
var stringFunc = ;
var selects = tables[table].getElementsByTagName(select);
if ( selects.length == undefined || selects.length == 0 || selects[0].name === Match){
if (debug === 1) { document.write(No selects found. Continue to next record.+<BR>);}
continue; // This DB Prompt doesnt have any select statements

}
var spans = getElementsByClass(minibuttonOn,tables[table],span);
spans[0].style.display=none;
stringFunc = String(spans[0].getElementsByTagName(a)[0].onclick);
stringFunc = stringFunc.substr(stringFunc.indexOf({)+1, stringFunc.length 2
stringFunc.indexOf({));
for (var s =0; s < selects.length; s++){
var new_form = document.createElement(form);
var options = selects[s].getElementsByTagName(option);
new_form.name = selects[s].name+_radio;
new_form.id = selects[s].id+_radio;
for (var o=0; o<options.length; o++) {
var new_input = document.createElement(input);
new_input.type = radio;
new_input.value = options[o].value;
new_input.name = selects[s].name+_radio;
if(selects[s].selectedIndex == o){
new_input.checked = true;
}
var onClickStringFunc = var sel =
document.getElementById(this.name.substr(0,this.name.length-6)); +

if ( sel == null){+
return;+
}+
var opts = sel.getElementsByTagName(option);+
for( var opt = 0; opt < opts.length; opt++){+
if( opts[opt].value == this.value){+
sel.selectedIndex = opt;+
}+
};
new_input.onclick = new Function(onClickStringFunc + stringFunc);
var new_text = document.createTextNode(options[o].innerHTML);
new_form.appendChild(new_input);
new_form.appendChild(new_text);
} // end options for loop
selects[s].parentNode.insertBefore(new_form,selects[s]);
selects[s].style.display=none;
} // end selects for loop
} // end table foor loop
</script>
44.What is a federated query? How does OBIEE develop these federated queries?

A.)Federated queries are queries where data is being brought frommultipledatabases and
consolidated/joined in the business layer/logical layer. OBIEE does this quite a lot no matter

where the data is. All it needs is a relation between the tables coming from muliple databases.
45.What is in-memory query? How to implement this in OBIEE?
A.)I dont think OBIEE does in-memory queries. It does compensate for this by using features
like caching. Also, caching being present in two places for OBIEE like presentation cache and
server cache.