OBIEE- Maintenance Mode

OBIEE Interview Question: What is Maintenance Mode? When and how it is used? Will users be able to save reports when it is ON? Maintenance Mode is used for administration of Presentation Services. When Maintenance Mode is turned ON, users will not be able to save changes in Presentation Catalog- it goes in to a read-only mode at this point. This will make sure that webcat is consistent and no one is making changes to reports or saving new ones while you do your maintenance activities. When you as an Administrator/Developer are making changes (updating or migrating reports or archiving (taking backups)) in the Presentation Catalog in online mode, you should turn Maintenance Mode ON. Maintenance Mode can be toggled/changed/switched from Answers/Analyses Administration page. You should be logged in as an Administrator to toggle Maintenance Mode. Click on Administration from Header Menu:

You can also go to http://{server}:{port}/analytics/saw.dll?Admin

Here on bottom left you will find a section for Maintenance and Troubleshooting. This is where you have Toggle Maintenance Mode link. Just click on this link to turn it ON or OFF.

If a user tries to make changes while Maintenance Mode is ON, she will receive the following error: "Unable to change edit/view mode: System is in Maintenance Mode. Please try again later." Note: In clustered mode make sure to Toggle Maintenance Mode in Presentation Services of each computer. Hope it helps! Cheers! Deepak Posted by Deepak at 10/05/2011 03:15:00 AM 0 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: OBIEE 10g, OBIEE 11g, obiee interview questions, OBIEE Maintenance Mode, OBIEE Presentation Services Administration, OBIEE Toggle Maintenance Mode, System is in Maintenance Mode. Please try again later.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2011

OBIEE11g- Updating GUIDs

OBIEE Interview Question: How do you update GUIDs? During migration of Oracle BI artifacts it is optional to refresh Global Unique Identifiers (GUIDs), but it become necessary in case you have a different and not fan-out replica of LDAP identity stores in DEV/TEST and PROD. If not this may lead to authentication failures. If the same user name exists in DEV/TEST and PROD LDAP directory servers user GUID will have a mis-match with GUID in new directory server. Heres the error I received when I moved around my BI components to a newer system.

I followed Oracle's Documentation but it did not work for me. I had to do a little different configuration to make it work on my environment. To resolve this issue changes in NQSConfig and instanceconfig.xml files are done when all Oracle BI Services are online. To refresh GUIDS Edit NQSConfig.INI file (location:\instances\instance1\config\OracleBIServerComponent\coreapplication_obis1) and set FMW_UPDATE_ROLE_AND_USER_REF_GUIDS to YES as shown below. Save and Close NQSConfig.INI file.

Edit instanceconfig.xml file (location:\instances\instance1\config\OracleBIPresentationServicesComponent\coreapplication_obips1) and modify or add the following: <Catalog> <UpgradeAndExit>false</UpgradeAndExit> <UpdateAccountGUIDs>UpdateAndStartNormally</UpdateAccountGUIDs> </Catalog>

Save and Close instanceconfig.xml file. Now to refresh GUIDs we have to restart the BI Services using Oracle Process Manager (opmnctl command) as below.

Now, revert back your changes to NQSConfig and instanceconfig.xml and restart services again. After this the GUIDs got refreshed and I was able to log in to OBI Presentation Services/Analyses. Hope this helps! Cheers! Deepak

References: http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E21764_01/core.1111/e10105/testprod.htm#BABCFDGB http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E21764_01/bi.1111/e10541/configfileref.htm#sthref1056 Posted by Deepak at 10/03/2011 09:28:00 PM 1 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: [OBIPS] [ERROR:1], Authentication Failure, Could not create a system user connection to Oracle BI Server, nQSError: 10018, OBIEE 11g, OBIEE Global Unique Identifiers, obiee interview questions, Update GUIDs
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 2011

OBIEE Interview Question- Alias Table

What are the benefits of using Aliases in OBIEE? It is a best practice to create aliases for all tables. Aliases are created in the Physical Layer of the repository. Some of the benefits of using aliases are given below: y y y y You can create a join relationship which is different than the actual foreign key relationship in the database. This helps in defining relationships to meet business model criteria. An alias is used to avoid circular joins and to configure self joins. (for more details on Fan Trap and Circular Joins check this blog.) Aliases can function in numerous ways to define business model e.g. a table can act both as a dimension and a fact using aliases. You can rename aliases to make physical and business model easier to understand.

Click here to read more about aliases in Oracle Documentation.

More information in this wiki/blog: http://gerardnico.com/wiki/dat/obiee/alias Reference: Oracle Fusion Middleware Metadata Repository Builder's Guide for Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition 11g Release 1 (11.1.1) Cheers! Deepak Posted by Deepak at 4/13/2011 12:33:00 AM 0 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: obiee alias table, obiee circular joins, obiee interview questions
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Interview Questions on Joins in OBIEE

What is a complex join in OBIEE? A Complex Join in used in the Business Model & Mapping Layer (BMM layer) in the repository. Logical tables in a BMM layer can have multiple logical tables sources (LTS). Complex join actually is an intelligent join between LTSs of two logical tables in BMM Layer. When two columns are selected for a query in Answers/Dashboard, BI Server reads the complex join between two logical tables and then intelligently & dynamically selects the LTSs to join. This means that the BI server is able to select the most efficient join in the physical layer and translate query into a physical SQL.

What happens when a Foreign Key Join is defined in BMM Layer? If a physical join (foreign key join) is used in the BMM layer, then BI Server will always select this physical join to create the SQL even when it is not the most efficient one.

When is a complex join used in Physical Layer of OBIEE? Complex join is used when we want to use join expressions e.g. we want to use less than or greater than operators. A complex join is used while using slowly changing dimension, the expression is then used to define date ranges. Posted by Deepak at 2/02/2011 10:58:00 PM 2 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: complex join in physical layer, foreign key join in BMM layer, obiee,OBIEE complex join, OBIEE foreign key join, obiee interview questions
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2010

OBIEE Interview Question- Dimensional Hierarchy

What is dimensional hierarchy? How you define number of elements at each level? Can it be done automatically? A dimensional hierarchy is created in the BMM layer of a repository to calculate level based measures and to create interactive reports/dashboards with drill down functionality.

A dimension hierarchy can be created manually as well as automatically. Manual process involves right clicking on BMM layer> New Object> Dimension, entering a name; right clickking on this new dimension and create New Level. Levels are base on the business definition or hierarchy of a dimension, a classic example; year> quarter> Month> week> Day. A hierarchy will have at least two levels, Grand Total Level and Detail Level. For each level we have to define the number of elements. This is always 1 for the Grand Total Level and next levels are the ratio from one level on top to the bottom. When creating a dimension automatically, we have to right click on the dimension and click Create Dimension. This will automatically create the two levels Grand Total and Detail Level. We can actually automatically calculate number of elements at each level. The procedure is to open a repository in online mode. Right click on business model or dimension hierarchy and click on estimate levels.

Cheers! Deepak Posted by Deepak at 11/28/2010 04:16:00 PM 0 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: dimensional hierarchy, new to obiee, obe, OBIEE 10g Administration,obiee getting started, obiee interview questions, obiee tutorials, OBIEE10g
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2010

OBIEE 10g: Log Level

OBIEE Interview Question: In OBIEE 10g, what is log level? Or what are different log levels? Or tell me about your experience with query logs in OBIEE 10g. When enabled, OBIEE creates a query log in NQQuery.log file which is located by default at {installation drive}\OracleBI\server\Log. The log can be viewed using a text editor or the nQLogViewer. The query long becomes very handy in testing environment and troubleshooting. The size of NQQuery log file is defined in USER_LOG section of NQSConfig.INI file located by default at {installation drive}\OracleBI\server\Config. A sample Log file definition from NQSConfig.INI file is given below:
################################################################# [ USER_LOG ] USER_LOG_FILE_SIZE = 10 MB; // default size CODE_PAGE = "UTF8"; // ANSI, UTF8, 1252, etc. #################################################################

How to set logging level? Logging level is enables and set at individual level. To define log level In the Administration Tool, select Manage > Security. The Security Manager dialog box appears.

Double-click the users user ID. The User dialog box appears. Set the logging level by clicking the Up or Down arrows next to the Logging Level field. To disable logging level set the logging level to 0. Log levels and corresponding information is given below in the table. Logging Level Level 0 Level 1 Information That Is Logged No logging. Logs the SQL statement issued from the client application. 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. 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. Logs everything logged in Level 2. Additionally, adds a log entry for the logical query plan, when a query that was supposed to seed the cache was not inserted into the cache, when existing cache entries are purged to make room for the current query, and when the attempt to update the exact match hit detector fails. Do not select this level without the assistance of Technical Support. Logs everything logged in Level 3. Additionally, logs the query execution plan. Do not select this level without the assistance of Technical Support. Logs everything logged in Level 4. Additionally, logs intermediate row counts at various points in the execution plan. Do not select this level without the assistance of Technical Support. Reserved for future use.

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6 and Level 7

It is also important to note that logging level can be set at session level by using a session variable. In case if a user has two different log levels sat at the repository and at the session level, the session level will have precedence over the log level set in the repository.

In case of troubleshooting, I have also used temporary log level. This can be done by using the following just before the query.
Set Variable LOGLEVEL=n;

For more details about query logs and log level refer to Oracle Business Intelligence Server Administration Guide available here. Cheers! Deepak
Posted by Deepak at 11/06/2010 09:30:00 AM 0 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: OBIEE 10g Administration, obiee interview questions, OBIEE log levels,OBIEE NQQuery.log, OBIEE10g, oracle by example
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2010

OBIEE 11g vs OBIEE 10g

OBIEE Interview Question: What are the new features added/changes made in OBIEE 11g compared to OBIEE 10g? There are a lot of enhancements in the OBIEE 11g as compared to OBIEE 10g. Here are few points to talk during an interview: y OBIEE 11g uses WebLogic Server as the application server as compared to Oracle AS or OC4J in OBIEE 10g. y The clustering process in much easier and automated in OBIEE 11g. y We can now model lookup tables in the repository. y The new UI called Unified Framework now combines Answers, Dashboards, and Delivers. y A new column called the hierarchical column in introduced. y BI Publishers is fully and seamlessly integrated with OBIEE 11g. y New time series functions PERIOD ROLLING and AGGREGATE AT are introduced. y In OBIEE 11g we can create KPIs to represent business metrics. y The aggregate persistence wizard creates indexes automatically. y The session variables get initialized when they are actually used in OBIEE 11g unlike OBIEE 10g where they were initialized as soon as a user logs in. y OBIEE 11g now supports Ragged (Unbalanced) and Skipped Hierarchy. y You can also define Parent-Child hierarchy in OBIEE 11g as well. y SELECT_PHYSICAL command is supported in OBIEE 11g. In OBIEE 11g there are some changes in the terminology as well. y iBots are renamed as Agents. y Requests are renamed as Analyses. y Charts are renamed as Graphs.

Presentation Columns are renamed as Attribute Columns.

There are of course a lot more changes and updates but these are few that you can talk about in an interview. More information is available here and here. Cheers! Deepak
Posted by Deepak at 10/01/2010 10:55:00 AM 2 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: OBIEE 10g vs OBIEE 11g, OBIEE 11g new features, obiee concepts, obiee interview questions, OBIEE versions interview question
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2010

Interview Question: OBIEE Project Life Cycle

People will usually ask an experienced OBIEE resource if she has full life cycle implementation experience in OBIEE and to tell about the phases in the BI project.

As an OBIEE Developer, not everyone work during the whole life cycle of the project. This is especially true for contractors. Considering the RUP there are four life cycle phases of a projectinception, elaboration, construction, and transition. As an OBIEE developer you will be mostly working during the designing, developing, testing, and implementing phase. Sometimes there is involvement in requirements gathering phase but more chances are to work in the refining the requirements. After explaining this you can tell about the project life cycle as below: 1. The initiation/inception phase: Creating business case, Project planning and feasibility study. 2. The elaboration/planning phase: Resource Planning, Requirements gathering and analysis 3. The execution/development phase: Design and development. This is where as an OBIEE developer I worked the most. 4. The transition/closure phase: Deployment, operations and maintenance. Cheers! Deepak
Posted by Deepak at 9/29/2010 10:08:00 AM 3 comments Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook Labels: obiee interview questions, OBIEE Life Cycle, OBIEE Project Life Cycle
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010

Interview Question: OBIEE Architecture

One question that is very interesting to know in an interview is about the OBIEE Architecture. The following is a very interesting and informative link to understand the OBIEE Architecture. http://www.rittmanmead.com/2010/07/09/obiee-11gr1-architecture-and-use-of-weblogic-server/

You can talk about the OBIEE 10g as well, below are some informative links. http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E10415_01/doc/bi.1013/b40058.pdf http://gerardnico.com/wiki/dat/obiee/obiee_overview When talking about the OBIEE Architecture, I am not only looking for a description about all the components present in the OBIEE but also how they communicate with each other. Pointers: talk about the OS you used, Application Servers, Semantic Layers in OBIEE, Database, Authentication (Active Directory etc.) etc. and communication protocol. An in depth knowledge about the architecture assures me that the candidate is well versed with not only the tool but have an overall picture of the BI at the higher/enterprise level. Cheers! Deeapk