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Informatica Interview Questions & Answers(General)

1. How do you change parameter when u move it from development to production.
2. How does the session recovery work.
3. Why use shortcuts(Instead of making copies).
4. where is the reject loader .
5. How do you use reject loader.
6. Do u have to change the reject file b4 using reject loader utility.
7. Differences between version 7.x and 8.x.
8. Debugger what are the modules, what are the options you can specify when using
debugger, can you change the expression condition dynamically when the debugger is
running.
9. Mapplets can you use an active transformation in a mapplet,
10. What are active transformations? Name them.
11. Can u use flat files in Mapplets.
12. How many transformations can be used in mapplets.
13. Can a joiner be used in a mapplet.
14. What are active transformations.
15. How can you join 3 tables? Why cant you use a single Joiner to join 3 tables.
16. Global and Local shortcuts. Advantages.
17. Mapping variables, parameters syntax, if you create mapping variables and parameters in
mapplet can u use them in the mapping?
18. Have you worked with/created Parameter file
19. Whats the layout of parameter file (what does a parameter file contain?)?
20. Why do u use Mapping Parameter and mapping variable?

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21. Where do u create/define mapping parameter and mapping variable?

22. Session Recovery. 1000 rows in the source of which 500 passed through and then I killed
the session. Can you perform a recovery and how
23. Slowly changing dimensions, types and where will you use them
24. What are the modules in Power Center
25. Filter transformation in the condition one of the data is NULL would the record be
dropped.
26. Parameter&variable differences
27. Reusable transformation & shortcut differences
28. Mapplets ( can u use source qyalifier, can u use sequence generator, can u use target)
29. Implementation methodology
30. Do u have knowledge in ralph kimball methodology
31. According to his methodology what all u need before u build a datawarehouse
32. How do u recover rows from a failed session
33. Sequence generator, when u move from develoment to production how will u reset
34. Whats there in global repository
35. Repository user profiles
36. How do u set a varible in incremental aggregation
37. Can u create a flatfile target
38. What did u do in source pre load stored procedure
39. Scheduling properties,whats the default (sequential)
40. In a concurrent batch if a session fails, can u start again from that session
41. When u move from devel to prod how will u retain a variable
42. Partition, what happens if the specified key range is shorter n longer

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43. Performance tuning( what u did in performance tuning)

44. What are conformed dimensions?
45. what are factless facts? And in which scenario will you use such kinds of fact tables.
46. can you avoid static cache in the lookup transformation? I mean can you
47. disable caching in a lookup transformation?
48. what is the meaning of complex transformation?
49. in any project how many mappings they will use(minimum)?
50. How do u implement unconn. Stored proc. In a mapping?
51. Can u access a repository created in previous version of Informatica?
52. What happens if the info. Server doesnt find the session parameter in the parameter file?
53. How big was your fact table
54. How did you handle performance issues If you have data coming in from multiple
sources, just walk thru the process of loading it into the target
55. How will u convert rows into columns or columns into rows
56. What are the steps involved in the migration from older version to newer version of
Informatica Server?
57. What are the main features of Oracle 8i with context to datawarehouse?
58. What are the new features of Power Center 5.0?
59. How to run a session, which contains mapplet?
60. Differentiate between Load Manager and DTM?
61. What are session parameters ? How do u set them?
62. When do u use mapping parameters? (In which transformations)
63. What is a parameter When and where do u them when does the value will be created
64. Desing time, run time. If u dont create parameter what will happen

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65. What are variable ports and list two situations when they can be used?
66. What are the parts of Informatica Server?
67. How does the server recognize the source and target databases. Elaborate on this.
68. List the transformation used for the following:
1. Heterogeneous Sources
2. Homogeneous Sources
3. Find the 5 highest paid employees within a dept.
4. Create a Summary table
5. Generate surrogate keys
69. What is the difference between sequential batch and concurrent batch and which is
recommended and why?
70. A session S_MAP1 is in Repository A. While running the session error message has
displayed
71. server hot-ws270 is connect to Repository B . What does it mean?
72. How do you do error handling in Informatica?
73. How do you implement scheduling in Informatica?
74. What is the meaning of up gradation of repository?
75. How can you run a session without using server manager?
76. Consider two cases:
77. 1. Power Center Server and Client on the same machine
78. 2. Power Center Sever and Client on the different machines
79. what is the basic difference in these two setups and which is recommended?
80. Informatica Server and Client are in different machines. You run a session from the server
manager by specifying the source and target databases. It displays an error. You are
confident that everything is correct. Then why it is displaying the error?

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81. When you connect to repository for the first time it asks you for user name & password
of repository and database both.
82. But subsequent times it asks only repository password. Why?
83. What is the difference between normal and bulk loading?
84. Which one is recommended?
85. What is a test load?
86. How can you use an Oracle sequences in Informatica? You have an Informatica sequence
generator transformation also. Which one is better to use?
87. What is the difference between a shortcut of an object and copy of an object?
88. Compare them.
89. What is mapplet and a reusable transformation?
90. How do you implement configuration management in Informatica?
91. What are Business Components in Informatica?
92. Dimension Object created in Oracle can be imported in Designer
93. Cubes contain measures
94. COM components can be used in Informatica
95. What is the advantage of persistent cache? When it should be used.
96. When will you use SQL override in a lookup transformation?
97. Two different admin users created for repository are ______ and_______
98. Two Default User groups created in the repository are ____ and ______
99. A mapping contains
1. Source Table S_Time ( Start_Year, End_Year )
2. Target Table Tim_Dim ( Date, Day, Month, Year, Quarter )

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100.
Stored procedure transformation : A procedure has two input parameters
I_Start_Year, I_End_Year and output parameter as O_Date, Day , Month, Year, Quarter.
If this session is running, how many rows will be available in the target and why?
101.
Two Sources S1, S2 containing measures M1,M2,M3, 4 Dimensions
D1,D2,D3,D4,
102.
1 Fact F1 containing measures M1, M2,M3 and Dimension Surrogate keys
K1,K2,K3,K4
1. Write a SQL statement to populate Fact table F1
2. Design a mapping in Informatica for loading of Fact table F1.
103.

What is the difference between connected lookup and unconnected lookup?

104.
105.

How can you import a flat file or relational sources to your work area?

106.
What is active and passive transformation and how many active and passive
transformations are there?
107.
What is meant of performance tuning and what are the parameters for increasing
performance.
108.

Why is meant by direct and indirect loading options in sessions?

109.

What is scheduling and how many types of scheduling options are there?

110.

What are batches and what are the types of batches?

111.
What is difference between stored procedure transformation and lookup
transformation and where to use which one?
112.

What is difference between SQL override and lookup override?

113.
What is staging area in informatica and where it exist and do we need it and how
much of data can it store?
114.
What is ODS and how much of information can it store in it and what are data
marts?
115.
Interviewer may ask draw your architecture of your project and informatica
architecture?

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116.

How can you handle errors in informatica and how can you identify them?

117.

What is auxiliary mapping and where in appears?

118.

What is difference between Mapplets and reusable transformations?

119.
In which scenario we can use unconnected and connected lookup transformation
and stored procedure?
120.
In which scenario we can use update strategy transformation and how many ways
that we can use update strategy transformation.
121.

What is difference between filter transformation and router transformation?

122.
What is difference between source qualifier transformation and joiner
transformation?
123.
In a scenario I want to change the dimensions of a table and normalize the
denoralized table which transformation can I use?
124.

Why we use lookup condition in lookup transformation?

125.
file?

How can you delete duplicate records from a flat file and also from a relational

126.
What is the method of loading 5 flat files of having same structure to a single
target and which transformations I can use?
127.
If am having n rows in my source and I want n+ 1 row in my target what is the
logic that I can go for.
128.
How many types of caches are there in informatica? And what is difference
between static and dynamic cache?
129.
Which caches are used when you use aggregator, filter, rank, join, sequence
generator transformation?
130.

How can u increase the cache size and what is the maximum size?

131.
In a scenario I have col1, col2, col3, under that 1,x,y, and 2,a,b and I want in this
form col1, col2 and 1,x and 1,y and 2,a and 2,b, what is the procedure?
132.

What is informatica server background?

133.

What is pmcmd? Where is works?

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134.

What are worklets?

135.
When u use an update strategy transformation what are the parameters you had to
go for? And what is forward reject rows and what happens if we not enable this option
and what happens if we place a target next to the update transformation will they appear?
136.
What is materialized view and in which scenario it works and have u
implemented any MV?
137.
If am having n tables how many joiner transformations I require to join them and
what is the condition that I need to join any two tables?
138.
How can we call an unconnected lookup and stored procedure in a mapping and
from which transformation we can call them?
139.

What is CDC and in which scenario in works?

140.

How can u import a file which is having a header and footer into source analyzer?

141.
What is fact constellation and how many facts and dimensions are there in your
project and how many mappings you have done in your project, can u name them?
142.

What is a complex mapping had u done any complex mapping in your project?

143.

Explain what is SCD and types of scds and which one works in which scenario?

144.
What is mapping parameters and mapping variables and where can we use them
and can we use them in another mapping also?
145.

Why we use stored procedures?

146.

Can we create an n number of tasks from a single mapping?

147.

What is event raise and event wait?

148.
What are partitions in informatica and how many types of partitions are there and
can u make partitions on a flat file?
149.

Explain about cubes and dimensions?

150.

What are the components of informatica?

151.

What is debugger and what is the advantage of going for that?

152.
If u have no accessible to debugger and run workflow monitor how can u know
that your mapping is successful?
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153.

What is target load order and what is target load plan?

154.
Think that your source is COBOL file and which transformation will u use to
import?
155.
What is the size of ur project and size of the data that u use in mappings, and size
of the staging area?
156.

How can u join a flat and relational without having any matching keys?

157.

What is MOLAP, DOLAP?

158.

What is slice and dicing?

159.

What is table mutating?

160.

What is xx_sh_alloc, where does this appear?

161.

How can u identify that a table is partitioned or not?

162.

What is purpose of dd in update strategy transformation?

163.

What are DTM and LM?

164.

How can u recover a session if it fails in between?

165.

How many types are there to create a reusable transformation?

166.
A table having 100 records in it and how can you copy these records to another
table in oracle?
167.

What are the output files that informatica server creates when session runs?

Interview Questions Database:1.What is difference between

having clause and where
clause in oracle?
2.Write a query to display top
3 high pay salaries employees
from a emp table?
3.Write a query to display
average salary of top 4,5 and
6.

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4.Oracle external table

5.What is difference between
functions and procedures?
6.What are cursors, indexes
(types of indexes and where
we can use), triggers (type of
triggers), partitions, clusters,
exceptions, packages and
sequence in oracle.
7.What is the logic will you
implement to load data into a
fact table from a dimension
tables?
8.How many cursors u can run
at a time?
9.Can u use a trigger in a
trigger?
10How can u improve
performance of queries in
oracle?
11.What is difference between
surrogate key, natural key and
primary key?

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