 Informatica Experienced Interview Questions - part2

26.What is Data driven?

Data driven is the property by which the Informatica Server decides the way the data needs to
be treated whenever a mapping contains Update Strategy Transformation. For example
Whenever we use Update Strategy Transformation we need to mention whether its DD_UPDATE or
DD_INSERT or DD_DELETE in the mapping

27.What is batch? Explain the types of the batches?

Batches are group of sessions executed in serial or parallel by the Informatica Server. 1) Sequential
Batch : Run the batched Sessions one after other. 2) Concurrent Batch : to start the all Sessions in
batch at once. Batches are used to improve performance or to ensure targets load in a set order.

28.What are the types of meta data repository stores?

Metadata is contextual information about a piece of data or a data set that is stored alongside the
data. Metadata gives consumers of data, including applications and users, greater insight into the
meaning and properties of that data.

Following are the types of metadata that stores in the repository

1. Database connections

2. Global objects

3. Mappings

4. Mapplets

5. Multidimensional metadata Reusable transformations

6. Sessions and batches

7. Short cuts

8. Source definitions

9. Target definitions Transformations.

29.Can you use the mapping parameters or variables created in one mapping into another mapping?

NO. We can use the mapping parameters or variables only in the transformations of the same
mapping or mapplet in which we have created the mapping parameters or variables.

30.Why did we use stored procedure in our ETL Application?

Stored Procedure is an important tool for working with databases. They allow greater flexibility than
SQL statements, ETL developers and programmers use stored procedures for various tasks within
databases.

31.When we can join tables at the Source qualifier itself, why do we go for joiner transformation?

When would you use a joiner transformation rather than joining in a source qualifier?
  Informatica Experienced Interview Questions - part2

1)Joiner can join relational sources which come from different sources whereas in source qualifier the
relational sources should come from the same data source. 2)We need matching keys to join two
relational sources in source qualifier transformation.

32.What is the default join operation performed by the look up transformation?

The default join type of lookup transformation is left-outer join in informatica.

33.What is hash table Informatica?

n hash partitioning, the Informatica Server uses a hash function to group rows of data among
partitions. The Informatica Server groups the data based on a partition key. Use hash partitioning
when you want the Informatica Server to distribute rows to the partitions by group

34.In a joiner transformation, you should specify the table with lesser rows as the master table. Why?

fewer number of rows in master means fewer iterations of join comparison. Secondly It is easier to
cache the table with fewer number of rows. Hence, using the table having the fewer number of rows
as a master improves the performance

35.Difference between Cached lookup and Un-cached lookup?

For a cached lookup the entire rows (lookup table) will be put in the buffer, and compare these rows
with the incoming rows. whereas uncached lookup, for every input row the lookup will query the
lookup table and get the rows.

36.Explain what DTM does when you start a work flow?

What is a DTM (Data Transformation Manager) process?

The DTM process is the second process associated with the session run. The primary purpose of the
DTM process is to create and manage threads that carry out the session tasks. · The DTM allocates
process memory for the session and divide it into buffers. This is also known as buffer memory.

Expand Variables and Parameters: If the workflow uses a parameter file, the PowerCenter Integration
Service process sends the parameter file to the Data Transformation Manager when it starts the DTM.
The DTM creates and expands session level, service level, and mapping level variables and
parameters.

37.Explain what Load Manager does when you start a work flow?

Load manager Process: Starts the session, creates the DTM process, and sends post-session email
when the session completes. The DTM process. Creates threads to initialize the session, read, write,
and transform data, and handle pre- and post-session operations.

38.In a Sequential batch how do i stop one particular session from running?

We can stop it using PMCMD command or in the monitor right click on that perticular session and
select stop.this will stop the current session and the sessions next to it.
  Informatica Experienced Interview Questions - part2

39.What are the types of the aggregations available in Informatica?

Properties of Aggregator Transformation

Aggregate Expression.

Group by port.

Sorted Input.

Aggregate cache.

Unsorted Input.

40.H Create a command task which will execute a shell script (if Unix) or any other scripts
which contains the create index command. Use this command task in the workflow after the
session or else, You can create it with a post session command. ow do I create Indexes after the
load process is done?

41.How do we improve the performance of the aggregator transformation?

Use the following guidelines to optimize the performance of an Aggregator transformation:

Group by simple columns.

Use sorted input.

Use incremental aggregation.

Filter data before you aggregate it.

Limit port connections.

42.What are the different types of the caches available in Informatica? Explain in detail?

Static cache:

Static Cache is same as a Cached Lookup in which once a Cache is created and the Integration
Service always queries the Cache instead of the Lookup Table.
  Informatica Experienced Interview Questions - part2

In Static Cache when the Lookup condition is set to true it returns the value from lookup table else
returns Null or Default value.

One of the key point to remember when using the Static Cache is that we cannot insert or update the
cache.

Dynamic cache:

In Dynamic Cache we can insert or update rows in the cache when we pass the rows through the
transformation. The Integration Service dynamically does the inserts or updates of data in the lookup
cache and passes the data to the target. The dynamic cache is synchronized with the target to have
the latest of the key attribute values.

Shared cache:

For Shared Cache Informatica server creates the cache memory for multiple lookup transformations in
the mapping and once the lookup is done for the first lookup then memory is released and that
memory is used by the other look up transformation.

We can share the lookup cache between multiple transformations. Un-named cache is shared
between transformations in the same mapping and named cache between transformations in the
same or different mappings.

Persistent cache:

If we use Persistent cache Informatica server processes a lookup transformation and saves the
lookup cache files and reuses them the next time when the workflow is executed. The Integration
Service saves or deletes lookup cache files after a successful session run based on whether the
Lookup cache is checked as persistent or not.

In order to make a Lookup Cache as Persistent cache you need to make the following changes

Lookup cache persistent: Needs to be checked

Cache File Name Prefix: Enter the Named Persistent cache file name
  Informatica Experienced Interview Questions - part2

Re-cache from lookup source: Needs to be checked

Re-cache from database

If the persistent cache is not synchronized with the lookup table you can configure the lookup
transformation to rebuild the lookup cache.

43.What is polling?

polling means. It displays the updated information about the. session in the monitor window.The
monitor window displays the status of eac. h session when U poll the informatica server.

44.What is the Limitations of Joiner Transformation

We cannot use joiner transformation when the input pipeline contains an update strategy
transformation.

We cannot connect a sequence generator transformation directly to the joiner transformation. at are
the limitations of the joiner transformation?

45.What is Mapplet?

A mapplet is a reusable object containing a set of transformations that you can use in multiple
mappings. Use a mapplet in a mapping. Or, validate the mapplet as a rule. Transformations in a
mapplet can be reusable or non-reusable. If you add a Sequence Generator transformation to a
mapplet, it must be reusable.

46.What are active and passive transformations?

n active transformation can change the number of rows that pass through the transformation. For
example, the Filter transformation is active because it removes rows that do not meet the filter
condition. A passive transformation does not change the number of rows that pass through the
transformation.

47.What are the options in the target session of update strategy transformation?

Insert: Check this option to insert a row in the target table.

Delete: Check this option to delete a row in the target table.

Truncate Table: check this option to truncate the target table before loading the data.

Update as Update: Update the row in the target table

48.What is a code page? Explain the types of the code pages?

Code page could be understood as a set of rules for encoding of character set. And character set, as
the name indicates, is a set of characters from one or more languages/character sets.

Most machines use one of the following code pages:

US-ASCII (7-bit ASCII)

MS Latin1 (MS 1252) for Windows operating systems

Latin1 (ISO 8859-1) for UNIX operating systems

IBM EBCDIC US English (IBM037) for mainframe systems

The US-ASCII code page contains all 7-bit ASCII characters and is the most basic of all code pages
with support for United States English. The US-ASCII code page is not compatible with any other
code page. When you install either the PowerCenter Client, PowerCenter Integration Service, or
PowerCenter repository on a US-ASCII system, you must install all components on US-ASCII
systems and run the PowerCenter Integration Service in ASCII mode.

MS Latin1 and Latin1 both support English and most Western European languages and are
compatible with each other. When you install the PowerCenter Client, PowerCenter Integration
Service, or PowerCenter repository on a system using one of these code pages, you can install the
rest of the components on any machine using the MS Latin1 or Latin1 code pages.

You can use the IBM EBCDIC code page for the PowerCenter Integration Service process when you
install it on a mainframe system. You cannot install the PowerCenter Client or PowerCenter repository
on mainframe systems, so you cannot use the IBM EBCDIC code page for PowerCenter Client or
PowerCenter repository installations.

49.What do you mean rank cache?

The Integration Service uses cache memory to process Rank transformations. It stores data in rank
memory until it completes the rankings. When the Integration Service runs a session with a Rank
transformation, it compares an input row with rows in the data cache.

50.How can you delete duplicate rows with out using Dynamic Lookup? Tell me any other ways using
lookup delete the duplicate rows?

duplicate records can be eliminated the following ways:

1) by using select distinct option

2) by over riding sql with group by port on the column

which gets duplicate values ( P_key column)

3) by connecting the source to an expression transformation

and flagging the duplicate records to another target by

writing an expression in the exp editor