OBIEE Interview Questions

What does OBIEE mean?

OBIEE refers to Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition. It is a BI system which provides reporting capabilities, online analytical processing (OLAP), analysis dashboards, ad hoc query, and scorecards. OBIEE reporting is now used in mobility and mobility reporting.

What are the features of OBIEE?

The main features of OBIEE are:

• Ad Hoc Analysis
• Hierarchy Drilling
• Scheduled Report Generation
• Global support as well as development capability
• Graphical Reporting (like Charts, Gauges, Pivots)

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What does the OBIEE repository contain?

The OBIEE repository consists of metadata from various databases. It includes the information related to:

• Security
• Caching
• Data Modeling
• SQL Information
• Aggregate Navigation
• Connectivity Information

What is the end-to-end life cycle of OBIEE?

The OBIEE end-to-end lifecycle is:

• Creating repository
• Testing and QA
• Configuring Security (LDAP or External Table)
• Creating reports and dashboards
• Gathering business needs from the business people.
• Identifying source systems that are required to generate appropriate reports.
• Designing ETL for loading data from source to data warehouse.
• Deciding the caching mechanism or aggregations according to performance.

Explain the architecture of OBIEE.

Presentation Server: It is used for converting the request that comes from end-users to the logical SQL and sends it to the Oracle BI Server. 

Oracle BI Server: The primary task of the Oracle BI server is to convert logical SQL into physical SQL in order that the database understands SQL and syntactically identifies the query and will send it to the database.

Database: The database retrieves the requested result.

What are the three layers of the OBIEE repository?

The OBIEE repository has three layers:

Physical Layer: It includes the information related to the data sources.

Business Model Layer: It describes the logic or business model of objects and how they are mapped between the schema and their business model in the physical layer. 

Presentation Layer: The presentation layer is intended to provide users with personalized views of the business model in the business model layer.

What kinds of sources may be related to OBIEE ?

OBIEE is able to connect most databases such as; sources such as relational databases, flat files, or cubes can be connected to OBIEE under the following constraints:

Sources should be modeled like snowflakes or a star scheme for an effective result in multiple sources that connect directly into OBIEE; it should be used.

What is meant by Authentic? What are the types of authentication?

The process using which a system gives confirmation is referred to as authentication. The different types of authentications are:

• Authentication of LDAP
• Database authentication 
• Authentication of External table 
• Operating system authentication

What is the purpose of the physical layer?

The physics layer is used to:

• Import data
• Create Aliases
• Build physical joins
• Set up a connection pool and its properties
• Enable or Disable cache for individual table

) What is the session variable in OBIEE?

For every user, a session variable will be initiated at the login time. A session variable may be either a system variable or a non-system variable. The system variable utilizes NQ_SESSION. An example of a non-system variable is a user-defined filter.

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 Intermediate-Level OBIEE interview questions:

) What is LTS in OBIEE?

LTS refers to a Logical table source. Logical Table Source can be created by dragging and dropping a column of a table which is not currently used within the logical table. A physical table consisting of this column is called LTS.

) What is meant by the fact table?

A fact table includes two kinds of columns. They are 

• Facts
• Foreign key to dimension tables

) What is the primary difference between Logical Table Source and Logical Table?

The primary difference between a Logical Table Source and a Logical Table is that a logical table includes multiple logical table sources. This element is used to map the logical and physical columns.

) What is a bridge table?

There can be a situation where it is necessary to connect two tables that are not related to them. In this case, a different table allows you to connect the other two tables. This third table is called the bridge table, which has the same columns as found in the other two tables.

) What is a Query Repository tool?

The query repository tool is used with the OBIEE or Siebel admin tool. It helps the users in examining the tolls of repository Metadata. Moreover, the relation between some Metadata objects is examined by this. The objects will usually include details like which column of the presentation layer must be mapped with the physical layer tables.

) What are the security providers that OBIEE uses?

The security providers that OBIEE uses include:

• Authentication provider for authentication of users.
• The policy provider is used for accessing privileges on all the applications, with the exception of BI presentation services.
• The credential store provider is used for storing the internally used credentials by the BI application.

) List a few log files of OBIEE?

Following are the various log files in OBIEE:

• NQQuery.log
• NQServer.log
• NQSAdminTool.log, etc

) What are key configuration files?

The key configuration files in OBIEE include:

• odbc.ini
• NQSConfig.ini
• NQSCluster.ini
• Instanceconfig.xml

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) How can we obtain a real physical SQL that is sent by OBIEE to the database?

To obtain a true physical SQL sent from OBIEE to the database, Look at the details below:

• Check your session variable value.
• Go to Admin -> Manage sessions.
• Locate your query (down the list), then click "View Log."
• Under the logical SQL, you may find the physical SQL.

) What is the process for extracting SQL for OBIEE reports?

There are a number of ways using which SQL can be extracted.

The request can be modified, and then click on the Advanced options; you will get the XML code and the original SQL.

Select the Tools option. A report can be created from the catalog manager. Then from the create report window, you can click on the request SQL option. The sales to the physical path must be saved on the computer as well. Go to the manager option and select the security option in the OBIEE 11g administration tool. Next, by selecting the user option properties, be sure to enable Log level to 2.

OBIEE interview questions for experienced:

) How can we create Hierarchy in OBIEE 11g?

We can create a hierarchy within the OBIEE BMM layer within the dimensions of the dimension table. For this, right-click on the dimension table and then click on create dimension, and then manually, we can define hierarchy and its levels.

) What do you mean by Level based Metrics?

Level-base metrics mean that a measure must be at a certain level within the dimension. Example: Monthly sales or half-yearly sales. For creating a level-based measure, Create a new logical column according to the original measures. Drag and drop the latest logical column at a proper level of the Dimension hierarchy.

) What is ibot?

Ibot is a scheduler that is used for planning reports to be sent over various devices like a pager, email, mobile, other devices, and more.

) What are the various caching techniques within OBIEE?

There are three different ways of cache management:

Cache disabled: NQConfig.INI file contains the ENABLE parameter, which may be set to NO. It disables the server cache. Following the change, the server requires a reboot. Disable cache prevents any query from using or upgrading the cache. This can result in slower performance but will be helpful if less access is expected. Enabling the cache does not be affected by updating and synchronizing the cache.

Event polling data: The event Polling data table makes it possible to follow the various updates made on the various tables. The application will update this polling table with every update query in the physical table. This standalone table may obtain the frequency statistics required for each table in order to maintain cache policies according to needs.

Catching set for every physical table: The "Make cache-able" option is available in the admin tool. Click on it and go to general settings. It includes the option "cache persistence." It will make the queries to and fro from the physical table for using the cache. It may also be defined in terms of a specific time interval. It will assist us in getting a good interactive answer on the view layer. Any frequently updated table may have that setting for a reasonable time.

) What are the various types of session variables?

Two different kinds of session variables exist. They are:

System variables: The variables which are used by the analytics server and the Web for managing and coordinating sessions and associated data. These names may not be used for the non-system variables or the other repository variables. You can name these variables with a prefix for identifying what they are and what they contain. It makes it easier to classify in every session.

Non-System Variables: They are the variables that are used to get user-defined aspects of the data stored at a particular place. In the particular data we got from the users, if we have the data called "NumberOfPersons," then it can be used to classify the whole database based on the NumberOfPersons, etc. When using the Analytics Web Server variables, you may simply prefix the variable name with the NQ_SESSION.(Variable Name) to narrow the scope of the present session.

) How can we bypass server authentication?

To bypass server authentication in the NQSConfig.ini file and the config.xml file,

 BYPASS SERVER AUTHENTICATION = YES.

) How can we hide specific columns from the user?

) What are aggregative tables?

The aggregate table includes aggregated data that can be computed using various aggregate functions such as Average, Median, SUM, MIN, MAX, Count. The aggregated tables are the tables most often used within the OLAP database. Aggregate functions are the functions in which table or column values are grouped into one value. 

With the help of the aggregate functions above, the data would be inserted into the aggregate table. Aggregate tables are used to optimize performance and quicker data arrival using an aggregate table. The aggregations applied at the database level enhance the execution of the query because the query does not hit directly on the table; it will hit the aggregate table and retrieve the data.

) How can we enable or disable caching at the System level and table level?

In the NQSConfig.ini file, ENABLE can be used in the CACHE section for the system level. If we need to enable the table level cache for tables, open the repository offline. It must be different from the current repository. Click on Enable or disable cache.

) What is the implicit fact column?

The Implicit Fact column is the column that is created as a result of the join, combinations of different data or the columns of different tables. Exact data may not be there as the column in the output or even in the physical layer of the database. They are implied from different data and maybe just a temporary layer that helps us achieve the required result.

Conclusion: 

All the questions listed above are frequently asked OBIEE Interview Questions. They can help you to clear your interview on OBIEE. We hope you found these questions helpful. However, if you notice any important question is not covered, you may drop a message to us in the comments. We will get back to you with the answer.