Which all databases PowerCenter Server on Windows can connect to?

PowerCenter Server on Windows can connect to following databases: * IBM DB2 * Informix * Microsoft Access * Microsoft Excel * Microsoft SQL Server * Oracle * Sybase * Teradata Which all databases PowerCenter Server on UNIX can connect to? PowerCenter Server on UNIX can connect to following databases: * IBM DB2 * Informix * Oracle * Sybase * Teradata Infomratica Mapping Designer: How to execute PL/SQL script from Informatica mapping? A. Stored Procedure (SP) transformation can be used to execute PL/SQL Scripts. In SP Transformation PL/SQL procedure name can be specified. Whenever the session is executed, the session will call the pl/sql procedure. Infomratica Mapping Designer: How can you define a transformation? What are different types of transformations available in Informatica? A. A transformation is a repository object that generates, modifies, or passes data. The Designer provides a set of transformations that perform specific functions. For example, an Aggregator transformation performs calculations on groups of data. Below are the various transformations available in Informatica: * * * * * * * * Aggregator Application Source Qualifier Custom Expression External Procedure Filter Input Joiner

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lookup Normalizer Output Rank Router Sequence Generator Sorter Source Qualifier Stored Procedure Transaction Control Union Update Strategy XML Generator XML Parser XML Source Qualifier

Infomratica Mapping Designer:What is a source qualifier? What is meant by Query Override? A. Source Qualifier represents the rows that the PowerCenter Server reads from a relational or flat file source when it runs a session. When a relational or a flat file source definition is added to a mapping, it is connected to a Source Qualifier transformation. PowerCenter Server generates a query for each Source Qualifier Transformation whenever it runs the session. The default query is SELET statement containing all the source columns. Source Qualifier has capability to override this default query by changing the default settings of the transformation properties. The list of selected ports or the order they appear in the default query should not be changed in overridden query. nfomratica Mapping Designer:What is aggregator transformation? A. The Aggregator transformation allows performing aggregate calculations, such as averages and sums. Unlike Expression Transformation, the Aggregator transformation can only be used to perform calculations on groups. The Expression transformation permits calculations on a row-by-row basis only.

Aggregator Transformation contains group by ports that indicate how to group the data. While grouping the data, the aggregator transformation outputs the last row of each group unless otherwise specified in the transformation properties. Various group by functions available in Informatica are : AVG, COUNT, FIRST, LAST, MAX, MEDIAN, MIN, PERCENTILE, STDDEV, SUM, VARIANCE Infomratica Mapping Designer: What is Incremental Aggregation? A. Whenever a session is created for a mapping Aggregate Transformation, the session option for Incremental Aggregation can be enabled. When PowerCenter performs incremental aggregation, it passes new source data through the mapping and uses historical cache data to perform new aggregation calculations incrementally. Infomratica Mapping Designer: How uni-on Transformation is used? A. The uni-on transformation is a multiple input group transformation that can be used to merge data from various sources (or pipelines). This transformation works just like uni-on ALL statement in SQL, that is used to combine result set of two SELECT statements. Infomratica Mapping Designer: What does reusable transformation mean? A. Reusable transformations can be used multiple times in a mapping. The reusable transformation is stored as a metadata separate from any other mapping that uses the transformation. Whenever any changes to a reusable transformation are made, all the mappings where the transformation is used will be invalidated. What is update strategy and what are the options for update strategy?

A. Informatica processes the source data row-by-row. By default every row is marked to be inserted in the target table. If the row has to be updated/inserted based on some logic Update Strategy transformation is used. The condition can be specified in Update Strategy to mark the processed row for update or insert. Following options are available for update strategy : * DD_INSERT : If this is used the Update Strategy flags the row for insertion. Equivalent numeric value of DD_INSERT is 0. * DD_UPDATE : If this is used the Update Strategy flags the row for update. Equivalent numeric value of DD_UPDATE is 1. * DD_DELETE : If this is used the Update Strategy flags the row for deletion. Equivalent numeric value of DD_DELETE is 2. * DD_REJECT : If this is used the Update Strategy flags the row for rejection. Equivalent numeric value of DD_REJECT is 3. At the max how many tranformations can be us in a mapping? In a mapping we can use any number of transformations depending on the project
What is the difference between Narmal load and Bulk load?

Normal Load: Normal load will write information to the database log file so that if any recorvery is needed it is will be helpful. when the source file is a text file and loading data to a table,in such cases we should you normal load only, else the session will be failed. Bulk Mode: Bulk load will not write information to the database log file so that if any recorvery is needed we can't do any thing in such cases. compartivly Bulk load is pretty faster than normal load.
Can we lookup a table from a source qualifer transformationunconnected lookup

No. we can't do. I will explain you why. 1) Unless you assign the output of the source qualifier to another transformation or to target no way it will include the

feild in the query. 2) source qualifier don't have any variables feilds to utalize as expression.
Compare Data Warehousing Top-Down approach with Bottomup approach

Top down ODS-->ETL-->Datawarehouse-->Datamart-->OLAP Bottom up ODS-->ETL-->Datamart-->Datawarehouse-->OLAP

Discuss which is better among incremental load, Normal Load and Bulk load

Incremental load is preferred when we have to load data on daily basis as it will take only data which is not available in the target. Bulk Load:- Use this option during the migration , whenever a voluminous data needs to be loaded in the target system. Bulk load will not provide the rollback and bad file option.Normal Load:- Use this option whenever log file is required and data size is not very huge.
What is the difference between connected and unconnected stored procedures.

Unconnected:The unconnected Stored Procedure transformation is not connected directly to the flow of the mapping. It either runs before or after the session, or is called by an expression in another transformation in the mapping.connected:The flow of data through a mapping in connected mode also passes through the Stored Procedure transformation. All data entering the transformation through the input ports affects the stored procedure. You should use a connected Stored Procedure transformation when you need data from an input port sent as an input parameter to the stored procedure, or the results of a stored procedure sent as an output parameter to another transformation.

How to create the staging area in your database

A Staging area in a DW is used as a temporary space to hold all the records from the source system. So more or less it should be exact replica of the source systems except for the laod startegy where we use truncate and reload options.So create using the same layout as in your source tables or using the Generate SQL option in the Warehouse Designer tab.
How to join two tables without using the Joiner Transformation.

Itz possible to join the two or more tables by using source qualifier.But provided the tables should have relationship.When u drag n drop the tables u will getting the source qualifier for each table.Delete all the source qualifiers.Add a common source qualifier for all.Right click on the source qualifier u will find EDIT click on it.Click on the properties tab,u will find sql query in that u can write ur sqls You can also do it using Session --- mapping---source--- there you have an option called User Defined Join there you can write your SQL
How do you decide whether you need ti do aggregations at database level or at Informatica level?

It depends upon our requirment only.If you have good processing database you can create aggregation table or view at database level else its better to use informatica. Here i'm explaing why we need to use informatica.what ever it may be informatica is a thrid party tool, so it will take more time to process aggregation compared to the database, but in Informatica an option we called "Incremental aggregation" which will help you to update the current values with current values +new values. No necessary to process entire values again and again. Unless this can be done if nobody deleted that cache files. If that happend total aggregation we need to execute on informatica also. In database we don't have Incremental aggregation facility.
What is difference between IIF and DECODE function

DEODE is similar to switch statement in c language where we test for multiple conditions.Single IIF can test for only one condition. To test for multiple conditions we have to use nested

IIF. But DECODE is more readable compared to IIF.

How to retrive the records from a rejected file. explane with syntax or example

During the execution of workflow all the rejected rows will be stored in bad files(where your informatica server get installed;C:Program FilesInformatica PowerCenter 7.1Server) These bad files can be imported as flat a file in source then thro' direct maping we can load these files in desired format.

How many types of flatfiles available in Informatica?

There are two types of flate files: 1.Delimtedwidth 2.Fixdwidth

In case of use of dynamic lookup cache in a lookup transformation, the lookup cache gets updated first and then the target table. What happens if the target table rejects a row after it is updated in the Cache?
You wont get an error if the row is inserted in dynamic cache and it was rejected in the target table. But remember we are refering to the same table in dynamic chache, so if it is inserted in the chache then it must be inserted in the target.In mapping we have to handle to synch the chache with the target. informatica wont do this.There will be new port row by default if we chose dynamic chache, if it is "0" indicates informatica wont update/insert the row in the chache.if it is "1" then informatica inserts the row in the chache.if it is "2" then informatica update the row in the chache.based on this port we have to synch the target.
What are cost based and rule based approaches and the difference

Cost based and rule based approaches are the optimization techniques which are used in related to databases, where we need to optimize a sql query. Basically Oracle provides Two types of Optimizers (indeed 3 but we use only these two techniques.,

bcz the third has some disadvantages.)When ever you process any sql query in Oracle, what oracle engine internally does is, it reads the query and decides which will the best possible way for executing the query. So in this process, Oracle follows these optimization techniques. 1. cost based Optimizer(CBO): If a sql query can be executed in 2 different ways ( like may have path 1 and path2 for same query),then What CBO does is, it basically calculates the cost of each path and the analyses for which path the cost of execution is less and then executes that path so that it can optimize the quey execution.2. Rule base optimizer(RBO): this basically follows the rules which are needed for executing a query. So depending on the number of rules which are to be applied, the optimzer runs the query.Use: If the table you are trying to query is already analysed, then oracle will go with CBO. If the table is not analysed , the Oracle follows RBO. For the first time, if table is not analysed, Oracle will go with full table scan.

What is the difference between Views and Materialized Views in Oracle?

Views are essentially logical table-like structures populated on the fly by a given query. The results of a view query are not stored anywhere on disk and the view is recreated every time the query is executed. Materialized views are actual structures stored within the database and written to disk. They are updated based on the parameters defined when they are created

Wht is incremental loading?Wht is versioning in 7.1?

Incremental loading in DWH means to load only the changed and new records.i.e. not to load the ASIS records which already exist. Versioning in Informatica 7.1 is like a confugration management system where you have every version of the mapping you ever worked upon. Whenever you have checkedin and created a lock, noone else can work on the same mapping version. This is very helpful in n environment where you have several users working on a single feature.

What is Shortcut? What is use of it?

Shortcut is a facility providing by informatica to share metadata objects across folders without copying the objects to every folder.we can create shortcuts for Source definitions Reusable transformations Mapplets Mappings Target definitions Business components.there are two diffrent types of shortcuts, 1. local shortcut2. global shortcut
Differences between Normalizer and Normalizer transformation.

Normalizer: It is a transormation mainly using for cobol sources, it's change the rows into coloums and columns into rows Normalization:To remove the retundancy and inconsitecy

Informatica union transformation

if you have 3 different sources which returns different number of records but with the same ports and datatypes, union transformation can be used to sum up these records and proceed to the next transformation as the same pipeline.