OBIEE - Interview Questions | Part - 2

1 )What are different types of variables? Explain each.

There are two classes of variables:

1. Repository variables

2. Session variables.

Repository variables.

A repository variable has a single value at any point in time. There are two types of repository variables:

static : This value persists, and does not change until a Siebel Analytics Server administrator decides to change it.

dynamic:The values are refreshed by data returned from queries. When defining a dynamic repository variable, you will create an initialization block or use a preexisting one that contains a SQL query. You will also set up a schedule that the Siebel Analytics Server will follow to execute the query and periodically refresh the value of the variable.

Session Variables :

Session variables are created and assigned a value when each user logs on. There are two types of session variables:

1.system

2.nonsystem.

2) What are the cache management? Name all of them and their uses. For Event polling table do u need the table in your physical layer?

Monitoring and managing the cashe is cache management.There are three ways to do that.

Disable caching for the system.(INI NQ config file), Cashe persistence time for specified physical tables and Setting event polling table.

 

Disable caching for the system.(INI NQ config file :

You can disable caching for the whole system by setting the ENABLE parameter to NO in the NQSConfig.INI file and restarting the Siebel Analytics Server. Disabling caching stops all new cache entries and stops any new queries from using the existing cache. Disabling caching allows you to enable it at a later time without losing any entries already stored in the cache.

Cashe persistence time for specified physical tables :

You can specify a cachable attribute for each physical table; that is, if queries involving the specified table can be added to the cache to answer future queries. To enable caching for a particular physical table, select the table in the Physical layer of the Administration Tool and select the option Make table cachable in the General tab of the Physical Table properties dialog box. You can also use the Cache Persistence Time settings to specify how long the entries for this table should persist in the query cache. This is useful for OLTP data sources and other data sources that are updated frequently, potentially down to every few seconds.

Setting event polling table :

Siebel Analytics Server event polling tables store information about updates in the underlying databases. An application (such as an application that loads data into a data mart) could be configured to add rows to an event polling table each time a database table is updated. The Analytics server polls this table at set intervals and invalidates any cache entries corresponding to the updated tables.

For event polling table ,It is a standalone table and doesn’t require to be joined with other tables in the physical layer

3 ) What is Authentication? How many types of authentication.

Authentication is the process by which a system verifies, through the use of a user ID and password, that a user has the necessary permissions and authorizations to log in and access data. The Siebel Analytics Server authenticates each connection request it receives.

” Operaing system autentication

” External table authentication

” Database authentication

” LDAP authentication

4 ) What is object level security?

There are two types of object level security: Repository level and Web level

Repository level : In presention layar we can set Repository level security by giving permission or deny permission to users/groups to see particular table or column.

web level : thisprovides security for objects stored in the siebel anlytics web catlog,such as dashboards,dashboards pages,folder,and reportsyou can only view the objects for which you are authorized. For example,a mid level manager may not be granted access to a dashboard containing summary information for an entire department.

5 ) What is data level security?

This controls the type an amount of data that you can see in a report.When multiple users run the same report the results that are returned to each depend on their access rights and roles in the organization.For example a sales vice president sees results for alll regions, while a sales representative for a particular region sees onlu datafor that region.

6) What is the difference between Data Level Security and Object Level Security?

Data level security controls the type and amount of data that you can see in a reports.Objectlevel security provides security for objects stored in the siebel analytics web catlog, like dashboards,dashboards pages,folder,and reports.

7 ) How do you implement security using External Tables and LDAP?

Instead of storing user IDs and passwords in a Siebel Analytics Server repository, you can maintain lists of users and their passwords in an external database table and use this table for authentication purposes. The external database table contains user IDs and passwords, and could contain other information, including group membership and display names used for Siebel Analytics Web users. The table could also contain the names of specific database catalogs or schemas to use for each user when querying data

Instead of storing user IDs and passwords in a Siebel Analytics Server repository, you can have the Siebel Analytics Server pass the user ID and password entered by the user to an LDAP(Lightweight Directory Access Protocol ) server for authentication. The server uses clear text passwords in LDAP authentication. Make sure your LDAP servers are set up to allow this.

8 ) Did you work on a stand alone Siebel system or was it integrated to other platforms?

 

Deploying the Siebel analytics platform without other Siebel applications is called Siebel analytics Stand -Alone .If your deployment includes other siebel Analytics Application it called integrated analytics -You can say Stand-Alone siebel analytics

9) If you want to create new logical column where will you create (in repository or dashboard) why?

I will create new logical column in repository.because if it is in repository,you can use for any report.If you create new logical column in dashboard then it is going to affect on those reports ,which are on that dashboard.you can not use that new logical column for other dashboard(or request)

 

10) If you want to limit the users by the certain region to access only certain data, what would you do?

using data level security.

Siebel Analytics Administrator: go to Manage -> Security in left hand pane u will find the user, groups, LDAP server, Hierarchy

What you can do is select the user and right click and go to properties, you will find two tabs named as users and logon, go to user tab and click at permission button in front of user name you have selected as soon as u click at permission you will get a new window with user group permission having three tabs named as general ,query limits and filter and you can specify your condition at filter tab, in which you can select presentation table ,presentation columns ,logical table and logical columns where you can apply the condition according to your requirement for the selected user or groups.