GENERAL Q. What is business objects?

BUSINESSOBJECTS is an integrated query, reporting and analysis solution for business professionals that allow them to access the data in their corporate databases directly from their desktop and present and analyze this information in a BUSINESSOBJECTS document. It is an OLAP tool that high-level management can use as a part of a Decision Support Systems (DSS). BUSINESSOBJECTS makes it easy to access the data, because you work with it in business terms that are familiar to you, not technical database terms like SQL. 1. What are the various Business Objects products? (AG technologies) User Module, Designer, Supervisor, Auditor, Set Analyzer, Info View (Web Intelligence), Business Objects Software Development Kit (SDK), Broadcast Agent etc. What are the advantages of Business Objects over other DSS? ? User Friendly. ? Familiar Business Terms. ? Graphical Interface ? Drag and Drop. ? Powerful reports in less time. ? Enterprise wide Deployment of documents using WebI ? Customized dashboards using Application foundation and Business Objects SDK.

2.

How many modes are there in BO & Designer? (KPIT Infotech, Pune) There are 2 types: Enterprise Mode, Workgroup Mode.
3. What are Enterprise and Workgroup modes? Designer lets you save universes in either enterprise or workgroup mode. Enterprise mode means that you are working in an environment with a repository. Workgroup mode means that you are working without a repository. The mode in which you save your universe determines whether other designers are able to access them. By default, a universe is saved in the mode in which you are already working. For example, if you launched a session in enterprise mode, any universe you save is automatically in that mode. Q . How do you save a Business O bjects document which can be accessed by all users in workgroup mode? If we want to make a universe accessible to another designer working without a repository, then click the Save as Workgroup check box in the Save as universe dialog box. Q. What is online and offline mode? 4. What is a macro? A macro is a series of commands and functions that are stored in a Visual Basic for Applications module and can be run whenever you need to perform the task. If you perform a task repeatedly, you can automate the task with a macro. You create macros using the Visual Basic Editor.

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5. What is an add-in? Add-ins are programs that add optional commands and features to BUSINESSOBJECTS. Add-ins are usually created by those responsible in your company for adding customized features to BUSINESSOBJECTS. All you probably need to do is install and uninstall add-ins that are sent to you. DESIGNER 6. What is a universe? (AG Technologies) Universe provides a semantic layer between you and the database. It consists of classes and objects named in business terms. It is basically a mapping of table and the columns in the database to classes and objects respectively in the query panel. Alternatively, It is logical mapping of data in business terms. In the BusinessObjects User module, universes enable end users to build queries from which they can generate and perform analysis. Universes isolate end users from the complexities of the database structure as well as the intricacies of SQL syntax. Q. Can a Universe connect to multiple databases? (AG Technologies) How do you define universe parameters? The first step in creating a universe is to specify its parameters. These parameters include the definition of a universe, which is comprised of: the universe name, a description of the universe, a connection to an RDBMS. You enter universe parameters from the Universe Parameters dialog box. This dialog box also lets you set up database options, external strategies, graphic options, and print settings. What is a database connection? A connection is a set of parameters that provides access to an RDBMS. These parameters include system information such as the data account, user identification, and the path to the database. Designer provides three types of connections: secured, shared, and personal. 7. What are the types of connections we use when connecting to the database? (KPIT Infotech, Pune) There are three types of connections namely: - Secured, Shared and Personal. A secured connection is used to centralize and control access to sensitive or critical data. It is the safest type of connection for protecting access to data. A shared connection is used to access common resources such as universes or documents. Several users can thus use it. A personal connection is specific to one user and can be used only from the computer on which it was created. 24. What is Designer? Designer is a BusinessObjects IS module used by universe designers to create and maintain universes. Universes are the semantic layer that isolates end users from the technical issues of the database structure. Universe designers can distribute universes to end users by moving them as files through the file system, or by exporting them to the repository.

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25. How do you design a universe? The design method consists of two major phases. During the first phase, you create the underlying database structure of your universe. This structure includes the tables and columns of a database and the joins by which they are linked. You may need to resolve loops which occur in the joins using aliases or contexts. You can conclude this phase by testing the integrity of the overall structure. During the second phase, you can proceed to enhance the components of your universe. You can also prepare certain objects for multidimensional analysis. As with the first phase, you should test the integrity of your universe structure. Finally, you can distribute your universes to users by exporting them to the repository or via your file system. 26. What are the components of the Designer interface? In Designer, you create a universe using three areas: the Universe pane, the Structure pane, the Table Browser. The Universe pane displays the components of the universe from the point of view of BusinessObjects; that is the classes, objects, and conditions. The Structure pane reflects the underlying database structure of the universe including the tables, columns, and joins. The Table Browser is the component that lets you create the classes and objects of the universe from the tables and columns of a database. 8. What are classes/objects? An object maps to data or a derivation of data in the database. For the purposes of multidimensional analysis, an object can be qualified as one of three types: a dimension, detail, or measure. A class is a collection of objects based on business categories. A universe is a set of classes and objects intended for a specific application or group of users. 27. What are classes? A class is a logical grouping of objects within a universe. In general, the name of a class reflects a business concept that conveys the category or type of objects. For example, in a universe pertaining to human resources, one class might be Employees. A class can be further divided into subclasses. In the human resources universe, a subclass of the Employees class could be Personal Information. As designer, you are free to define hierarchies of classes and subclasses in a model that best reflects the business concepts of your organization. 28. What are objects? An object is the most refined component in a universe. It maps to data or a derivation of data in the database. Using objects, end users can build queries to generate reports. The name of an object suggests a concept drawn from the terminology of a business or discipline. For a human resources manager, objects might be Employee Name, Address, Salary, or Bonus, while for a financial analyst, objects might be Profit Margin, Return on Investment, etc. For the purposes of multidimensional analysis, objects are qualified as one of three types: dimension, detail, or measure. 9. What are Dimension-Measure-Detail Objects? When creating universes, universe designers define and qualify objects. The qualification of an object reveals how it can be used in analysis in reports. An object can be qualified as a dimension, a detail, or a measure.

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A dimension object is the object being tracked; in other words, it can be considered the focus of the analysis. A dimension can be an object such as Service, Price, or Customer. Dimension objects retrieve the data that will provide the basis for analysis in a report. Dimension objects typically retrieve character-type data (customer names, resort names, etc.), or dates (years, quarters, reservation dates, etc.) A detail object provides descriptive data about a dimension object (or attribute of a dimension). It is always associated with a specific dimension object. However, a detail object cannot be used in drill down analysis. E.g. Address & phone number can be attributes about the customer dimension. A measure object is derived from one of the follo wing aggregate functions: Count, Sum, Minimum, Maximum or average or is a numeric data item on which you can apply, at least locally, one of those functions. This type of object provides statistical information. Examples of measure objects include the following: Revenue, unit price etc 10. What is a hierarchy? Groups of related dimension objects are referred to as dimension hierarchies. An example of a dimension hierarchy is Geography, which can consist of City, Region, and Country.(Hierarchy is an ordered series of related dimensions, which can be used, in multidimensional analysis) Good examples of hierarchy are geography and time

Countr y Region City

Year Quarte r Month

How to create hierarchies in BO? (KPIT Infotech, Pune)

A hierarchy, which the designer sets up when creating the universe, consists of dimension objects ranked from less detailed to more detailed. The objects that belong to hierarchies are the ones you can use to define scope of analysis.

Creating hierarchies
You can create your own custom hierarchies from any dimensions available in the report. The dimensions you include in a hierarchy can be local variables, derived variables, or dimensions returned by data providers. Note: You can also use a date-type user object as the basis for a time hierarchy. For information on user objects see Creating User Objects on page 78.

To create a custom hierarchy

1. Click the Hierarchies command on the Analysis menu. The Hierarchy Editor opens. 2. In the Hierarchy Editor, click New. 3. Type the name of the new hierarchy, then click outside the name box. 4. In the Available Dimensions box, click the first dimension for the new hierarchy, then click Add. The dimension you clicked appears in the new hierarchy's folder in the Available Hierarchies box. 5. Add the other dimensions you want to include and then click OK.

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11. Can a Universe have more than 1 fact Table? Yes. Typically a universe can have more than 1 fact table and numerous aggregated tables. 12. What are Contexts? (MBT) A context is a rule that determines which of two paths can be chosen when more than one path is possible in the database from one table to another. It helps in resolving the loops created by various joins in the universe tables. With certain database structures, you may need to use contexts rather than aliases to resolve loops. A situation where this commonly occurs is a transactional database with multiple fact tables (multiple stars) that share lookup tables. 13. What is Aggregate Awareness? (ITC) Aggregate awareness is a feature of DESIGNER that makes use of aggregate tables in a database. These are tables that contain pre-calculated data. The purpose of these tables is to enhance the performance of SQL transactions; they are thus used to speed up the execution of queries. Of course, the reliability of the technique depends on the accuracy of the aggregate tables. In fact, they must be refreshed at the same time as all fact tables. A universe that is aggregate aware has one or more aggregate objects with alternative definitions based on these tables. These definitions correspond to levels of aggregation. For example, a Profit object can be aggregated by month, by quarter, or by year. Queries built from such a universe return information aggregated to the appropriate level at optimal speed. Aggregate awareness is a feature that makes use of predefined aggregate tables to enhance the performance of SQL transactions. It is used to improve the speed by which aggregates are calculated in the database. To set up aggregate awareness in a universe, you define one or more objects using the @Aggregate_Aware function. The syntax for this function is as follows: @Aggregate_Aware(aggregate_table_1, ... aggregate_table_n) The arguments of this function are all the names of alternative aggregate tables. When you formulate the syntax, you should be aware of the order of the arguments. The precedence is from left to right; this means that BusinessObjects determines the aggregate to use beginning from the leftmost argument. As a general rule, you should enter the most aggregate table as the first argument, the next most aggregate table as the second argument, and so on. You must then use the Aggregate Navigation editor to set up a list of incompatible objects and/or incompatible conditions for each aggregate table in your universe. These are the components that cannot be used with an aggregate table. You can either set up these lists manually, or cause the list of objects to be detected by Designer. 14. What is Incompatibility? The set of incompatible objects you specify determines which aggregate tables are disregarded during the generation of SQL. With respect to an aggregate table, an object is either compatible or incompatible. The rules for compatibility are as follows: When an object is at the same or higher level of aggregation as the table, it is compatible with the table.

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When an object is at a lower level of aggregation than the table (or if it is not at all related to the table), it is incompatible with the table. 15. What is the typical strategy employed in developing/maintaining/distributing Universes? Phase 1: Break down the informational system into functional areas. Phase 2: Analyze the information needs of users. Phase 3: Design a conceptual schema Design the specification of the user. Phase 4: Create a Universe with designer. Test the Universe with the Business Objects module. Distribute the Universe. Repeat the other steps for other Universes. Phase 5: Update and maintain the Universe. Notify end users of changes. 16. I have Customer dimension table and a fact table with cust_to_ship_key and cust_to_bill_key. How do I get the corresponding customer names? Create an Alias table for Customer dimension table. Join the cust_to_ship_key with a customer key of Actual customer table and join the cust_to_bill_key with customer key of the Alias. 17. What are strategies? A strategy is a script that automatically extracts structural information from a database or flat file. Q. What are the different types of Strategies? (ITC) In Designer we can specify two types of strategies: 1) Built-in strategies and 2) External strategies Built-in Strategies: Designer provides a number of default strategies which we can use. These are strategies for extracting joins, detecting cardinalities, and creating default classes and objects. Options for indicating default strategies are located in the Database tab of the Options dialog box. External Strategies: We can also create our own strategies. Such strategies are referred to as external strategies. With an external strategy, we can specify the exact way that objects and joins are to be extracted from the database structure. The strategy we use, for example, can be a script generated from a CASE Access tool. An external strategy is specific to one RDBMS. How do you specify external strategies?

With an external strategy, you can specify the exact way that objects and joins are to be extracted from the database structure. All external strategies are contained within the same text file. The name of this text file is indicated in the .prm file specific to your RDBMS. In the .prm file, the strategy file is declared as follows: STG=[StrategyFileName] where StrategyFileName is the name of the strategy file. An external strategy, whether for objects or for joins, is made up of the following sections:

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a name and description (These are visible in the Strategies tab of the Universe Parameters dialog box.) a type parameter: object or join an SQL parameter or file parameter an optional parameter that points to a connection other than the universe connection. An external strategy can be based on SQL or a file.
What are the visualization options available?

Designer contains a variety of features for organizing and viewing the tables and columns in the Structure pane. Among these features are: List Mode, which adds three panes to the Structure pane. These panes are for viewing the names of tables, joins, and contexts. When you click a component in a pane, its corresponding graphical representation in the schema is highlighted. Graphic options, which let yo u customize the shape or appearance of the tables, columns, joins, and cardinalities in the Structure pane. Arrange tables, a feature that reorganizes the tables in the Structure pane so as to produce an orderly display. Gridlines, a command that displays a grid, which you can use to align tables in the Structure pane. Table (Column) Values, commands that display the data values associated with a particular table or column.
18. What are loops? (MBT, KPIT Infotech, Pune) loop is a situation that occurs when more than one path exists from one table to another. Loops result in ambiguity in the design of a universe How do you detect loops ? Designer enables you to identify loops in one of two ways: You can run the Check Integrity function, which indicates the existence of any loops. You can select the Detect Loops command from the Tools menu. If there are loops, the Loop Detection viewer appears; it indicates the joins causing a loop. What are aliases? An alias is a logical pointer to an alternate table name. The purpose of an alias is to resolve loops in the paths of joins. In some cases, more than one alias may be necessary for a given table. As you create aliases, Designer may prompt you to create other aliases. This occurs when the new aliases result in the need for additional aliases; in other words, creating such aliases entails the propagation of other aliases. In such a situation, two options are available to you: ? You can cause only the first table proposed to be aliased ? You can alias all the tables listed (i.e. propagate the aliases) Designer displays an alias in the Structure pane as a table. It links an aliased table to existing tables, re-arranging joins, as necessary. How do you resolve the loop? (MBT, KPIT Infotech, Pune) You can resolve loops in two ways: Using aliases Using contexts DESIGNER provides three features, which guide you in the loop resolution process: Detect Cardinalities

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 Detect Aliases Detect Contexts The first step in resolving loops is to detect the cardinalities of the tables. 19. How can you resolve loops? You can run the Check Integrity function, which indicates the existence of any loops. You can select the Detect Loops command from the Tools menu. If there are loops, the Loop Detection viewer appears; it indicates the joins causing a loop. You can then use aliases or contexts to resolve the loops in your universe. Can Contexts And Aliases Be Used Together? Yes, you can use contexts and aliases in the same universe. In fact, in many cases you should use them together.

When To Use Contexts Instead Of Aliases

There is no strict rule to follow for resolving loops. However, whenever possible you should use an alias instead of a context. When you use a context, you expose the BUSINESSOBJECTS end user to the database structure. They are forced to decide which context they want to use to run their query. The role of the universe is to shield end users from the database structure, so they do not have to make such decisions.

Contexts can be confusing for end users

A context can be confusing for end users when they are forced to make a decision about the meaning of an object. For example an object called Country can have several meanings; the customers country of residence, the shipment destination, or the products country of manufacture. When you run a query in BUSINESSOBJECTS or WEBINTELLIGENCE, you are also asked to indicate the correct database path to follow.

Deciding to use an alias or context

You can use the following rules to help you decide whether an alias or context is appropriate for resolving loops: When you create aliases and you end up with object names that sound very different (Customers Country of Residence, Shipment Destination, and Products Country of Manufacture), aliases are probably the right solution. If you end up with object names that sound very similar (such as Ordered Products and Loaned Products as well as Ordered Products Country of Manufacture and Loaned Products Country of Manufacture), you should consider using contexts. Q. When do you use contexts and aliases? (ITC) Contexts and Aliases are used while resolving loops. Q. What are the disadvantages of Alias? (PCS) Q. What is Fan Trap? (PCS) A one to many join links a table, which is in turn linked by a one to many join. This type of fanning out of one to many joins can lead to a join path problem called a fan trap. The fanning out effect of one to many joins can cause incorrect results to be returned when a query includes objects based on both tables. 20. What is Chasm Trap? Many to one joins from two fact tables converge on a single lookup table. This type of join convergence can lead to a join path problem called a chasm trap.

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21. What is LoV? A list of values contains the data values associated with an object. These data values can originate from a corporate database, or a flat file such as a text file or Excel file. In Designer you create a list of values by running a query from the Query Panel. You can then view, edit, purge, refresh, and even export this file. A list of values is stored as an .lov file in a subfolder of the UserDocs folder. 29. How many types of join are available? (KPIT Infotech, Pune) Designer supports the following types of joins: equi-joins, outer joins, theta joins, and shortcut joins.

What is theta join? (KPIT Infotech, Pune)

A join is a relational operation that causes two or more tables with a common domain to be combined into a single table. The purpose of joins is to restrict the result set of a query run against multiple tables. A Theta join links tables based on a relationship other than equality between two columns. Q. What are Equi-joins, Outer joins and Short cut joins? 30. What functions are supported? Designer provides four types of functions: Number, Character, Date and @Functions. Functions beginning with the @ character are BusinessObject functions that render the definition of objects dynamic and database-independent. @Function @Aggregate_Aware @Prompt @Script @Select @Variable @Where Purpose is used to enhance the performance of SQL transactions; i.e. it determines which tables to use in SQL generation: either aggregate tables or detailed tables. is used to create an interactive object. In the Query Panel, this type of object causes a message to appear that prompts the end user to enter a specific value. is used to recover the results of an executed macro created with the Visual Basic Editor in the BusinessObjects User module. lets you re-use the Select statement of an existing object is used to reference the value assigned to a name or variable. lets you re-use the Where clause of an existing object.

What is meant by object qualification? The qualification of an object reveals how it can be used in multidimensional analysis. An object can be qualified as a dimension, a detail, or a measure. In the Universe pane, the symbol beside each object indicates its qualification. What is multidimensional analysis? Multidimensional analysis is a technique for manipulating data in order to view it from different perspectives and on different levels of detail. In Business Objects, multidimensional analysis involves drill mode and slice-and-dice mode, and is enabled by the Analyzer and Explorer components of the User module. To set up a universe for multidimensional analysis, you must define hierarchies and dimensions that determine how users view and analyze the data. A dimension is simply the object to be tracked. A dimension can be an object such as Country, Region, and City. A hierarchy is an ordered series of related dimensions. An example of a hierarchy is Geography, which may group dimensions such as Country, Region, and City. 31. What are cardinalities? (ITC)

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Cardinality expresses the minimum and maximum number of instances of an entity B that can be associated with an instance of an entity A. The minimum and the maximum number of instances can be equal to 0, 1, or N. Because a join represents a bi-directional relationship, it must always have two cardinalities. There are two main methods for detecting or editing cardinalities: ? the Detect Cardinalities command ? the Edit Join dialog box If you selected the Detect cardinalities in joins options in the Database tab of the Options dialog box, Designer detects and retrieves the cardinalities of the joins. If you do not use this option, you can still retrieve the cardinalities for one or all joins in the universe. 32. How do you test the integrity of a universe? With the Check Integrity command, you can test the structure of your active universe. This means testing to determine whether its components are accurate and up-to-date. Check Integrity serves the following purposes: It detects any inconsistencies in the objects, joins, conditions, and cardinalities of your universe. It detects whether there are any loops in the joins. It determines whether changes were made to the database to which the universe is connected. 33. How do you distribute universes? You can distribute a universe to end users or another designer by: Moving it as a file through the file server Exporting it to the repository If you distribute a universe as a file through the file server, any designer or end user can open it unless you have set a password on it. The repository is a centralized set of relational data structures stored on a database. This device enables BusinessObjects users to share resources in a controlled and secured environment. The repository is made up of three domains: the security domain, the universe domain, and the document domain. The Import and Export commands of Designer let you move universes to and from the universe domain of the repository. 34. What are linked universes? (Designers Guide, 246) (Mascot, MBT, KPIT Infotech Pune) Linked universes are universes that share common components such as parameters, classes, objects, or joins. Among linked universes, one universe is said to be the kernel or master universe while the others are the derived universes. A kernel or master universe represents a re-usable library of components. Derived universes may contain some or all the components of the kernel or master universe, in addition to any components that have been added to it. Approaches to linking universes You can use one of three approaches when linking universes: The kernel approach The master approach The component approach The Benefits of Linked Universes You can link the active universe to a kernel universe, only if the following requirements are met:

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The kernel universe and active universe were created from the same data account and the same RDBMS. The kernel universe was exported and re-imported at least once. Exported derived universes are located in the same universe domain as the kernel universe. All classes and objects are unique in both the kernel universe and the derived universes. (Otherwise, collisions may occur.) You are authorized to link the given universe. Note: A derived universe does not recover the lists of values containing personal data from the kernel universe. However, if you need certain lists of values, you can use the following workaround: in the derived universe, create new objects defined in the same way as those in the kernel, then hide them. You can then assign them to these objects lists of values, which you can then modify and export. Q.

How many types of Linked universes are there, and what are they? (ITC) Answered above

SUPERVISOR 35. What are the types of users in Business Objects? General Supervisor Supervisor Designer Supervisor-Designer End User Versatile User 36. What is the Supervisor module used for? SUPERVISOR is the product you need in order to set up and maintain a secure environment for Business Objects products. It provides you with a powerful and easyto-use structure for distributing information to be shared by all users. This information is centralized through relational data accounts called repositories. 37. What is a repository? What does it contain? (AG Technologies) It is a relational data account created on a database like Oracle, MS-Access, Informix, DB2 etc when the BO is installed. It will have all the BO system tables, metadata about designer, Information about universes, the actual universes, user documents and most importantly security information. 38. What are repository domains? (AG Technologies) A Business Objects repository is a set of data structures stored on a database. A repository makes it possible to share the resources necessary for client/server architecture. To ensure security and manage user resources, a repository comprises three types of domains: ? ? A security domain, which contain the definition of the other domains as well as the definition of users Universe domains, which are meta-models of related databases, containing a description of the data to be accessed

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Document domains, which contain the structures for storing shared documents and for executing tasks according to a time stamped definition.

39. What are the responsibilities of a Supervisor? Create the Business Objects repository. Define users and user groups, as well as assign profiles to them. User profiles include user identification (user name and password), the products and modules they can work with, the universes they can access, and the documents that they can share. Control user access to Business Objects products, and manage the exchange and distribution of the universe and documents of all the users. USER MODULE 40. What is a Data Provider? The data source (Query) is called as the data provider. 41. Can one create a report having two Data Provider each pointing to different Universes? Yes. 42. Can I add some html tags in the report? Yes. In the format/properties one has to set the option read as html. 43. Can I drill through from one report to another? Yes. Using some html coding in the parameters to be passed while drill through one can drill thru from one BO report to another in the same BO document. 44. Can I have cascading prompts in Business Objects report? Yes. 45. Did you do metadata reporting in BO? Metadata reporting of BO is possible. BO provides a separate universe which actually contains repository tables, objects etc. Using this Universe one can do metadata reporting in BO 46. What is Channel? It is a Website that uses push technology, also known as web casting, to keep subscribers abreast of up-to-date information. Each BO channel is associated with a BROADCAST AGENT, itself associated with a user group in the BO repository. One BROADCAST AGENT can have several channels. 47. How do Channels work? General supervisors and supervisors can create, modify and remove channels using SUPERVISOR. Each channel uses a Channel Definition Format (CDF) file as an index to the Website. The first time a document is published in the channel, the CDF file is created based on the template. It is then updated every time a new document is published in the channel.

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BO users can schedule a document to be published in one or more channels by a BROADCAST AGENT. They can only publish in channels associated with the BROADCAST AGENT of groups to which they belong. When BROADCAST AGENT publishes a BO document in a channel, it converts the document to HTML format and simultaneously updates the channels CDF file so channel subscribers via IE4 can view the document. SCHEDULING/PUBLISHING RELATED 48. How do you publish BO report? There are 2 ways of publishing BO reports on website 1) User who has publishing rights for a document can publish that document for other users. 2) Documents can be published via a scheduler for Business Object known as BCA or Broadcast Agent. 49. What is BCA? BROADCAST AGENT provides scheduled or batch processing of BUSINESSOBJECTS and WEBINTELLIGENCE documents. All the end user has to do is send a document to BROADCAST AGENT using BUSINESSOBJECTS or WEBINTELLIGENCE, and specify scheduling and distribution information. No understanding of the server configuration is required. BROADCAST AGENT lets users not only automate simple actions such as refreshing and printing documents, but control processing with conditions which trigger distribution when pre-defined events occur. Users can choose to publish documents to the repository, on a web server or on the server file system. Users with access to the repository can view documents that BROADCAST AGENT has processed in BUSINESSOBJECTS or WEBINTELLIGENCE. BROADCAST AGENT supports HTML publishing on the web, on channels and on your intranet or extranet. 50. What is WebI or Web Intelligence? WebIntelligence is a decision support solution designed to meet critical query, reporting and analysis needs over the World Wide Web and has features very similar to Business Objects. Like Business Objects, with WebIntelligence, you can access the data in your corporate databases or data warehouses from within your office, home, or around the world, using your corporate intranet, extranet, or the World Wide Web. How do you share the information? You can quickly and easily share the documents you have created with other users in your company, either by sending them directly to selected individuals or groups, or by publishing them as corporate documents. When you distribute documents in these different ways, you use the BUSINESS OBJECTS repository. The repository stores the documents you send so that other users can retrieve and view them. It also stores information about the documents it stores, such as name of sender, date and time, and also which users in the company have the right to retrieve and view a document.

What about security?

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The repository is set up and administered by the BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor. All of the rights you have as a user are granted by your BUSINESS OBJECTS supervisor using BUSINESS OBJECTS SUPERVISOR. The supervisor defines: The parts of the BUSINESSOBJECTS interface you can access. Your supervisor can restrict the availability of BUSINESSOBJECTS functionality, such as access to certain menu commands. Your database connections The universes you can access for creating and editing queries Q. What are the different tools in Business Objects 5.1? (AG technologies) Whats new in BusinessObjects 5.1? Although not a major release over BUSINESS OBJECTS 5.0, BUSINESSOBJECTS 5.1 has some important new features.
?
?

Save as PDF Add hyperlinks to reports

Zero Administration BusinessObjects

BUSINESS OBJEC TS 5.1 can be installed in two ways: from INFO VIEW via an Internet browser from the product CD Q. Explain the Reporting features in Business Objects reporting tool? (AG Technologies)

What data sources are available?

BUSINESS OBJECTS let you access data from a wide range of sources. You can access data from Relational databases (RDBMS), such as ORACLE, Microsoft SQL Server, Informix and IBM DB2. Multidimensional (OLAP) databases, such as Microsoft OLAP Services, Hyperion Essbase, and ORACLE Exp ress. Text files and spreadsheets Packaged applications such as SAP Virtually any data source using Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) procedures. How do you access data sources? BUSINESS OBJECTS lets you access your data through a graphical user interface. You need no technical knowledge of the underlying data structures to get the information you want. What you do need, however, is knowledge of your business. To access a data source with BUSINESSO BJECTS, you build a data provider. The types of data providers supported in BUSINESSO BJECTS depends on whether you install BUSINESSOBJECTS from the installation CD or install BUSINESSOBJECTS via an Internet browser. Which are the different types of data providers? ? Queries on Universes ? Stored Procedures ? Free-hand SQL ? Personal Data files ? VBA Procedures ? OLAP Servers ? SAP Can all BusinessObjects users build data providers? You can build data providers only if you have purchased the REPORTER module of BUSINESSOBJECTS.

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Can you combine data from different sources in one report? Absolutely. With BUSINESS OBJECTS, you can build powerful reports with data from corporate databases which you can access using queries on universes, freehand SQL, etc., and data from your own spreadsheets, text files etc. Which data providers can you combine in one report? You can combine data from any BUSINESSOBJECTS-supported data provider with data from any other BUSINESS OBJECTS-supported data provider in a single report. For example, in a report that displays data from a query on a universe, you can build a new query on a different universe. You can also use a different type of data provider: a stored procedure, a free-hand SQL script, a personal data file, or an OLAP server. Linking Data Providers Linking data providers enables data from different sources to be computed in the same table, crosstab, or chart in a report. What situations require you to link data providers? BUSINESS OBJECTS automatically links data providers with a common dimension. Two dimensions in separate data providers are common when they belong to the same universe and have the same name. BUSINESS OBJECTS prompts you to link data providers if there is no common dimension between the data providers. Tip: If you simply want to add columns of data to a report, use the Edit Data Provider command on the Data menu instead of building a new query. This method lets you add result objects to the initial query; BUSINESS OBJECTS automatically inserts the new columns of data in the report or creates a new report. Purging and Deleting Data Providers Whats the difference between purging and deleting a data provider? Purging means emptying a data provider of its results, whereas deleting means getting rid of the data provider for good - an action which cannot be undone. So, why purge or delete a data provider? Purging reduces the size of a document, so is useful when you want to send the document to other users, or save it on a diskette, for example. You should only delete a data provider, however, if you are certain that you and other users no longer need it. Tip: You can populate a purged data provider by selecting the Refresh Data command on the Data menu. Note that this command refreshes all the data providers in the active document. Building a More Powerful Query The procedures described in the following sections enable you to build a more powerful query by controlling the data that your queries retrieve. You can: Define scope of analysis, which means that you retrieve data that you will later use for analysis in the report. Limit the query results to data that satisfies conditions. Sort data, for example alphabetically. Retrieve a specified number of rows of data. Eliminate duplicate rows of data from the query result. What is scope of analysis? (BO Users guide,65) (Mascot, KPIT Infotech, Pune) Analysis means looking at data from different viewpoints and on different levels of detail. In reports, you can use scope of analysis to ensure that the data included in your report can be displayed at the appropriate level of detail for your analysis. Setting a scope of analysis allows you to work in drill mode, which enables you to display data in progressively greater detail. Scope of analysis means a subset of data, returned by a query, that you will use for analysis in your report. The data for your scope of analysis does not appear in the report until you decide that you want to use it in analysis. The scope of analysis you can define depends on hierarchies in the universe. A hierarchy, which the designer sets up when creating the universe, consists of dimension objects ranked from less detailed to more detailed. The objects that belong to hierarchies are the ones you can use to define scope of analysis.

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Applying conditions A condition is a way of limiting the data that a query returns. When universe designers build universes, they can create predefined Predefined conditions conditions for you to use. For example, the Island Resort Marketing universe contains predefined conditions such as Year 98, which lets you obtain reservations for 1998 only. You can apply one or more predefined conditions when you build a query. However, you can neither delete predefined conditions from a universe, nor can you edit their definition. Simple Conditions Enable you to limit data returned by a result object. For example, you can find out about certain customers by applying a simple condition on the Customer object, then selecting the customer names that appear in a dialog box. Enable you to limit the query results by any object in the Universe.

Complex Conditions

Running a Query on a Different Universe BUSINESS OBJECTS allows you to run a query on one universe and then run the same query on a different universe. By doing this, you can test your query on a pilot universe before applying it to your real data. 1. Open the report containing the query. 2. From the Data menu, choose View Data. The Data Manager dialog box opens. 3. Choose the query you want to use in the Data Providers list, then click the Definition tab. 4. Click the button to the right of the current universe name. 5. In the dialog box that appears, select the universe you want to use, then click OK. 6. Click the Results tab, then Refresh. 7. Click OK to close the Data Manager.

Q. What are user objects? A universe consists primarily of classes and objects, created by the universe designer. If the objects in a universe do not meet your needs, you can customize the universe by creating your own objects, which are called user objects. Why create a user object? Based on one or more existing objects, user objects enable you to: Make calculations at the database level. Apply functions to text, for example to capitalize data. Group data.

What does a user object consist of? A user object has a name, a type (character, date or numeric), a qualification (dimension, measure or detail) and a formula. The formula contains a combination of functions, objects, user objects, operators, and text. User objects are end-user personal objects that are not shared with other end users. What are the restrictions on user objects? You can work only with the user objects that you create yourself, and you cannot move user objects from the User Objects class. Also, user objects are available only in the universe in which they were created. User objects are not shared. Reports that include user objects can only be viewed by other end-users. This is because user objects are stored locally in a specific user object definition file. Other end-users, who do not have the same user object definition file are not able to access the user object definitions. If an end-user tries to refresh or edit a query that contains another users user objects, the user objects are automatically removed from the query and report.
Note: Scheduling reports containing user objects is not a supported feature. User objects are removed when

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the report is refreshed. How can an end-user share user objects with other users? If an end-user wants to share user objects with other users, they should ask the universe designer to include these user objects in the related universe in order to make them available to all BUSINESSOBJECTS endusers. The universe designer includes the file UNIVERSE_NAME.UDO in the universes where the user objects are to be used. Applying Groups of Conditions You use conditions to limit the data retrieved by queries. A group of conditions consists of two or more conditions (predefined, simple or complex) applied on the same query. You use groups of conditions when a single condition does not enable you to obtain the data that you need. A group of conditions consists of two or more conditions applied on the same query. In the Conditions box in the Query Panel, conditions are linked by an operator (AND or OR). Building Combined Queries BUSINESS OBJECTS lets you combine the data returned by up to eight queries as one set of results. These combined queries enable you to: Obtain a single column of data from multiple objects. Obtain data common to two sets of results, such as customers from a given region and a given age group. Exclude the results of one query from the results of another. Note: Building combined queries allows you to combine or exclude data from the query result by using operators to combine the results of multiple queries. You can contrast this with using the In list and Not in list operators when you apply a complex condition on a query. The In list and Not in list operators include or exclude data from a query result based on a list of values that you enter. Operators used to combine queries are Union, Intersection and Minus. Setting up hierarchies for drill mode Drill mode enables you to analyze data on different levels of detail. You perform analysis by navigating up, down and across hierarchies of data in a report. You drill down on the data to examine the details of more consolidated data. You drill up on data to examine totals for the underlying data. Your ability to drill on data requires that the data be organized into hierarchies.
Note: You can only work in drill mode if you have installed the EXPLORER option with BUSINESSO BJECTS.

Exporting Data From BusinessObjects What external formats are available? You can export data from BUSINESSOBJECTS to the following formats: Text. You can open the text file in many different applications, and on platforms other than Windows (Macintosh, OS/2 or UNIX, for example). Spreadsheet format (Microsoft Excel). When you view the exported data in the spreadsheet application, each value appears in a separate cell. RDBMS format (including .dbf format for dBASE). When you export data from BUSINESS OBJECTS to RDBMS format, you create a relational table in the database. The table contains the columns of data returned by the data provider. This feature enables you to extract a subset of data from a very large table, then export the result to your RDBMS. Once exported, the data can be retrieved by running a data provider in BUSINESSOBJECTS. The universe designer can build a new universe, or edit an existing universe, to map to the data in the new table. Alternatively, you can access the data directly by using freehand SQL. Options available to export data from BO ? Export to Local File format

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? ?

Export to RDBMS Copy to DDE

Using offline mode Using BUSINESS OBJECTS in offline mode means that you are not connected to a repository which in turn means that, whatever your connection type, you will not be able to retrieve and send documents using BROADCAST A GENT . However, what you can do once you have opened BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode depends on the type of connection you chose to use in offline mode. Client/Server connection If you are using a BUSINESSOBJECTS client/server connection offline and not connected to a repository, you can still work with documents and universes stored locally on your computer and even create and refresh documents if you have a connection to the database, and the database connection and security information is stored on your computer. Web connection If you are using a web connection offline, you will not be able to retrieve documents from, and send documents to, Personal Document folders on the web server, and will not be able to create queries or refresh documents because all the database and connection information is stored on the web server. In offline mode, you can continue to work on documents stored locally; you can work on the formatting of your reports or analyze data in existing reports, for example, and work with the data contained in the document to build new reports. If BUSINESSOBJECTS cannot establish the connection you requested with the web server, it may give you the option of starting BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode if your user rights allow you to work offline. No remote connection You may also choose to start BUSINESSOBJECTS in offline mode because you know you have no remote connection at all - for example, on a plane - and want to continue to work on documents you have stored locally. Note: The right to use BUSINESSOBJECTS offline is given to you by your BUSINESSOBJECTS supervisor or system administrator. Depending on how BUSINESSOBJECTS has been set up in your company, you may not even have the option of logging on to BUSINESSO BJECTS in offline mode.

Different ways of refreshing documents

BUSINESS OBJECTS allows you to refresh documents in the following ways: Manually Automatically at specific times or intervals By sending the document to Broadcast Agent, the BUSINESSO BJECTS product that manages the scheduled processing of documents. Every time you open a document.

Saving a document for all users If you want to make a document accessible to another user working without a repository, then check the Save for all users option in the Save as dialog box (Save As command, File menu). If you do not do this, users working without a repository will get an error message saying You are not authorized to use this document when they try to open your document. This is important to bear in mind if you are sending documents to other users via email, for example. Saving WebIntelligence documents If you have opened a WEBINT ELLIGENCE document in BUSINESS OBJECTS, you cannot save it as a W EBINTELLIGENCE document. You can only save it as a BUSINESS OBJECTS document, i.e., a .rep file.

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Once you have saved the document, you can send, publish and schedule the document, but only as a BUSINESS OBJECTS document, not as a WEBINTELLIGENCE document. If you want to send, publish and schedule the document as a WEBINTELLIGENCE document, you must use INFOVIEW in your Web browser.
Displaying Data in Tables

BUSINESS OBJECTS has three basic ways of displaying the data in a report. You can display data in tables, in charts or in free-standing cells. What Types of Tables? BUSINESS OBJECTS has three types of table. It has two basic table types that display data in a list and crosstabs, which are a special kind of table that allows you to summarize data. Tables: BUSINESSO BJECTS tables display data in either rows or in columns and have a header and a footer. Header and footer rows and columns are special rows and columns. The header displays information about the row or column e.g. a label or the name of the variable whose values are displayed. The footer displays calculations on the values displayed in the columns or rows. Crosstab tables: A crosstab is a particular kind of table where data is displayed in columns and in rows. Corresponding data appears at the intersection of the columns and rows; this part of the crosstab is called the body. The body typically displays numerical data. A crosstab can display both row totals and column totals as well as a grand total. You need at least three variables to display data in a crosstab including one measure. The measure is placed in the body of the crosstab. Free-Standing Cells: BUSINESS OBJECTS reports have two types of cell: cells that make up tables and freestanding cells. A free-standing cell is a single cell that is not attached to any other report component and can be moved and formatted individually. Free-standing cells have many uses in BUSINESSOBJECTS reports. They are containers for text, calculations or graphics and are used among other things for report titles, for adding comments and for displaying page numbers. What are master/detail reports? Master/detail reports enable you to split large blocks of data into sections. This type of presentation allows you to avoid repeating values and also to display subtotals.

Structuring a Master/Detail Report

You set up a master/detail report by setting a variable as a master cell. This section describes the different ways to do this. You can: use a variable in a table or crosstab to create a master cell add a variable from the Report Manager to create a master cell

Organizing Data in Reports

Limiting the Data Displayed You may not want to display all the data returned by a data provider in a report. Yo u may want to focus on a selection of it only, which is difficult to do if there is a lot of data on the screen. A filter enables you to hide the data you do not want to view behind the scenes and display only the data you need. There are two types of filter. A global filter affects the whole report. A blockspecific filter only filters data for the specified chart, table or crosstab.

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Creating more complex filters Simple filters enable you to view only the data you need in a report. When you apply a simple filter, all you do is select values for a variable in the report. Complex filters enable you to display values that satisfy conditions. You define a complex filter by writing a formula. Ignoring filters You can force BUSINESSOBJECTS to ignore any filters you have inserted on a report so that when you make a calculation, the calculation is made on all the data, not just the filtered values. To do this, you use the NoFilter function. The syntax is: =NoFilter(formula) Using Ranking to View the Top and Bottom Values You may only want to show the extreme ranges of the data. For example, you may want to determine your top ten customers. Ranking enables you to look at the largest numbers and the smallest numbers in a report. Like filtering, it hides the data you do not want to display. The hidden data is not deleted from the report you can view it again whenever you like by removing the ranking. Ranking also sorts the data in descending order. Thus, the largest value of the ranking is always at the top of the ranked column and the smallest value at the bottom. You can rank data contained in tables, crosstabs or master cells in master/detail reports. Highlighting Data: using Alerter Note: You cannot use alerters on charts. What is a break? A break does what its name implies. It breaks up the data in a table or crosstab by grouping the data according to a selected value. This allows you to display all the data for each value of a dimension variable together, and more importantly, it allows you to display subtotals.

Note: You cannot insert breaks on data in charts.

Calculations BUSINESS OBJECTS has standard calculation functions that enable you to make quick calculations on the data in reports. These calculations are available directly from a menu. The most commonly used calculations are also available on the Report toolbar. What are calculation contexts? (ITC) By default, BUSINESSO BJECTS determines the result of a measure based on the dimension or dimensions in the part of the report in which the measure is inserted. These sets of dimensions are called calculation contexts. Calculation contexts are dynamic in BUSINESSO BJECTS. Understanding input and output contexts BUSINESS OBJECTS defines an input context and an output context to determine the result of an aggregate calculation. Remember that a context is made up of one or more dimensions. The following table defines which dimensions in a report make up which context:

Analyzing Data in drill mode What is drill mode?

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Drill mode is a BOs analysis mode that allows you to break down data and view it from different angles and on different levels of detail to discover what is the driving factor behind a good or bad result. Hierarchies Objects are also organized in this way for drilling. When you analyze data in drill mode, you use hierarchies. The Universe classes are the default hierarchies you use for drilling but the Universe designer can also set up custom hierarchies. You can also create and edit hierarchies in your reports. Drill hierarchies only contain dimension objects. In drill mode, you drill down on dimensions, for example from Year to Quarter to Month. At each level, measures, such as Revenue or Profit Margin, are recalculated. Qualifying Data For Hierarchies BUSINESS OBJECTS qualifies data as dimensions, measures or details. Hierarchies only contain dimensions so if you want to include an object in a hierarchy for analysis in drill mode, you must qualify it as a dimension. Note: You cannot change the qualification of data returned by a query on a universe. Q. What is Slice and Dice feature in Business Objects? (AG Technologies)

Working in Slice -and-Dice Mode

Slice-and-dice mode enables you to switch the position of data in a report. You can, for ex, move data from columns to rows. The result would be a crosstab, where numeric data such as revenue appears at the intersection of rows and columns. You can also use slice-and-dice mode to: Work with master/detail reports Display and remove data Rename, reset and delete blocks Turn tables and crosstabs into charts, and vice versa Apply, edit and delete breaks, filters, sorts, rankings and calculations. Slice-and-dice mode is enabled by the Slice and Dice Panel, a pop-up window that provides a graphical representation of the report you are working on. You carry out tasks by dragging and dropping icons that represent the data you can use. Formatting Sections What are sections? There are two types of section in a BUSINESSOBJECTS report.
Main Section

If you have not created any sections, the main section is the only section in the report and when you apply shading, the whole report (except margins) will be shaded in the same color.
Sections in a Master/Detail report

If you have set up a report with sections, you can apply a different type of shading to each section in the report. This can allow you to easily distinguish between the different sections. The sections you have created are contained in the main section and a main section header is displayed at the beginning of the report and a main section footer at the end of the report. You can hide the main section header or the main section footer or both of them if you wish.

Formatting Tables Tables and crosstabs are made up of headers and footers, columns and rows, and cells. All these elements together make up the block. The cell is the most basic element of a table or crosstab. Rows and columns are made up of groups of cells. When you format tables and crosstabs, you can work on the formatting cell by cell or on the block formatting.

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Using hyperlinks in BusinessObjects reports You can easily add hyperlinks such as email addresses and web site addresses to your reports. BUSINESS OBJECTS automatically recognizes certain keywords or symbols included in the address, adds any extra syntax behind the scenes and formats the address as a hyperlink. Hyperlinks you add to a BUSINESS OBJECTS report are retained when you save the report in PDF or in HTML format. Positioning report components Relative positioning Relative positioning means positioning a selected block in relation to markers such as page margins or other blocks. If these markers change in size or position the block is re -positioned accordingly.

Using Outline View

When you have a report in sections with a lot of information in each section, a convenient way of presenting the report is to use outline view. Outline view folds up the sections in the report to display only the high level information that youve included at the top of each section. People viewing your reports can then open up the sections they are interested in to get more details. A bar with arrows is displayed at the left side of the report window. The number of buttons displayed at the bottom of the outline bar depends on the number of sections you have in the report. What is a template? A standard report does not contain information on page setup or include custom elements such as graphics. A BUSINESS OBJECTS template allows you to do this. A template is a special kind of B USINESS OBJECTS docume nt that contains pre-defined styles and structure that you use as a foundation to create reports. BUSINESS OBJECTS comes with several templates for you to use and you can also create your own. Structure: The structure of a report defines how the data is presented. Your data can be presented in a crosstab, a column chart, or it can have a master/detail structure Styles: The styles contained in a template define the report page background and the style of the headers and footers.

Interview Questions from Mascot Systems:

Can we create filters in Universes using Designer? Yes What is the difference in creating filters in Designer and BusinessObjects? How to make a report available to other users? What are categories? (while publishing the reports (supervisor & BCA)) Explain about prompts in BO?
Interview Questions from KPIT Infotech, Pune.

1. How do you create prompts and conditions? 2. Built in functions 3. How do you create a universe, step-by-step approach.

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Designing, Creating and maintaining a universe

The phased in this include:

Planning
Break down the information system into functional areas

Analysis
Analyze the information needs of users

Design
Design a conceptual schema Design the specification of a universe

Implementation
Create a universe with DESIGNER Test the universe with BUSINESSOBJECTS/WEBINTELLIGENCE Distribute the universe Repeat the above steps for other universes

Maintenance
Update and maintain the universe Notify end users of changes

4. How do u create filters, step-by-step approach. 5. What different domain are there in BO There are 3 domains: Security, Universe and Document domains. 6. What are Model Queries?
Interview questions from MBT

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

To create reports what tools, you have used in BO. Ans) BO Have you created a repository? No Which is the best way to resolve a loop (alias or context)? Why? Alias What are the contents of repository? How do you design universe? How do you pull reports to excel from BusinessObjects? How do you publish your reports in BO, without using Broadcast agent, to a corporate database? (WebIntelligence) 8. Have you worked on WebIntelligence? Yes 9. Can a universe point to multiple databases simultaneously? How? No 10. Can I grant permission to a user to view only a particular report? Yes 11. If I want to grant access to a report to a group of users, how do I do?
Interview Questions from AG-Technologies:

1. Explain about your project? (Mascot) Page 23 of 25

2. 3. 4. 5.

How many tables are there in each universe in your project? What is the BO version you have used? What is the system configuration in which Business Objects are installed? If I want to install BO Enterprise products in Windows 2000 professional server, what should be the system configuration? 6. What is a repository? What it contains? (Explain the different domains in the repository) 7. who are the users of the repository? 8. Can a repository contain reports?
Interview Questions from ITC:

1. Is Universe MOLAP or OLAP? MOLAP MOLAP: Multidimensional OLAP OLAP: Online Analytical Processing 2. What will be there in the Domains?
A Business Objects repository is a set of data structures stored on a database. A repository makes it possible to share the resources necessary for client/server architecture. To ensure security and manage user resources, a repository comprises three types of domains: a security domain, which contain the definition of the other domains as well as the definition of users universe domains, which are meta-models of related databases, containing a description of the data to be accessed document domains, which contain the structures for storing shared documents and for executing tasks according to a timestamped definition. These three types of domains make it possible for all users to share resources.

Q. Can we have a report with multiple data sources? Yes 3. Can we have a report with multiple data providers? Yes. We can add a new data provider to an existing report, where it asks for the source either it may be a universe or other(Freehand SQL, Personal Data files, VBA , Stored Procedures) 4. How do u use aggregate tables in Star Schema? Using multiple Star Schemas.
Interview Questions from PCS:

Business Objects 1. Can we create aliases for every table before hand ? If yes what are the disadvantages? 2. What problems are NOT known while performing Integrity Check? 3. Where do we use GLOBAL FILTERS, explain with example? 4. What sort of Drill Down charts did you prepare, name few. 5. Outer Join Pl/Sql statement

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6. How did you give a developed Universe to your client. 7. Using Formula Object in another Formula Object 8. What happens if Cardinalities are not Resolved.

2. Explain the steps to create Universe? (Need to explain all the necessary steps including filters, joins, objects etc.) 3. How if you will create conditions and where we will create these filters? 4. Can we create conditions at report level? What are disadvantages creating conditions at report level. Explain? 5. Practical question: I have one department and avg(sal) of each department, Now I want a report some thing like department name along with Avg(sal) by specifying the department number as Parameter. Explain how best we can do this report.

* WHAT ARE DIFFERENT USER PROFILES OF BUSINESS OBJECTS? * EXPLAIN USER HIERARCHY IN BUSINESS OBJECTS?

Interview Questions from Shreesoft

1. How do you generate a dynamic prompt

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