SAP BI/BW Interview Questions

and Answers
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1. What is BW Statistics and how is it used?
The set of info cubes delivered by SAP as a part of SAP BIW
which are useful in measuring the performance of how
quickly a query is calculated, or how quickly data in loaded
into BW and so on. BW statistics are the name suggest are
useful in showing data about the costs associated with BW
queries, aggregative data, OLAP, SAP business warehouse
management.

2. In Data Ware housing what are the nine
decision points used in BW ?
The nine Decision Points of Data Warehousing are:

Identify Dimension Tables.

Identify Attributes of entities.

Define granularity of the fact table.

Pre Calculated Key figures.

Slowly changing dimensions.

Define attributes of entities.

How long data will be kept.

Aggregates.

How often data is extracted.

3. How the dimensions are optimized?
It system can be used as many as possible for performance,
for instance it may be assumed that 100 products and 200
customers; if one dimension for both, the size of the
dimension will be 20000; if it was made individual
dimensions then the total number of rows will be 300.
Even if they are taken more than one characteristic per
dimension, the math considering worst case and decide
which characteristics may be combined in a dimension.

4. As per the update rule what are the
conversion routines for units and currencies?
As per the update rule, the Time dimensions are
automatically converted for example if the cube contains
calendar month and the transfer structure contains date,
the to calendar month is converted automatically.

5. What are the advantages of SID table?
The SIC table Surrogate ID table is the interface
between master data and the dimension table, and the
advantages are:

Uses Numeric as indexes for faster access.

Master Data independent of info cubes.

Language support.

Slowly changing dimension support.

6. How can an info object as info provider and
why?
When the report on characteristics or master data, it can
make them as info provided for example make CUSTOMER
as info provided and do Bex reporting on CUSTOMER,
right click on the info area and select Insert Characteristic
as data target.

7.What other tables are created for master data?
The tables that are created for master data are:
M view Combines P and Q tables.
P table Time independent master data attributes.
Q table Time Dependent master data attributes.
X table Interface between master data SID and time
independent navigational attributes SID where P is linked
to the X table.
Y table Interface between master data SID and time
dependent navigational attributes SID where Q is linked to
the Y table

8. What steps are involved to upload non cumulative
cubes?
The steps that are involved to upload non cumulative cubes
are:

Initialize opening balance in R/3 (S278).

Activate extract structure MC03BF0 for data source

2LIS_03_BF.

Setup historical material documents in R/3.

Load opening balance using data source 2LIS_40_s278.

Load historical movements and compress without marker

update.

Setup V3 update.

Load deltas using 2LIS_03_BF.

9. What are the load process and processing?
The load process and processing are the Info package, Read
PSA and update data target, save hierarchy, update ODS
data object, data export open hub, delete overlapping
requests.

10. What is the data target administration task?
The data target administration target is to delete index,
generate index, construct database statistic, initial fill of
new aggregates, roll up of filled aggregates, compression of
the info cubes, activate ODS, complete deletion of data
target.

11. Give the Step to Step approach to archiving
cubes?
The Step to Step approach to Archiving Cubes is:

Double click on the cube or right click and select change.

Extras > Select archival.

Choose fields for selection like 0CALDAY, 0CUSTOMER,

etc.

Define the file structure maximum file size and maximum

number of data objects.

Select the folder logical file name.

Select the delete options not scheduled, start

automatically or after event.

Activate the cube.

Cube is ready for archival.

12. When there is a locking problems what is the
parallel process?
The parallel process for locking problems:

Hierarchy attributes change run.

Loading master data from same info objects, for example

avoiding master data from different sources system at the
same time.

Rolling up for the same info cube.

Selecting deletions of info cube/ODS and parallel loading.

Activation or deletion of ODS object when loading

parallel.

13. What is the procedure to convert an info
package group into a process chain?
The procedure to convert an info package group into a
process chain is by double clicking on the info package
group, click on the Process Chain Maintenance button and
type in the name and description, the individual info
packages are inserted automatically.

14. How can a cube partitioned for which the
data already exists?
The cube cannot be partitioned if the data already exists
the cube must be empty to do this, one work around is to
make a copy of the cube A to cube B, export data from A to
B using export data source, empty cube A, create partition
on A, re-import data from B, and delete cube B.

15. How can we perform Data Loading Tuning?
Data Loading Tuning can be performed as follows:

Watch the ABAP code in transfer and update rules.

Load Balance on different Servers.

Indexes on Source Tables.

Use fixed length files if the data is loaded from flat files
and put the file on the application server.

Use the content extractor.

Use PSA and data target in parallel option in the info

package.

Start Several Info Packagers parallel with different

selection options.

Buffer the SID number ranges if the data is loaded a lot at

once.

Load Master Data before loading Transaction Data.

16. What is a data source?
The source which is sending data to a particular info source
on BW, for example it contains an OCUSTOMER_ATTR
data source to supply attributes to OCUSTOMER from R/3.

17. What is an info source?
Group of logically related objects, for example the
OCUSTOMER info source will contain data related to
customer and attributes like customer number, address,
phone no, etc.

18. Difference between display attributes and
navigational attributes?
Display attribute is one, which is used only for display
purpose in the report. Where as navigational attribute is
used for drilling down in the report. We don't need to
maintain Navigational attribute in the cube as a
characteristic (that is the advantage) to drill down.

19. Why we delete the setup tables (LBWG) & fill
them (OLI*BW)?
Initially we don't delete the setup tables but when we do
change in extract structure we go for it. We r changing the
extract structure right, that means there are some newly
added fields in that which r not before. So to get the
required data (i.e.; the data which is required is taken and
to avoid redundancy) we delete n then fill the setup
tables.
To refresh the statistical data. The extraction set up reads
the dataset that you want to process such as, customers
orders with the tables like VBAK, VBAP) & fills the relevant
communication structure with the data. The data is stored
in cluster tables from where it is read when the
initialization is run. It is important that during
initialization phase, no one generates or modifies
application data, at least until the tables can be set up.

20. What types of partitioning are there for BW?
There are two Partitioning Performance aspects for BW
(Cube & PSA)
Query Data Retrieval Performance Improvement:
Partitioning by (say) Date Range improves data retrieval by
making best use of database execution plans and indexes
(of say Oracle database engine).
Transactional Load Partitioning Improvement:
Partitioning based on expected load volumes and data
element sizes. Improves data loading into PSA and Cubes
by info packages (Eg. without timeouts).


21. How can compare data in R/3 with data in a
BW Cube after the daily delta loads?

When go to R/3 TCode RSA3 and run the extractor. It will give
you the number of records extracted. Then go to BW Monitor to
check the number of records in the PSA and check to see if it is
the same & also in the monitor header tab.
RSA3 is a simple extractor checker program that allows you to
rule out extracts problems in R/3. It is simple to use, but only
really tells you if the extractor works. Since records that get
updated into Cubes/ODS structures are controlled by Update
Rules, you will not be able to determine what is in the Cube
compared to what is in the R/3 environment. You will need to
compare records on a 1:1 basis against records in R/3 transactions
for the functional area in question. I would recommend enlisting
the help of the end user community to assist since they
presumably know the data.


22. What is Dataflow in BW ?
Data flows from transactional system to analytical system
(BW). Data Sources on the transactional system needs to
be replicated on BW side and attached to info Source and
update rules respectively.


23. Difference between info cube and ODS?
Info cube is structured as star schema (extended) where a
fact table is surrounded by different dim table that are
linked with DIM'ids. And the data wise, you will have
aggregated data in the cubes. No overwrite functionality
ODS is a flat structure (flat table) with no star schema
concept and which will have granular data (detailed level).
Overwrite functionality.

24. What is landscape of R/3 & what is landscape
of BW ?
Then Landscape of R/3 have the development system,
testing system, production system
Development system: All the implementation part is done
in this sys. (I.e., Analysis of objects developing,
modification etc) and from here the objects are transported
to the testing system, but before transporting an initial test
known as Unit testing (testing of objects) is done in the
development sys.
Testing/Quality system: quality check is done in this
system and integration testing is done.
Production system: All the extraction part takes place in
this sys.



25. What is a source system?
The source system is that which sends the data to BW like
R/3, flat file, oracle database or external systems.


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