Answer / shah

Part 1 : Cognos

1.What are the technologies that are used in cognos?

Ans1. I guess if you are asking about the tools, then we are
using reporting tools like Report Studio, Query Studio,
Analysis Studio, Metric Studio, Even Studio.... and Modeling
tool is FM (Frame work Manager).
If you are asking about different modeling techniques then
these are Dimensional Modeling, DMR modeling, Relational
modeling.

2.What are complex reports?

Ans2.As per my experiance:
Complex reports are those reports where it needs advanced
reporting. Where we need to use more than one query,
multiple report types to retrieve data, where conditional
formatting, conditional blocka are involved or more joins
are there in the models. these are some example,s which will
make simple report to complex reports.

In general, we can say that, Its a combination of list,
crosstab, chart ..... like that every individual report is a
simple report and the combination of two or more in a single
report which gives a clear analysing for a single view that
is in a single report is a complex report.

3.What is page break?

Ans3. Page break means we display the information on
seperate pages.
Example: Suppose you have a list report and there you have a
column 'Year' and now you want to see every year in a
seperate page then you may apply page break.

select one column(order year) apply group on that column
then select structure in toolbar select page break then run
the report .you will see every year in separate page

4.What is layout component?

Ans4. I guess, By using layout component reference we can
change any header or footer for a group of reports.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.

5.How do you use extract function?

6.What is the use of Crosstab space?

Ans6. To add space to the crosstab to add description inside
a crosstab, we use crosstabspace.

7.What is Rank()?

Ans7. RANK():----> It leaves a gap in the sequence of
ranking in the event of tie.

Ex:

empno ename RANK
101 AAA 1
102 BBB 2
102 BBB 2
102 BBB 2
103 CCC --> 5
103 CCC 5
104 DDD --> 7


8.What is the use of Query calculation and layout calculation?

Ans8. Query calculation: by using query calculation we can
add new data items in report with the help of existing query
items or data items.

Layout calculation: it's a run time calculation like adding
page number, time, dynamic heading to the report
ex: if u add date2string(Today()) function in report we will
get 2010-09-26 date in output.


9.What is Slicer and Dicer?

Ans9. You can use Analysis Studio tools to slice and dice
the data to answer your next business questions.

A Slicer filter affects the cell value. Slicers are used to
reduce the data included in measure rollups. Slicers are
applied to the cells of the crosstab, not the row or column
edges. This means that slicers are useful if you want some
data in a report to be hidden and other data to be visible.
You can create more than one slicer to filter across two or
more dimensions, but you cannot create two slicers from the
same dimension.

Slicing is a vertical view of a report and dicing is a
horizontal view of a report.

10.How can you create users in Cognos?

Ans10. In Access Manager we can create Cognos users.

11.What is last child member?

12.What is the use of Conditional blocks?

Ans12. Conditional block: Specify a variable, based on which
objects inserted into a block can be conditionally rendered,

We can use Conditional blocks for many reasons, e.g. user
can have option for List report or chart report when he runs
the report.

13.What is Conditional Formatting?

Ans13. Use conditional formatting to highlight exceptional
data in a report.
With conditional formatting, you can
• hide and show objects
• highlight data

14.What is group span?

Ans14. Group span is used to eliminate duplicates in data,
in Cognos it is used repeat grouped item. Using level span
we can see the grouped data group by group.
For example, when country and city are both grouped, you can
choose to show the country name each time .
-- the country changes, by spanning Country by Country
-- the city changes, by spanning Country by City
-- there is a new record, by specifying no spanning
Spanning one grouped column by another column is helpful if
the second column contains many items.
Steps
Open the report that you want.
Click the column for which you want to set the group span.
In the Properties pane, click the Group Span property and
click the column you want to span.

15.In which types of reports does the page breaks
applicable? Is it applicable in excel reports?

16.I want to show a up arrow and down arrow image in cross
tab report, if the revenue is > 5000 (up arrow) and if <5000
(down arrow)? How will you achieve this?

Ans16. I guess, you can try with the below example, instead
of applying thru text source variable you try with
conditional formatting.

The text source variable is used to display the text source
values in the place of numerics value.

Eg:
IF revenue>50000 THEN ('high')
ELSE ('low')

Here 'high' and 'low' are text source variables.

17.What are types of Filters in RS? What is Summary Filter
and Detail Filter?

Ans17. Detail filter is used before aggregation and summary
filter is used after aggregation.

just look the explanation below:
lets say that for product A we have three quantity values
10,15 and 18 for product B values are 20,19,11 and so on ..

we set the aggregation total on field quantity .
Detail Filter:
if we group by the quantity on product than we will get the
value 43(Sum of the values) for product A and 50 for product B
if i have applied a filter (quantity >16) and applied on
before aggregation than we will get the output value for A
is 18 and for product B the value is 39 here in both product
A and B we have filter out the values less than 16.

Summary Filter:
if we have applied the same filter on after aggregation than
the output for product A is 43 and for product B is 50. here
we have not filter out any values because the filter is
applied on the product after aggregation.
and u have applied a filter price>=30 before aggregation
than output is 30.

18.What is Cast Function?

Ans18. Cast Function: Converts an expression to a specified
data type. Some data types allow for a length and precision
to be specified. Make sure that the target is of the
appropriate type and size.
cast ( expression, datatype_specification )

Example 1
cast ( '123' , integer )
Result: 123
Example 2
cast ( 12345 , VARCHAR ( 10 ) )
Result: a string containing 12345

19.How will you create prompts for the example like this :
In a single report I want

a) List report (Need a prompt for this)

On the prompt page you create different types of promts.

b) Crosstab report (Need a separate prompt for this)

c) Chart ()(Need a separate prompt for this)

Part II : Framework Manager (FM)

1. What is Determinant in FM?

Ans1. Determinants reflect granularity by representing
subsets or groups of data in a query subject and are used to
ensure correct aggregation of this repeated data.
Determinants are most closely related to the concept of keys
and indexes in the data source and are imported based on
unique key and index information in the data source.

It's use to avoid double counting.

2. What is Cardinality?

Ans2. Cardinality is nothing but relationship between 2 tables.

Ex:
Every employee can be in single department...But, every
department can not have single emplyee..

Hence the following is the cordinality
Employee (1) : Department (n)


3. What are the types of filters used in FM?

Ans3. 2 types of filters used in FM:

Framework Manager supports stand-alone filters and embedded
filters.

Use a stand-alone filter when you want to reuse the expression.
You can add a stand-alone filter to one or more dimensions
or query subjects to limit the data that the query retrieves
when the filtered dimension or query subject is used in a
report, or you can include it in a package to make it
available to your users. By moving a stand-alone filter or a
shortcut to it into a folder, you can better organize the
model objects.

Use an embedded filter when you want to use a filter with
only one dimension or query subject.

You can create an embedded filter when modifying a
dimension, relational data source query subject, or model
query subject.

If you start with an embedded filter, you can later convert
it into a stand-alone expression that you can apply to other
dimensions or query subjects. Tip: Right-click the filter
expression in the Filters tab and click Convert to
Stand-alone Filter.

When you embed a filter, the data source query subject must
have a relationship to any query subject referenced by the
expression. This relationship is necessary even if the
expression references a model query subject based on the
same table as the data source query subject in which you are
embedding the expression.

To create a filter on an unrelated query subject, do one of
the following:

Ensure that there is a join path between the new query
subject and the one that contains the filter.

Base the embedded filter on a query item that is based on
the data source query subject you want.

Convert the calculation to a stand-alone filter, so that it
is not part of the query subject.

Create a stand-alone filter that references the embedded object.

4. Can we create cubes with Relational Data sources?

Ans4. I guess, we can (e.g. thru IQD)
5. What is Aliasing and Shortcut?

Ans5. If u performs any operations in alias it will not
affect on the original data.

If u performs any operations in shortcut it will affect on
the original data.

6. What is Session Parameter & Parameter Maps?

Ans6. In Framework manager there are two types of session
parameter:
1) Environment session parameter
2) Model session parameter

Environment session parameter is set when we login to FM or
Cognos Connection i.e. with LDAP User.

Information like default user name, run locale etc is
maintained in the session parameter. Mostly this session
parameter is used in macros along with parameter map to use
session values in the query subject, model or report.

Parameter maps are used to create conditional query subjects
that allow for substitutions when the report is run.
Parameter maps are objects that store key-value pairs.
Parameter maps are similar to data source look-up tables.
Each parameter map has two columns, one for the key and one
for the value that the key represents. You can manually
enter the keys and values, import them from a file, or base
them on existing query items in the model.
The value of a parameter can be another parameter. However,
you must enclose the entire value in number signs (#). The
limit when nesting parameters as values is five levels.
When you use a parameter map as an argument to a function,
you must use a percentage sign (%) instead of a dollar sign ($).

7. How many types of securities that we have in FM?

Ans7. We can set security at three levels
object level, package level ,data security.


8. What is Data Security in FM?

Ans. Data Security
You create a security filter and apply it to a specific
query subject. The filter controls the data that is shown to
your users when they set up their reports.

Part III : Data warehousing

1.What are various types of Schemas?

Ans. There are 3 types of schema:

1. Star Schema
2. Snowflake Schema
3. Glaxy Schema

2.What is Star Schema and Snow Flow Schema? Difference
between both?

Ans. Star Schema: In a starshema a central facttable
connects a number of individual dimension tables this is
called as a starschema.
It contains less joins so perfomance will be increase.
Starschema contains denormalized data.

Snowflake Schema: One dimension table split into more than
one dimension this is known as snowflake schema.
Snowflake contains normalized data. There are more joins in
snowflake schema. so the performance is degrade.

3.What is surrogate key?

Ans3. A Surrogate Key is a system generated sequence numbers
to be used as primary keys.
A Surrogate keys are used in maintaining the full history in
SCD Type2.

Part IV : Databases

1.What are NVL Functions?

Ans1. Returns the value of exp1 if exp1 is not NULL. If exp1
is NULL, then the value of exp2 is
returned.
Syntax
nvl ( exp1, exp2 )

2.What is left outer join? Give an Example?

Ans2. LEFT OUTER JOIN: It displays matched row from two
tables and unmatched row from left hand side table.

EX: select a.empno,a.ename,a.sal,b.deptno,b.dname,b.loc from
emp a left outer join dept b on(a.deptno=b.b.deptno)

3.Can we straightaway use the tables that we have in the
database instead of creating the package’s FM and making use
of them, through Report Studio (RS)?

Ans3. I guess no, we have to use FM for anything if we do in
the Report Studio.

Answer / pavan

you could use native sql in report studio to build your
report directly using the tables from databse. how ever it
will slows the report performance

if u generate a cube r pakage then its published we open in cc its ask every time for username &pass word?what we do?the pak r cube was not asking the password? what we do for this problem?pls ans me.............

1 Answers  

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How do we create Links & Segments in Cognos Framework Manager?

1 Answers  

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hi, this is harish. i had finsihed cognos course recently.can some one help in the area of project explination, interview questions,real time scenarious....this is my maild id nanagupta907@gmail.com

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How to improve the performance of the report at the report level?

3 Answers  

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What is the difference between drill through, drill across?

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Explain informatica architecture?

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how you burst the reports? If you are bursted reports is not reached to destination how you identify?when you import data into catalog you have complex columns names.how do you change the name of those columns?

0 Answers   IBM,

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what r the claims? how many type of claims we face from client side?

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WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF LIST REPORTS?

4 Answers   Patni,

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How do you call a store procedure within a transformation?

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What is the use of powerplay web viewer in cognos?

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How can we do the unit testing?

3 Answers   Logica CMG,

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