Q. How do you model the data?

A. You need to split the records into static and dynamic.

Q. What is fish bone diagram?
A. It is used to find the cause and effect of a problem.
A. Fish-bone Analysis is a cause and effect analysis tool that helps to identify
the problem and causes of the problem using a fish-like structure - the problem
is at the head of the fish and the skeleto...
Q. Tell me about slowly changing dimensions.
Q. What are the 3 types of fact tables?
Q. Should you use a star schema or snowflake?
Q. What is 3rd normal form and why use it?
Q. What is the Kimball methodology?
Q. Give a brief overview of how you would model the data behind a loan applicati
on system.
Q. Why would you use a Null as a data value?
A. To indicate an uninitialized variable or field
Q. Do you want to script pushing data around between different database systems?
A. No.
Q. Why deleting data from a table does not release space for the db?
A. that's how db works, deleting data from a db doesn't always release space..et
c.
Q. How to model different types of insurance policies using relational database?
How to query them?
A. use XML, deconstruct the attributes into labels and use general tables to rep
resent each attributes. create different tables for each types of insurance poli
cies...etc
Q. Describe the steps needed to establish a data warehouse infrastructure.
Q. What does it mean to be a consultant?
A. Being a consultant means that you do not necessarily solve the clients proble
ms....rather you guide them to the solution. You do not advocate a technological
position, you are technologically agnostic. Often times the client understand w
hat it is they need to accomplish at a technical level. The idea of consulting i
s to help the client execute their plan through policy, procedures, governance,
etc...

Data Modeling Q-A.

Q. What is the difference between star flake and snow flake schema?
A1. Star Schema: Well in star schema you just enter your desired facts and all t
he primary keys of your dimensional tables in Fact table. And fact tables primar
y is the union of its all dimension table key. In star schema dimensional tables
are usually not in BCNF form.
SnowFlake: Its almost like starschema but in this our dimension tables are in 3r
d NF, so more dimensions tables. And these dimension tables are linked by primar

y, foreign key relation.

A2. Star schema: In the star schema design, a single object (the fact table) sit
s in the middle and is radically connected to other surrounding objects (dimensi
on lookup tables) like a star. A star schema can be simple or complex. A simple
star consists of one fact table; a complex star can have more than one fact tabl
e.Snowflake schema In this a Dimension can have multiple Levels within multiple
Hierarchies. From each hierarchy of levels any one Level can be attached to Fact
Table. Mostly Lowest Level is attached to Fact Table.
A3. If someone asks about a star flake schema you will know they are not a data
modeler since there is no such thing. There are star schemas, sno flake schemas
and there are even data vaults but there is no star flake schema.
A4. There does exist a concept of "Starflake" schema. Star flake schema is a hyb
rid structure ( star schema + snow flake schema).
It has basic structure of star schema but based on requirements certain dimensio
ns are snowflaked i.d. normalized.
A Snowflake is a hybrid of a Star: Everything that a star contains but dimension
tables are normalized.
A5. Star schema - normalized one snow flake-denormalized
A6. Star flake schema's are snowflake schema's where only some of the dimension
tables have been denormalized.
Every star flake schema is also a snowflake schema.
Not every snowflake schema is a starflake schema.
A snowflake schema with all of its dimension tables normalized is not a starflak
e schema.
Q. What is a toponomy database ?
A. Toponomy database is a collection of data related to the study of place names
, their origins,meaning,topology and their use.
Q. What is difference between query calculation and layout calculation
A. The query calculation helps to create a report to add a new row or column wit
h values that are based on a calculations.
Layout calculation helps to create a report which contains run time information
such as current time, date, and user name.It does not perform any operations on
data.
Q. Describe the v-model and fish model in sdlc ?
A.
Q. Client dependent table... What are the values given to the field name,data el
ement and type of a table to make it as a client dependent ?
Q. How to construct pyramid struture
Q. What is the impact of data modeling software engineering?
A. GUI Representation of a Data model of any system helps in understanding the d
ata flow and relationship between the entities.

Q. what is aggregation in DBMS?Explain in simple words.

A. A concept which is used to model a relationship between a collection of entit
ies and relationships. It is used when we need to express a relationship among r

elationships.
Aggregation - a feature of the entity relationship model that allows a relations
hip set to participate in another relationship set. This is indicated on an ER d
iagram by drawing a dashed box around the aggregation.
Informatica Architecture
Can you Explain about Informatica Architecture ? and what difference between ser
vice based and service oriented ?
|----------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------|
| SOURCES
|client tools
| TARGET
|
| like ,oracle,db2
|powercenter repositery
| repositery serv
er |
|----------------------------|---------------------------------|------------------|
Q. Database Structure Change
We already have a database structure, but it is the structure without normalizat
ion and very confused and in need of change, but already has a large volume of s
tored data, for example, all financial data company, which finance department of
ficials are afraid of losing. We are undecided about remodeling the entire struc
ture of the database and retrieve the most basic and all that is possible, or co
ntinue with the same model along with their problems. I wonder if someone has ma
de a change like this, if you can actually transfer the data to a new structure.
thanks Marco Bueno System Analyst - Melies on Line.
A. What ever data base structure you have you can get a Logical model out of it
using Reverse Engineering. Erwin is one data model tool which does it. You shoul
d apply normalizing techniques to bring the same to a 3NF (Normal Form) and redu
ce the redundancy. Creating new entities by breaking up of de-normalized entitie
s. Resolving many to many relationships. Finally create a new database structure
(Physical Model) based on 3NF from the logical model.
Once you acheive a model in 3NF you can do Data migration by simple ETVL ( Extra
ct, Transform, Validation and Load) from old data structure to new data structur
e. Before doing it your High Level Design should have proper Data mapping docume
nt and Metadata document so that you do not lose data.
Q. What is ERD?
A. ERD = Entity-Relation Diagram is a high level data model that includes all ma
jor entities and relationships (ERD is a modeling technique that represents a lo
gical design of a particular business process. Each entity has attributes and di
fferent entities are connected through primary key/foreign key relationships.)
A2.Data models are tools used in analysis to describe the data requirements and
assumptions in the system from a top-down perspective. They also set the stage f
or the design of databases later on in the SDLC.
There are three basic elements in ER models:
Entities are the "things" about which we seek information.
Attributes are the data we collect about the entities.
Relationships provide the structure needed to draw information from multiple ent
ities.
Every statement written above is correct regarding ER Diagrams except that they
fall under conceptual design phase and not under logical.

A relational database design goes through 3 phases:

1. Conceptual ( ER Diagrams)
2. Logical ( Relational Schema)
3. Physical ( Physical Database objects)
Q. Is this statement TRUE or FALSE
all databases must be in third normal form?
A. False. It is not necessary that all databases should be in the Third Normal F
orm. It is upto the requirement of the application.
Adhering to the third normal form, while
practical. If you have a Customers table
interfield dependencies, you must create
sales representatives, customer classes,
ated in multiple records.

theoretically desirable, is not always

and you want to eliminate all possible
separate tables for cities, ZIP codes,
and any other factor that may be duplic

In theory, normalization is worth pursuing; however, many small tables may degra
de performance or exceed open file and memory capacities.
Q. can we convert exel file to XML file using informatica ?
Q. Informatica: if flat file name varies day by day ...
If we are using flat file in our loading, and flat file name change daily so how
we handle this without changing file name manually daily? for example: like fil
e name is changing depend on date so what should I do? pls help.
A. Use the indirect filelist option at informatica session.
say the filelist name is daily_file.txt
put a shell script daily_filename.sh at the pre-session command.
The content of daily_filename.sh is as:
filename_stagnant=ABC
filename_new=$filename_stagnant`TZ=CST+24 date +%Y%m%d`
echo $filename_new >daily_file.txt
You can modify the filename_stagnant and date formatting as per your requirement
or project conventions.
Q. What is the structure of the reject file in Informatica?
A. There is no predefined structure for bad files. It has the same structure as
of the target table.
Q. What is the difference between Agile methodology and Waterfall model?
A1. Agile method:1)It's highest priority is to satisfy customer through early an
d continuous delivery of valuable software.
2)changing requirements,sometimes late in development.
3)Delivery of working software frequently,shorter time duration.
4)Business people and developers work throughout the project.
5)Build projects considering few trusted people,by giving support and help in an
y manner needed for the software to become available.
A2. In Agile methodology we are repeating the cycle of develop and test.We start
ed from FRD to do coding and then testing,small builds are coded and tested agai
n if any new modifications are needed it can be done or any changes can be made

to the build and then it is tested again means development process follows all t
he phases of SDLC only coding and testing phase gets repeated until we got our f
inal build.This is agail.
In waterfall, we are proceeding step by step through the SDLC when we completed
one phase then we can enter to another,we can not go back first complete coding
then only can start testing,changes can't be made whenever you want it , used fo
r small projects,need to have strong experience,now a days it is not in demand.
How would you explain about Informatica Project ?
Can any one please tell me how to explain Data warehouse project in interview an
d from where to start and end. what to explain completely in it(data warehouse p
roject), how much hast to explain from it(dw project) and what is architecture o
f it and data flow and construction of dw project or data warehouse.what is data
warehouse methodology ,types of dw methodology, most using dw methodology in co
mpanies right now and project plan of dw, types of Project plan.SRS of DW. High
level documents and low level documents details also. what is end to end project
.is it necessary using of UNIX in data warehouse or not.sample documents of dw m
ethodology,project plan,HLL and LLD documents.