1. What is the default location of a repository file?

C:\OracleBI\server\Repository
2. How many repository files can be loaded to a BI Server simultaneously? Assume its a single
server with single instance of BI Server running just to keep things easy

3. If you have more than 3 repository files mentioned in your NQSConfig.ini file as default,
which one gets loaded to the memory when the BI Server is started?
Star = SamplerRepository1.rpd, DEFAULT;
Star = SamplerRepository2.rpd, DEFAULT;
Star = SamplerRepository3.rpd, DEFAULT;
4. How do you import Essbase Cubes into your repository?
5. Whats XMLA and where is it used for in OBIEE context?
6. Can you change the location of your rpd file in your OBIEE Configuration? If Yes, Where would
you mention the new location of this rpd file for Bi Server?
7. What kind of joins would you perform in the physical layer of the repository file when opened
with Administration tool?
Physical Join
8. What are the minimum services needed to load a repository file onto memory and view a
dashboard which has reports that have been refreshed on a scheduled basis?
OC4j, Presentation server, Oracle BI Server and Scheduler Server
9. Can you use an OLTP backend database for creating a dashboard?
Yes, provided it has been extracted, transformed and loaded in OLAP server
10. How many tables are needed in minimum to pass through the Consistency Checking in
Logical Layer (Business Mapping and Modeling Layer) of the repository?
Min ONE
11. Can you create new views in the database using OBIEE Administration tool? Can you
explain the procedure for doing this?

1. In the Physical layer of the repository, right-click the opaque view that you want
to deploy.
2. In the right-click menu, choose Deploy View(s).
3. In the View Deployment - Deploy View(s) dialog box, perform the following
steps:
a. In the New Table Name column, change the new deployed view names, if
you wish.

If the change does not conform to the naming rules a new name will be
assigned and the dialog box appears again so that you can accept or
change it. This action will repeat until all names pass validation.
b. If you do not wish to deploy one or more of the views at this time, in the
appropriate rows, clear the check boxes.
4. If there are multiple connection pools defined for the database, in the Select
Connection Pool dialog box, choose a connection pool and click Select.
The SQL statement (CREATE VIEW) executes, and then the View Deployment
Messages dialog box appears.
5. In the View Deployment Messages dialog box, you can search for views using
Find and Find Again or copy the contents.
6. When you have performed the desired tasks, click OK.

12. What is a complex join in OBIEE and why, where is it used?

Complex join is used to specify the degree of cardinality and to allow us to work with Multiple
logical table sources, and is used in the BMM layer.
13. Is it mandatory to have hierarchies defined in your repository? If Yes, where does it help? If
No, what happens in the reports?
To create level based measures, to create drill down of levels and to sort the columns.
14. How do you create outer joins in physical layer?
While creating the Physical join , click the option Type
15. What does Consistency Checking perform; What are the minimum criteria to pass
consistency checking for a given repository?

Business Model
Repository metadata must pass a consistency check before you can make the repository
available for queries. The Consistency Check Manager allows you to enable and disable
rules for consistency checks, navigate to and fix inconsistent objects, and limit the
consistency check to specific objects.
The Consistency Check Manager does not check the validity of objects outside the
metadata using the connection. It only checks the consistency of the metadata and not any
mapping to the physical objects outside the metadata. If the connection is not working or

objects have been deleted in the database, the Consistency Check Manager will not report
these errors.
The consistency checker returns the following types of messages:

Error. These messages describe errors that need to be fixed. Use the information
in the message to correct the inconsistency, and then run the consistency checker
again. The following is an example of an error message:
[38082] Type of Hierarchy '"0RT_C41"..."0RT_C41/MDF_BW_Q02"."Product
Hierarchy for Material MARA"' in Cube Table
'"0RT_C41"..."0RT_C41/MDF_BW_Q02"' needs to be set.
NOTE: If you disable an object and it is inconsistent, you will receive a message
asking if you want to make it unavailable for queries.

Warning. These messages indicate conditions that may or may not be errors,
depending upon the intent of the Oracle BI Administrator. For example, a warning
message about a disabled join may be the result of the Oracle BI Administrator
intentionally disabling a join, such as eliminating a circular join condition. The
following is an example of a warning message:
[39024] Dimension '"Paint"."MarketDim"' has defined inconsistent values in its
levels' property 'Number of elements'.

Best practices. These messages provide information about conditions but do not
indicate an inconsistency. The message appears if a condition violates a best
practice recommendation. The following is an example of a best practice
message:
[89001] The Physical Table '"XLS_Forecast"."Forecast".."Sheet1$"' has no keys
defined.

NOTE: After upgrading from a previous software version and checking the consistency
of your repository, you might notice messages that you had not received in previous
consistency checks. This typically indicates inconsistencies that had been undetected
prior to the upgrade, not new errors.
In the Consistency Check Manager, in the Messages tab, you can sort the rows of
messages by clicking the column headings. Additionally, the status bar provides a
summary of all the rows displayed

16. Does OBIEE store physical sql ? How is physical sql generated in OBIEE environments?
Answers, View Log

17. Are there any occasions where physical sql is not generated when running against a
backend database like Oracle, SQL Server or any other relational database?

No
18. What is the best default logging level for production users?
2
19. What is the difference between logging level 1 and 2?

Level 1

Logs the SQL statement issued from the client application.

Logs elapsed times for query compilation, query execution, query cache
processing, and back-end database processing.
Logs the query status (success, failure, termination, or timeout). Logs the user ID,
session ID, and request ID for each query.

Level 2

Logs everything logged in Level 1.

Additionally, for each query, logs the repository name, business model name,
presentation catalog (called Subject Area in Answers) name, SQL for the queries
issued against physical databases, queries issued against the cache, number of
rows returned from each query against a physical database and from queries
issued against the cache, and the number of rows returned to the client
application.

20. What are the different places (files) to view the physical sql generated by an Answers
report?
21. Where does the BI Server logs its start, stop and restart times in the file system?
C:\OracleBI\server\Log
22. You have two tables Table 1 and Table 2 joined by a foreign key in the database? They are
imported together from the database into your physical layer. Is this relationship still preserved
in the OBIEE physical layer?

Yes
23. Same as question 22 but what happens if you import each table seperately?
Yes, still the relation ship exists provide you import all the tables.

24. If Table 1 and Table 2 are dragged from physical layer to BMM layer, which table becomes a
Fact Table and which table becomes a Dimension Table?
25. What if the tables (Table 1 and Table 2) are not joined, then what happens in BMM layer?
All of them appear as Facts.
26. What is the difference between logical table and logical table source?
27. How many LTS (Logical Table Sources) can a logical table have? Whats the minimum and
maximum?
Min One maximum N number.
28. How many server instances can coexist in an OBIEE cluster?
29. Whats a dimension only query in OBIEE?
30. Aggregation rules are set on top of columns (Physical Columns or Logical
Columns or Both) Both
Lets get to questions that are little more complex in my opinion
31. What is alternative drill path? How do you set alternative drill path in OBIEE?
32. What are the pre-requisites for using aggregate persistence wizard? What does aggregate
persistence wizard create and what does it help with?
33. Can you import data in multiple sheets from an Excel file? How do you import data from an
Excel sheet? (Forget about csv files for now)
34. What are the uses of Execute Direct SQL feature in Answers? Is it a good practice to allow
this feature for production users?
35. How do you disable Execute Direct SQL feature for all the users of your repository?
36. I want to store the value of the last time the respository was updated and show it in the
dashboard? What type of variable can be used for this purpose?
37. Is there any way to see a list of all the repository variables defined in your repository using
Answers tool?
38. What are Chronological Keys in OBIEE? How are they different from Logical Keys?
39. You want to use a database built-in function bypassing the functions defined in OBIEE?
What OBIEE function helps in achieving this? Whats the syntax for this function?
40. What are the different ways to authenticate an user in OBIEE system? Can OBIEE
authenticate a user passing through multiple authentication methods?
41. How do you resolve M:M relationship between tables in OBIEE? Explain a scenario where
this would help?
42. Does OBIEE support ragged hierarchies? What is the procedure to import ragged
hierarchies from Essbase?
43. You are trying to open a repository using Admin tool and when you click to say Open
Online; a dialogue box pops up saying Your rpd is available in read-only mode. How can you
edit this repository by opening online?

44. How do you set up usage tracking in OBIEE? Is the Usage Tracking mechanism in OBIEE
configurable to capture new identified metrics by your department?
45. What is the default configuration for caching in NQSConfig.ini file? How method does the
OBIEE use for clearing its cache?
46. Table 1 and Table 2 are joined together in an Answers query. Table 1 is defined as cachable
and Table 2 is defined as not cachable? What happens to the resultset used in the Answers
tool? Is the result cached or not cached?
47. What is MUDE/ MUD in OBIEE? On what basis would you create projects?
48. Two people (Developer A and Developer B) are assigned to the same project inside MUD
and opened the same project simultaneously. Developer A made some changes to the project
and merged his changes to the original repository. Developer B also made some changes and
commited his changes to the original repository? Does the MUD environment preserve both
Developer A and Developer B changes?
49. In MUDE, Can two resources checkout the same project simultaneously?
50. In MUDE, what happens if the physical tables are shared between projects?
51. What are the different types of utilities provided in OBIEE? Explain any two utilities used in
your previous projects and what are they used for?
52. What are the different documentation mechanisms available in Admin tool? How do you
create documentation for your Answers users against all objects available in your subject
areas?