Latest Microstrategy Interview Questions
1) Explain what is Microstrategy?
Microstrategy is an enterprise business intelligence application software vendor. It supports scorecards, interactive dashboards, ad hoc query, high formatted reports, etc.
2) Mention what specific features and functionality do you get with OLAP services?
With OLAP services users can create a unique report views by removing or adding attributes and metrics contained within the intelligent cube. Without submitting a new request to the data warehouse, the new calculation is performed.
3) Explain how intelligent cubes are different from ordinary cubes?
Intelligent cubes are generated automatically when a new report is run against the data warehouse. Users don’t have to mention the cube to which they want to connect. Within the Microstrategy platform, the logic to match user requests with the proper intelligent cube is automatically handled. Subsequently the requests made by other users can seamlessly hit this new intelligent cube.
4) List out the end user products that delivers OLAP Services?
End user product that delivers OLAP services includes
Microstrategy Web
Microstrategy Desktop
Microstrategy Office
They all leverage the functionality enabled by OLAP services
5) Explain what is the difference between the Report filter and Report limit?
Report limit: It determines a set of criteria used to restrict or limit the data returned in the report data set after the report metrics are calculated
Report Filter: It applies the where condition to the query sent to the warehouse to retrieve the results
6) Explain what is Logical view in Microstrategy?
In Microstrategy, logical view is a table that you create by writing the SQL in Microstrategy instead of pulling it out from warehouse catalog.
7) Explain what is Smart Metrics in Microstrategy?
Smart metric is referred when a compound metric is defined with other metric objects using arithmetic operations like sum M1/M2.
For example: Simple or Compound Metrics Total (profits/unit sold) Smart Metrics: Total (profit)/ Total (sold)
8) Mention what types of testing can be carried out over the Microstrategy reports?
Microstrategy can carry out test like
Naming convention tests
Total calculations test
SQL query validations
Attribute and metric positions in the report
Drilling options tests
Prompts related verifications
Security filter tests
Formatting/export functionality tests
Threshold testing
9) Explain what is Microstrategy Narrowcast server?
Microstrategy Narrowcast Server is a software product which monitors and delivers individualized information to users through e-mails, web portals and wireless devices like pagers, PDAs, and phones. Users determine what information they want, when and how they want to receive it, through an easy to use web page.
10) Explain what are the advantages of dataset compared to file-set?
File set consists of total tables and information while data-set consists of attributes, metrics of a particular report only.
11) Explain what security does Microstrategy provides?
Microstrategy provides many security options to make sure that data is kept private and confidential. To make easy access and minimum maintenance, Microstrategy desktop synchronize with Windows NT and 2000 security and with Novell directory. Due to that users who have logged into these systems does not have to log on again.
12) Mention what is the difference between Schema object and Public object?
Schema objects are availed to create Application objects like Attributes, functions & operators, Hierarchies, Tables, etc. While, Public objects are used to create other application objects like Filters, Metrics, Consolidations, etc. Using architect permission schema object can be created while public object can be created by using a schema object only.
13) Explain what is Listeners?
Listeners allows us to view the result of samplers in the form of trees, graphs, tables or simple text in some log files. They offer visual access to the data collected by JMeter about the test cases as a sampler component of JMeter is executed.
14) Explain how you can resolve attribute roles?
By creating separate table alias for the same or enabling the automatic attribute role recognition, you can resolve the attribute roles.
15) Mention what does the predictive modeling capabilities does Microstrategy provides?
Microstrategy can calculate four of the primary data mining functions including network algorithm, regression algorithm, clustering algorithm and tree algorithm.
16) Explain how you can direct the SQL generated to use a specific table?
We can use alias name of that table and alter the logical size of that alias table dnt then modifies main table and use the alias table.
17) Explain how you can insert and update a record in the database through Microstrategy?
You can insert and update or even a delete a record by using one of the components of Microstrategy known as an ODBC test tool. You can also alter table specification as per your need.
18) Mention what is the difference between Microstrategy and Cognos?
Microstrategy Cognos
Microstrategy is based on single meta-data repository
Microstrategy can be operated as web based and a desktop tool
There is no cube data-set for Microstrategy, and we obtain latest data-set from data-warehouse automatically
Microstrategy reporting is fast
Cognos
Cognos has two meta-data repository based database
It can be used as web-base reporting tools
Cognos has a cube dataset which needs to be refreshed in order to get current repository values before reporting
Compare to Microstrategy, Cognos reporting is slow
19) Explain how you can create the intelligent cubes in Microstrategy?
Intelligent cubes can be made in Microstrategy in the public folder or a particular user folder
We can make a report and point the report to a cube or right click in a folder and select the cube option to make a new cube
Once the cube is created, select the report objects which is required and save the cube
Once the cube is stored and ran to check, one can create multiple reports out of a cube
You can also add new attributes and metrics, whenever necessary, and those will be readily available when you run the reports next time
20) Explain how you can optimize a report in Microstrategy?
VLDB properties enable you to customize the SQL that Microstrategy produces, and determine how data is processed by the Analytical engine.