Are you planning to attend an interview for the Microstrategy Advanced role but confused about how to crack that interview also what would be the most probable Microstrategy Advanced Interview Questions that the interviewer may ask? Well, you have reached the right place. Tekslate has collected the most frequently asked Microstrategy Advanced Interview Questions And Answers which are often asked in multiple interviews.
In this article, we will cover the following:
Ans: Logical Views allows application architects to create any desired view using MicroStrategy, without DBA involvement. Once these Logical views are created, they are available to the report designer in a way similar to any other table. This allows developers to model attributes and facts whose expressions span multiple tables.
Ans: By editing the projectsources.xml, new project sources can be added.
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Ans: A custom group is a set of special filters that can be placed on a template. It is made up of an ordered collection of elements called custom group elements. Consolidations are used to specify the data you want to view in your report. They allow you to group attribute elements in new ways without changing the metadata and warehouse definitions.
Ans: An object prompt allows you to select which MicroStrategy objects to include in a report, such as attributes, metrics, custom groups, and so on. Object prompts can either determine the definition of the report template or the report filter.
Ans: VLDB properties allow you to customize the SQL that MicroStrategy generates, and determine how data is processed by the Analytical Engine.
Ans: Reports>Project>Database Instance>DBMS
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Ans: A user defines two attributes that have the same definition but play different roles in the business model. In this example, attribute Origin Airport and Destination Airport are defined using the same Lookup Table and Column (Airport_ID). Both attributes share the same forms, or information about them (Description, Location, etc.). In the fact table, however, a separate column exists for each of their roles (Origin_Airport_ID and Destination_Airport_ID).
Ans: By creating explicit table alias for the same or enabling the Automatic Attribute Role recognition.
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Ans: Statistics tables contain data on the MicroStrategy system’s usage and performance and are populated by all projects that are configured to log statistics.
To configure:-
Set up the Enterprise Manager.
Define the statistics and enterprise warehouse database.
Create the statistics database instance
Go to the project configuration wizard of the project
Select statistics and define what you want to log
Ans: MicroStrategy Command Manager lets you perform various administrative and application development tasks by using text commands that can be saved as scripts. For example: – server management, user management, security, and database management.
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Ans: When copying objects across projects with Object Manager, if an object with the same ID as the source object exists anywhere in the destination project, a conflict occurs. There are various ways to resolve this depending upon the conditions like use existing, replace, keep both, use newer, use older, update in the same path, update in a new path, and merge privileges.
Ans: Two types: – named users or CPU licenses.
Ans: A report cache is a result set from an executed report that is stored on MicroStrategy Intelligence Server. 4 types: matching caches, history caches, matching-history caches, and xml caches.
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While establishing the relationship between attributes one can either look from a business hierarchy point of view and the attribute higher in the hierarchy becomes the parent of the attribute lower in the hierarchy. Parent and Child follow a one-to-many relationship. Example Time hierarchy Year > Month > Date. Here Year would-be parent of Month and Date and Month parent of Date.
We can also identify the Parent-Child relationship from a database design point of view. Here is a table the Primary Key uniquely identifies the other columns in the table and hence qualifies as the child of all the other attributes from the table, in the same ways as a child in the real world identifies his father (at least the biological one).
Ans: A joint child is a Microstrategy way of handling Composite Keys. Composite keys are constituted of two or more columns that together act as a unique identifier. To handle this case in Microstrategy we make this set of columns, constituting composite keys, as a joint child.
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Logical size is the Microstrategy way of generating the best suitable/optimized SQL to fetch the required data. Microstrategy follows an algorithm to calculate the logical size of a table, which depends on the no of attributes and facts based on the table and also the position of those attributes in the system hierarchy.
The logical size does not depend on the actual data (no of rows) in the database. If the candidate answers this then his concept is wrong.
Ans: Level metrics are advanced metrics that are set to be evaluated at a specified attribute level. These are required when in the same report you need to roll up a metric at two different levels side by side. An example is a comparison of “Revenue from a Region” to “Revenue from a Country”. Here Region and Country are the two different levels.
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Ans: Custom Groups are handled at the database end whereas Consolidations are handled at the Analytical Engine end. As a result, the Consolidations are not an overhead for the database as there is a single pass in the query. On the other hand, Custom Groups are an overhead on the Database as they fire a separate SQL pass for every Custom group element.
Ans: VLDB stands for Very Large Data Base Properties. This is a Microstrategy way of handling database-specific preferences while generating the report SQL. There are a number of them. A few common ones are for Attribute or Metric join types, cross join check, type of intermediate table, etc.
Ans: VLDB Properties can be set at various levels like Report, Template, Metric, Project, Database Instance, and DBMS level. Out of this Report, the level has the highest priority. It overrides all other levels.
Ans: In Microstrategy security can be incorporated using a mix of any of the following ways:
Ans: Pass-through functions are a Microstrategy way of generating database-specific SQL construct which otherwise is not possible. These are called pass-through functions because Microstrategy does not check the actual SQL construct and dumps it as is on the database. Examples include ApplySimple, ApplyComparison, etc.
Ans: Department table: Department_ID, Department_Name, State (Note: Department ID is Unique here and more than one department can belong to one State)
Employee Table: Employee_ID, Employee_Name, Department_ID (Note: Employee ID is unique here and more than one Employee can belong to one department, but one employee does not belong to more than one department)
Following should be the query
SELECT dept.department_id,
Max(dept.department_name),
Count(emp.employee_id)
FROM department dept
JOIN employee emp
ON dept.department_id = emp.department_id
WHERE dept.state = “new york”
GROUP BY dept.department_id
HAVING Count(emp.employee_id) > 50
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Ans: Star Schema is a highly denormalized schema whereas snowflake schema is a highly normalized schema. Star schema is characterized by a large number of rows in a table and fewer joins between tables. A snowflake schema is characterized by fewer rows in a table while more joins between tables.
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Adhoc reports run in real-time based on the input parameters provided by the user at the run time. In Microstrategy, ad-hoc reports are created using Prompts.
In static reports, users won't provide any input parameters. These reports are usually scheduled to run overnight and are ready to view immediately in the mornings using the cache.
Ans: A filter is a public object. It is used to restrict the data retrieved by the report from the database tables. From an SQL perspective, it corresponds to the "WHERE" Clause.
Ans: Using VLDB properties we can change the way how the SQL is generated. Some of them are below:
Ans: Consolidations enable grouping together attribute elements and creating a virtual attribute. They perform Row-level maths.
Ans: Custom groups are used to create different filters for different rows of a report. For example, a report can be created to display the top 5 customers as well as the bottom 5 customers in one report using a custom group.
Ans: Pass-through functions are used to utilize various special functions specific to databases. Some of the passes-through functions available are Applysimple and Applycomparision.
Ans: A security filter is used to apply security at the database data level. Whenever a user associated with the security filter runs a report, a WHERE clause is always included in the report SQL with the condition defined in the Security Filter.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop™ is a Windows client-server software application that provides integrated monitoring, reporting, and analysis capabilities.
Ans: Using Microstrategy Desktop, users can easily access and share critical corporate information they need to make cost-cutting decisions and improve business processes. The information found in databases can also be used to help increase revenue and boost profits. Users can access this database and SAP data without having to learn technical database query (SQL) or multi-dimensional expression (MDX) syntax.
Ans: Users can analyze the information using standard aggregations and more sophisticated functions such as average, summation, percentage contribution, standard deviation, and net present value. Investigative reporting, using pivoting, sorting, slicing, and drilling to more detail, can be performed with simple mouse clicks. Users can also format reports to their specifications and view the data as intuitive charts and graphs to identify trends and anomalies quickly.
Ans: Users can obtain critical information immediately without waiting for IT departments to create reports. The software is easy to use and provides context-sensitive help, thus eliminating the need for extensive support and maintenance staff.
Ans: Yes. Reports created using Microstrategy Desktop are immediately available to other Microstrategy products because of our centralized metadata architecture.
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Ans: Yes. With the release of Microstrategy 8, Microstrategy Desktop incorporates a new dynamic data access engine designed to access multi-dimensional databases
(MDDBs or OLAP Cube Databases) such as those from SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW) databases.
Ans: Yes. Microstrategy Desktop users can use a new Operational SQL Engine to include data from any operating system using completely free-form SQL, including stored procedures and views.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop provides instant access and analysis of information. This high performance is enabled through Intelligence Cubes™, caches, incremental fetches, and advanced analytic features.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop preserves the look and feel of popular desktop software such as Microsoft® Windows® Explorer and Microsoft Office. As such, users are immediately comfortable with Microstrategy Desktop. A customized interface using HTML can be created, simplifying navigation, and report execution.
Ans: Yes. Users can format their data into appealing reports using various formatting styles and graphs for maximum visual impact. Users can choose from more than 30 different charting options to present information in the best layout possible.
Ans: Yes, users can easily combine tables, images, graphs, and other information onto the same page in a document. Visually impressive and compelling documents can be printed out and shared with corporate executives. Business users can now rearrange the organization of any report with simple drag-and-drop actions or by clicking on the new toolbar icons to get entirely new views of the data, all from the same report and without requiring assistance from IT.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop offers advanced printing capabilities. Features include repeating row/column headers, customizable headers and footers, and a comprehensive page setup menu. Users can preview reports before sending them to the printer.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop has more than 10 different subtotaling functions that aid the analysis of the data. Subtotals can be presented at any level in the rows, columns, and pages on the report.
Ans: Minimum requirements are a computer with at least a 450MHZ Pentium- compatible CPU, 256MB of RAM, and 500MB of the hard disk.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Korean, Italian, Swedish, Japanese and Portuguese.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop installs in minutes and automatically presents a list of available Microstrategy Intelligence Servers. Within an hour, the installation and setup are completed.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop is the intuitive client-server interface used by business analysts and application developers. Microstrategy Desktop interacts with the Intelligence Server to build metrics, create and format reports, and retrieve timely, accurate information to the desktop to enhance the decision-making process.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop provides a host of security options to ensure that data is kept confidential and private. To facilitate easy deployment and minimal maintenance, Microstrategy Desktop integrates with Windows NT and 2000 security and with the Novell directory. As a result, users who have logged into these systems will not need to log on again.
Ans: Each Microstrategy Desktop user has a security profile defined by their administrator. This profile controls access to application functionality, specific reports or particular data for individual users or groups of users. The Desktop interface will adapt and display only what this user is allowed to see.
Ans: Yes. This new Dynamic MDX Engine generates optimized MDX syntax that is fully certified with SAP BW using SAP's high-performance BAPI interfaces.
Ans: Yes. Users can use Microstrategy Desktop to create reports that access SAP data and join data across SAP BW Info Cubes and Query Cubes as well as access multiple instances of SAP BW at once.
Ans: Yes. Microstrategy 8 extends the Microstrategy data modelling flexibility to include integrated views of data across heterogeneous data stores. By mapping conforming dimensions from different sources, Microstrategy Desktop can automatically join data from multiple different sources in the same report document. Data can come from any source accessible by Microstrategy 8, including the data warehouse, data marts, SAP BW, and any number of operational system databases
Ans: Yes. Microstrategy 8 can calculate four of the primary data mining functions including neural network algorithms, clustering algorithms, regression algorithms, and tree algorithms.
Ans: Yes. Microstrategy 8 has extended its analytic engine with a "Data Mining Services" capability that allows reports and analyses to include predictive capabilities in every Microstrategy report or analysis. Microstrategy 8 includes the new ability to import data mining models directly from best-of-breed data mining products from vendors like IBM, Teradata, SAS, and SPSS using the new PMML or predictive modelling mark-up language standard.
Ans: You can export information from Microstrategy Desktop to text files, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and HTML files. The formatting of the tables and data is preserved when you export to these file formats.
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Ans: You can access data in all the major databases including Oracle, IBM DB2, Informix, NCR Teradata, Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, Red Brick, Sybase and Non-Stop SQL.
Ans: Microstrategy Desktop can execute multiple reports simultaneously. Report results are saved in a personal History folder when ready.
Ans: Reports can be attached to time-based or event-based schedules that are defined by the administrator. These schedules automatically trigger the report execution and place a notification message in the History folder on completion.
Ans: Microstrategy OLAP Services is an extension to Microstrategy Intelligence Server that allows Microstrategy Web and Desktop users to manipulate Intelligent Cubes™. With OLAP Services end users can add or remove report objects, add derived metrics and modify the filter -- all with speed-of-thought response time against Intelligent Cubes. OLAP Services enables full multi-dimensional OLAP analysis within Intelligent Cubes while retaining users' ability to seamlessly drill through to the full breadth and depth of the data warehouse.
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Intelligent Cubes are user or administrator-created multi-dimensional cubes that operate within Microstrategy Intelligence Server™. On Microstrategy's BI platform, creating an Intelligent Cube is as easy as creating a report. Intelligent Cubes enable
Microstrategy to combine the speed and interactivity of multi-dimensional OLAP analysis and the analytical power and depth of relational OLAP.
Ans: With OLAP Services Microstrategy Web, Desktop and Office users can:
Create unique report views based on an Intelligent Cube.
With OLAP Services, users can create unique report views by adding or removing attributes and metrics contained within the Intelligent Cube. This allows speed-of-thought report creation and modification with no need to extract data from the data warehouse.
Create new on-the-fly metric calculations from existing metrics in an Intelligent Cube.
The new calculation is performed without submitting a new request to the data warehouse.
Filter their view of the data within an Intelligent Cube.
The filtering will be performed on Microstrategy Intelligence Server within the Intelligent Cube.
Ans: Intelligent Cubes are created automatically when a new report is run against the data warehouse. Subsequent requests by other users can seamlessly hit this new Intelligent Cube. The logic to match user requests with the appropriate Intelligent Cube is automatically handled within the Microstrategy platform. Users don't have to specify the cube to which they want to connect.
Benefits of Intelligent Cubes include:
Ans: Microstrategy Web (Analyst and Professional versions), Microstrategy Desktop (Analyst and Designer versions), and Microstrategy Office all leverage the functionality enabled by OLAP Services.
Ans: The usage of OLAP Services is transparent to end-users. Users do not need to know the name and location of an Intelligent Cube, or even if it exists. OLAP Services works with Microstrategy Intelligence Server to automatically use the appropriate Intelligent Cube or create a new one to satisfy the end-user request.
Ans: Intelligent Cubes used by OLAP Services automatically inherit all of the security provisions of every report object used within the Intelligent Cube, and those provisions are dynamically applied to each user's security profile when the cube is accessed. If a user only has privileges to use four of the five metrics contained in an Intelligent Cube, that restriction will automatically and seamlessly apply when the user accesses the Intelligent Cube. The user will still have access to the Intelligent Cube for the four metrics he or she has privileges to use.
Ans: Yes, with the appropriate version of Microstrategy Web or Desktop, certain functions leverage the Intelligent Cubes. These functions include report formatting down to cell level, column aliasing, drilling, pivoting, page-by, adding metric thresholds, adding subtotals, ranking and sorting. Please see the Web and Desktop version comparisons to determine exactly which Web or Desktop version includes the desired functionality.
Ans: Yes, OLAP Services is sold as a separate product that is installed with Microstrategy Intelligence Server. It is licensed either on a per-user or per-CPU basis.
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Ans: Microstrategy Narrowcast Server is a software product that monitors and delivers individualized information to users via email, web portals, and wireless devices such as PDAs, pagers, and phones. Through an easy-to-use web page, users specify what information they want, when, and how they want to receive it.
Ans: Microstrategy Narrowcast Server provides an easy and inexpensive way to send corporate information to untrained employees, partners, and customers. As a result, decision-makers have the information they need to maximize revenue generation and streamline business processes that cut operating costs.
Ans: Microstrategy Narrowcast Server supports enterprise reporting applications, executive information portals, corporate information dissemination, sale force automation, working capital management, supply chain management, extranet portals, secure business-to-business portals, customer service applications, and intelligent alerting applications.
Ans: People do not have time to search through information to identify information that requires immediate action. An intelligent alerting system understands and constantly monitors the information users need and delivers information only when users need it. Users save time and take action when required.
Ans: Customers use Microstrategy Narrowcast Server to deliver inventory alerts, business performance alerts, supply chain alerts, customer activity alerts, stock, and personal finance alerts, last-minute travel alerts, data load alerts, customer account activity alerts, and fraud alerts. New uses are constantly being developed for intelligent alerting.
Ans: Through an easy-to-use subscription web page, users specify what information they want. Some personalization options include language choices and specific information criteria such as certain products. Using this user profile, Microstrategy Narrowcast Server sends only the information that the user has requested.
Ans: Yes, users can switch on and off their own information delivery. Administrators can also set up some ‘non-optional’ information delivery so that everyone receives the information. As a result, users can obtain information without having to wait for IT to develop the reports.
Ans: Users can receive both tables and charts from the Microstrategy platform, and content from current information sources such as transaction processing systems, Enterprise Resource Planning systems, databases, XML files, and web servers.
Ans: Information can be formatted into HTML, plain text, Microsoft® Excel, or PDF files. The size and display of these files are adjusted to suit the email type or the wireless device for different users.
Ans: Narrowcast Server can deliver information to email, mobile phones, pagers, faxes, PDAs, intranet, and extranet web portals. Businesses can also build and plug in their own Information Transmission Modules to support their own devices.
Ans: Microstrategy Narrowcast Server's world-class clustering and fail-over ensure support for mission-critical 24x7 systems. Rigorous in-house testing has proven that Narrowcast Server can personalize and deliver millions of messages a day. The system tracks fail-over down to each message.
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