Here are the top 20 MSBI (Microsoft Business Intelligence) interview questions and answers:
- What is MSBI?
MSBI stands for Microsoft Business Intelligence. It is a suite of tools used for data integration, data analysis, and reporting, developed by Microsoft.
- What are the components of MSBI?
The components of MSBI are:
- SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS): Used for data integration and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes.
- SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS): Used for online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining.
- SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): Used for creating and managing reports.
- What is the role of SSIS in MSBI?
SSIS is used for data integration and ETL processes. It provides a platform to create workflows and packages to extract data from various sources, transform it according to business requirements, and load it into a target data warehouse or database.
- What is SSAS in MSBI?
SSAS (SQL Server Analysis Services) is used for online analytical processing (OLAP) and data mining. It allows users to analyze and visualize data from different perspectives and dimensions.
- What is SSRS in MSBI?
SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) is used for creating, managing, and delivering reports. It provides a platform to design and publish interactive and formatted reports to users.
- What is a dimension in SSAS?
In SSAS, a dimension represents a categorical attribute or grouping of data. It provides context to measures and allows users to slice and dice data based on different attributes.
- What is a measure in SSAS?
In SSAS, a measure represents a numerical value that can be aggregated, such as sales amount, quantity sold, or profit. Measures are used for performing calculations and analysis in OLAP cubes.
- What is a fact table in SSAS?
In SSAS, a fact table is a central table in a star or snowflake schema that contains the measurable data (facts) associated with a business process or event. It usually contains foreign keys to dimension tables.
- What is the difference between a star schema and a snowflake schema?
In a star schema, a fact table is connected directly to multiple dimension tables. In a snowflake schema, dimension tables are further normalized into multiple smaller tables, creating a hierarchical structure.
- What is the role of MDX in SSAS?
MDX (Multidimensional Expressions) is a query language used to retrieve and manipulate data from OLAP cubes. It allows users to define calculations, filters, and aggregations to perform complex analysis.
- What is a data mart?
A data mart is a subset of a data warehouse that focuses on a specific area or department of an organization. It contains a consolidated and summarized view of data relevant to that area, making it easier for users to access and analyze data.
- What is a data warehouse?
A data warehouse is a large, centralized repository of integrated data from various sources. It is designed to support business intelligence and reporting activities by providing a consistent and structured view of data for analysis.
- What is the difference between a clustered and a non-clustered index?
In SQL Server, a clustered index determines the physical order of data in a table. Each table can have only one clustered index, and it affects the way data is stored on disk. A non-clustered index is a separate structure that provides a quick lookup to data based on the indexed column(s), without affecting the physical order of the data.
- What is a slowly changing dimension?
A slowly changing dimension (SCD) is a concept in data warehousing that refers to a dimension table that changes over time but at a slower rate compared to other dimensions. It captures historical information about the changing attributes of a dimension entity, such as customer details or product characteristics. SCDs require special handling in ETL processes to manage updates, inserts, and historical tracking of dimension data.
- What is the significance of UDM in SSAS?
The UDM (Unified Dimensional Model) in SSAS (SQL Server Analysis Services) is a semantic model that provides a consistent and intuitive way to access and analyze data. It abstracts the underlying data sources and provides a unified view of data, enabling end-users to perform ad-hoc analysis without needing to understand the complexities of the underlying data structures. The UDM enhances the user experience by offering features like hierarchies, calculations, and KPIs, making it easier to navigate and analyze data.
- How to send SSRS Reports from SSIS?
ITo send SSRS reports from SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services):
- Create an SSIS package that includes an Execute Process Task to execute the RS.EXE utility, which is a command-line tool for interacting with SSRS.
- Use the RS.EXE utility to script out the report execution and delivery, specifying the report name, format, delivery options (such as email or file share), and recipient details.
- Schedule or trigger the SSIS package to run at the desired frequency, enabling the automated sending of SSRS reports based on the defined delivery settings.
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- What are the three different parts of RDL files?
The three different parts of RDL (Report Definition Language) files are:
- Report Structure: Defines the overall structure of the report, including data regions, parameters, and report properties.
- Data Sources and Data Sets: Specify the data sources to connect to and the data sets to retrieve data from for the report.
- Report Layout: Determines the visual layout of the report, including the placement of data regions, tables, charts, and other report elements.
- Define Report Model Project?
A Report Model Project is a project in SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) that allows users to create a semantic model, defining the structure and relationships of data, which can be used to generate ad-hoc reports without writing complex SQL queries.
- What do you mean by matrix in SSRS? What are sub-reports and how do we create them?
In SSRS, a matrix is a data region that organizes data in a grid-like format, allowing users to view and analyze data across multiple dimensions.
- Sub-reports in SSRS are reports that can be embedded within another report. They are used to display additional details or related information to enhance the main report’s content.
- To create a sub-report in SSRS, you need to design a separate report for the sub-report content. Then, you can add a sub-report control to the main report, specify the sub-report’s path and parameters, and link it to the main report’s data.
- This allows for modular and reusable reporting components, enabling the main report to display summarized data while the sub-report provides detailed information or drill-down capabilities.
- What are the different data sources used in SSRS?
Several data sources are used in SSRS for ingesting data:
- OLEDB
- SQL Server SAP NetWeaver BI
- Oracle
- Report Server Model
- SSAS OLEDB
- ODBC
- Hyperion
- Teradata
- XML
