Cognos Bi Report Studio Interview Questions & Answers

Question 1. What Is A Report Studio?

Answer :

Using Report Studio we can create more advanced professional Business Reports.

Question 2. What Is Burst?

Answer :

To create many report results by running a single report once. For example, you can create a report that shows sales for each employee, and run it once, sending different results to regional managers by bursting on region.

You set up bursting in Report Studio and enable it in the portal.

Question 3. Define Calculated Member?

Answer :

A member of a dimension whose measure values are not stored but are calculated at run time using an expression.

Question 4. What Is Cardinality?

Answer :

For OLAP data sources, cardinality is the number of members in a hierarchy. The cardinality property for a hierarchy is used to assign solve orders to expressions.

For relational data sources, cardinality indicates the nature of the relationship between two query subjects, query items, or other model objects.

Question 5. Define Report Specification?

Answer :

An XML representation of the queries, prompts, layouts, and styles in a report. You create report specifications by using Report Studio or Query Studio, or by writing your own report specifications in XML.

Question 6. What Is Report View?

Answer :

A reference to another report that has its own properties, such as prompt values, schedules, and results.

You use report views to share a report specification instead of making copies of it.

Question 7. What Is Report Item?

Answer :

A query item that is added to a report is known as a report item.

Report items appear as columns in list reports, and as rows and columns in crosstab reports. In charts, report items appear as data markers and axis labels.

Question 8. What Is Work Area?

Answer :

The area within a studio that contains the report, analysis, query or agent currently being used.

Question 9. What Is Simple List Report?

Answer :

The data is displayed in a series of columns (Tabular format).

Question 10. How To Set Page Breaks?

Answer :

To set the page breaks in the report needs to be designed with either Group or Section.

Each Group or section will be displayed in a separate page.

Question 11. What Is The Procedure For Page Breaks?

Answer :

Select the Grouped Report Item, from the changed layout menu click on set page breaks.

Question 12. Define Sections?

Answer :

Like group a section also eliminates the duplicates and display the report item as a separate block and separated from rest of other report items.

Question 13. How To Eliminate Duplicates?

Answer :

The duplicates can be eliminated by creating the Groups.

Question 14. What Is A Prompt?

Answer :

A prompt is an end users object which allows you to select the values or enter the values to restrict the data displayed in the report.

A report element that asks for parameter values before the report is run.

A Prompt is known as dynamic filter.

Prompt can be created using Parameters enclosed between ? marks.

Ex :- ?prompt?

Question 15. What Are The Types Of Prompts?

Answer :

The following are the types of prompts:

1. Text box Prompt
2. Value Prompt
3. Select and Search Prompt
4. Date Prompt
5. Time Prompt
6. Date and time Prompt.

Question 16. How Many Ways Are There To Create Prompt?

Answer :

To create a prompt you can:

• Use the Build prompt page tool.
• Build your own prompt and prompt page.
• Create a prompt directly in a report page.

Question 17. What Is A Non-reusable Prompt?

Answer :

The prompts that are created in the report environment are called as Non-reusable prompts.

Question 18. What Is A Cascading Prompt?

Answer :

A prompt that uses values from a previous prompt to filter the values in the current prompt or Pick list.

Question 19. How Many Ways We Can Create Cascading Prompt?

Answer :

A Cascading Prompt can be developed in a two different ways:

1. Single select and auto submit cascading prompt.
2. Multi select and Re-prompt button cascading prompt.

Question 20. What Kind Of Relationship Is Required For Cascading Prompt?

Answer :

To develop the cascading prompt the relationship between the dimensional query Items should be 1 to many (1: M).

Question 21. What Is A Filter?

Answer :

A filter is a condition, which restricts the amount of data displayed in the report.

Question 22. What Is Detailed Filter?

Answer :

If the filter is applied before aggregation known as aggregated records are filtered. (Detailed Records are filtered)

Question 23. What Is Summary Filter?

Answer :

If the filter applied after aggregation than aggregated records are filtered.

Question 24. What Is Group Filter?

Answer :

A filter which is applied to the group is known as Group Filter.

Question 25. Define Sorting?

Answer :

Sorts the data in the following 2 directions:

• Ascending
• Descending

The default sort is don’t sort.

Question 26. Define The Custom Group?

Answer :

A custom group allows you to compare one element in the attribute with remaining all elements with in the same attribute.

It is defined for comparative analysis.

It allows comparing one element with remaining all.

Question 27. How The Pages Of A Single Report Delivered To The Browser?

Answer :

Based on the order of the pages add to the report.

Question 28. In How Many File Formats We Can Export Report Data?

Answer :

The data can be exported into the following file formats:

1. PDF format (Portable Document Format)
2. CSV Format (Comma Separated Value)
3. XML Format

Question 29. Use Of Header And Footer In Reports?

Answer :

Headers and Footers allow you to format the report and present the data in a readable format.

Question 30. Can You Convert List To Cross Tab Report?

Answer :

Yes, to gain a different perspective on your data, you can convert a list report into a cross tab report.

To convert list to cross tab report minimum 3 report items required.

Question 31. Can You Convert To Repeater?

Answer :

Only a list report can be converted into a repeater. You cannot convert a cross tab or chart into a repeater.

Question 32. What Is A Calculation?

Answer :

According to the report requirement a calculation needs to be done using an object known as calculation object this process is known as OLAP Scrubbing.

Question 33. What Are The Types Of Calculations?

Answer :

There are three types of Calculations:-

1. Detail:- Calculation is performed for non-aggregated (Detail)  records
2. Group: - Calculation is performed for aggregated records.
3. Layout Calculation: - Calculation is performed to develop customized report titles, page No, etc...

Question 34. To Get The Possible Outcomes What Types Of Variables You Use?

Answer :

• Boolean variable: If there are only two possible outcomes, where the value will be YES or NO.
• String variable: If there is more than one outcome, based on string values you will specify.
• Language variable: Language variable when the values are different languages.

Question 35. What Is Master Detail Relationship?

Answer :

• A Master detail relationship allows you to merge a Master query and Detail query.
• To link the Master query and the Detailed query there should be a common column between the query.
• A Master detail report provides navigation form summary to detail.

Question 36. What Is Drill Through?

Answer :

A Drill Through allows you to navigate the information from summary to detail.

A Drill Through id developed with two reports

1. Parent Report which contains Summary Data.
2. Child Report which contains Detailed Data.

Their should be a common column between the two reports.

Question 37. Define Cross Tab Report?

Answer :

Design a Cross Tab Report for comparative analysis. Cross tab report is created with 3   drop zones.

1. Row
2. Column
3. Measure

Question 38. What All The Types Of Cross Tab Layouts Cognos Report Net Supports?

Answer :

Cognos Reportnet supports only Basic and Nested Cross Tab layouts.

Question 39. Define A Chart?

Answer :

• A Chart is a graphical presentation of business data.
• A chart Report is designed for comparative Analysis.

Question 40. What Are The Different Types Of Charts?

Answer :

1. Column chart
2. Bar Chart
3. Pie Chart
4. Line Chart
5. Area Chart
6. Point Chart
7. Radar Chart

Question 41. Define Collapse Group?

Answer :

It will suppress (hide) the details of a grouped report.

Question 42. Define Expand Group?

Answer :

It restores the details. A report needs to be designed with group.

Question 43. What Are Enhancements In List Report In Cognos 8 Report Studio?

Answer :

A list report is enhanced with following features:

1. Can apply List column Title Style
2. Can apply list column Body Style
3. Can apply the table Style

Question 44. What Are Enhancements In Cross Tab Report In Cognos 8?

Answer :

Cross tab report is enhanced with following features:

1. Can create the union Cross tabs.
2. Can create headers and footers for a cross tab.
3. List like cross tab.

Question 45. What Are Enhancements In Chart Report In Cognos 8?

Answer :

A Chart report is enhanced with following features:

1. The following new charts are add

• Gauge Charts
• 3D point chart
• By polar axis charts (used for Bio-technology).

2. The chart can be applied with patterns, Fonts, Colors.
3. Can perform drill on chart.

4.Now we can create map reports which includes Geographical information and compares the business with various geographies.

Question 46. What Is Prompt Cache?

Answer :

When a report contain a prompt executes a prompt queries the data from database at very first time and stores the results in prompt cache.

Question 47. What Is Query Studio?

Answer :

Query Studio is the adhoc querying tool.

Question 48. What Is A Adhoc Report?

Answer :

An adhoc report is a simple report or one-time report that is outside the set of standard reports you may have available to you.

A design time environment acts as a runtime environment.

It’s also known as self service.

Question 49. What Is Measure?

Answer :

A query item that contains values that can be aggregated to produce meaningful results. For example, product costs can be treated as a measure because average and total costs have some meaning, but product codes, though numbers, are not usually treated the same way. Measures are quantitative performance indicators.

Measures give the numbers that usually appear in the cells of cross tab reports or in the numbers of a chart.Measures are also known as facts.

Question 50. How Grand Totals And Sub Totals Are Generated In Query Studio?

Answer :

In Query Studio the footer summaries (Grand Totals) are automatically generated for measures.

The sub totals can be generated by creating the Groups.

Question 51. Define Layout?

Answer :

In reporting, layout defines the appearance of the report, including formatting, style, and design.

In report specifications, layout is also the name of an element that defines how the data returned by queries is presented.

Question 52. What Are Enhancements In Cognos 8 Query Studio?

Answer :

1. Formatting :- Now query studio allows you to format the report with font, colors, and border styles.
2. Conditional Formatting :- The data in the report can be formatted based on given condition this allows you to quickly identify the data for faster analyses.
3. Applying Templates :-Templates can be created in report studio which can be applied to the reports created in Query Studio.
4. Improved Filtering :- Query Studio allows you to create more advanced filters using logical operators. AND or OR.
5. Query Data from OLAP sources (cube) :- Now Query Studio supports in reading the data from multi-dimensional structures known as Cubes.
6. Supports Hierarchy Levels :- Since Query studio reads the data from Cube which is defined with hierarchy levels it supports multi-dimensional analysis. (Drill Up, Drill Down, Drill Across).

Question 53. What Is Conditional Format?

Answer :

The data in the report can be formatted based on given condition this allows you to quickly identify the data for faster analyses.

Question 54. Define Event Studio?

Answer :

Use the event studio to perform the tasks when the business event occurs.

When an event occur people are alerted to take actions.

Question 55. Define Burst?

Answer :

To create many report results by running a single report once.

For example: you can create a report that shows sales for each employee, and run it once, sending different results to regional managers by bursting on region.You set up bursting in Report Studio and enable it in the portal.

Question 56. What Is A Report?

Answer :

A set of data deliberately laid out to communicate business information. Depending on the context, "report" may refer to report specification or report output.

Report (more precisely, report specification) is the generic term for the objects created by edited by Query Studio, Report Studio, and Analysis Studio.

Question 57. What Is Report Specification?

Answer :

The definition of queries, prompts, layouts, and styles that make up a report. A report specification is combined with data by a run operation to create report outputs. You create report specifications by using Report Studio, Query Studio, Analysis Studio, or through the Software Development Kit.

Question 58. Define Report Output?

Answer :

A report output combines data at the point in time when the report was run with a report specification. It is a document that can be displayed, printed or emailed. Cognos 8 can produce report outputs in HTML, PDF, Excel, or CSV formats.

Question 59. Define Content Manager?

Answer :

The Cognos 8 service that manages the storage of customer applications, including application-specific security, configuration data, models, metrics, reports, and report output.

Content Manager is needed to publish models, retrieve or store report specifications, manage scheduling information, and manage the Cognos namespace.

Question 60. What Is Data Source?

Answer :

A relational database, dimensional cube, file, or other physical data store that can be accessed through Cognos 8.

Question 61. Define Data Tree?

Answer :

Within a studio, contains objects such as query subjects, query items, dimensions, levels, and members. A data tree is used as a palette of the available data that can be inserted into calculations, filters, display areas, and other authoring gestures.

Question 62. Define Drill Down?

Answer :

The act of navigating from one level of data to a more detailed level. The levels are set by the structure of the data.

Question 63. Define Drill Up?

Answer :

The act of navigating from one level of data to a less detailed level. The levels are set by the structure of the data.

Question 64. What Is Hierarchy?

Answer :

A hierarchy represents a collection of dimensional members organized into a tree structure, with each member having one or more parent members and an arbitrary number of child members.

The root of a hierarchy has no parent, and leaf members of a hierarchy have no children.

Question 65. What Is Layout?

Answer :

In reporting, layout defines the appearance of the report, including formatting, style, and design.

In report specifications, layout is the portion of the specification that defines how the data returned by queries is presented.

Question 66. Define Level?

Answer :

A level is a set of members that have common attributes. For example, a geographical dimension might contain levels for country, region, and city. Levels are used to define the structure of hierarchies in a dimension.

Question 67. What Is Member?

Answer :

A member is a unique item within a level. For example, Camping Equipment and Golf Equipment are members of the Product Line level.

Question 68. Define Locale?

Answer :

A code that is used to set the language or dialect used for browsers, report text, and so on; and the regional preferences, such as formats for time, date, money, money expressions, and time of day.

For Cognos products, you can specify a locale for the product interface (product locale) and for the data in the report (content locale).

Question 69. Define Multidimensional Expression Language (mdx)?

Answer :

An abbreviation for multidimensional expression language, MDX is the multidimensional equivalent of SQL. Cognos 8 allows report authors to type in their queries using MDX expressions in Report Studio for dimensional data sources.

Question 70. What Is The Use Of Repeater?

Answer :

In Report Studio, a cell container that repeats values within itself with no predefined internal structure.

Question 71. Define Repeater Table?

Answer :

In Report Studio, a table-like container that repeats cells across and down the page for row in the associated query.

Question 72. What Is Template?

Answer :

A reusable reports layout or style that can be used to set the presentation of a query or report.

Question 73. Define Work Area?

Answer :

The area within a studio that contains the report, analysis, query or agent currently being used

Question 74. What Is A Hot File?

Answer :

A separate local data table that can be added to your catalog or used in the report as a data source and as if it is a regular database table. A Hot File can be joined either with a database table or with another Hot File itself.

Question 75. What Is Impromptu?

Answer :

Impromptu is a windows based powerful interactive query and reporting tool that lets you query data and create sophisticated reports in a easy – to- use and sophisticated desktop and interface.

Question 76. What Is The Difference B/w Macro And Prompt?

Answer :

Macro is a dynamic object which is used to substitute the values at query run time.

Prompt is a report element that asks for values before the report is run.

Question 77. What Is A Cube Size?

Answer :

Cube size is not static. it can be defined according to Project but we can create up to 2GB.

Question 78. What Is Refreshing Of Cube And How Can We Do It?

Answer :

Refreshing a cube means getting the latest records from content store. we have an option to refresh cube.

Question 79. What Is Meant By Dash Boards/flash Cards?

Answer :

Dash Board reports are used to create many reports in one report.

Question 80. What Is The Usage Of Html Object In Tools Box?

Answer :

By using HTML object, We can insert multimedia file into report. At the run time we can see the file multimedia file.

Question 81. How Can We Use Conditional Blocks?

Answer :

Conditional Blocks adds an empty block that you can use for conditional formatting. You can hide and show report elements.

Question 82. What Is Cube Group?

Answer :

Set of similar cubes built by Transformer.

Question 83. What Is Burst Reporting?

Answer :

Burst reporting means sending a single report to multiple recipients using Cognos connection.

Question 84. What Is Level Span?

Answer :

Level Span is used to avoid 1:1 relationship.

Question 85. What Is Analyses Studio?

Answer :

In analyses studio users can explore analyses and compare dimensional data. Use Analyses studio to read the data from multiple dimensional structures known as Cubes.

Question 86. What Are Report Analysis Studio Supports?

Answer :

Analysis studio supports only cross tab, charts.

Question 87. What Is Cube?

Answer :

A physical data source containing a multidimensional representation of data. A cube contains information organized into dimensions and optimized to provide faster retrieval and navigation in reports.