Documentum Interview Questions & Answers

Question 1. What Are All The Options Available In Client Capability When You Create A User?

Answer :

• Consumer
• Contributor
• Co ordinator
• System Administrator

Question 2. Explain Aliases?

Answer :

Aliases is a Reusability and Portability

Alias sets are stored as dm_alias_set objects in Documentum.

They can make already powerful Documentum features like Workflow, Lifecycles, and Access Control Lists even more powerful by allowing critical attribute values to be resolved dynamically. Alias sets remove the need to hard-code the names of users, groups, locations, and permission sets throughout your application and instead provide a means for setting these values dynamically as your personnel changes and your business processes evolve.

In Simple words Aliases are placeholders that can hold any of the following

• A User or a Group Name
• Folder information

Alias is a key value pair where key is the alias name and value is the actual value.

An alias is referenced using one of two formats—%alias_set_name.alias_name or just %alias_name

Question 3. Explain Aliases Set ?

Answer :

An alias set is simply a list of aliases (like “reviewer” or “supervisor”) and the values that they resolve to.

• Resolve a Sysobject’s owner name and/or ACL dynamically
• Resolve Workflow task performers dynamically
• Specify the Docbase location(s) for linking objects dynamically
• Take advantage of a rich scheme for resolving aliases in different circumstances

Question 4. Explain Dfs Communication Pattern?

Answer :

The application or the client interacts directly with the web service using standards and protocols related to web services. However, the web service itself becomes a DFC-based client described in the fundamental pattern earlier. While the communication pattern between the web service and the Content Server instance is the same as that described for a DFC-based client, the pattern between a web service client and the web service is different.

Usually, a DFS client sends a request to the DFS web service and that leads to an interaction with the Content Server instance. The interaction between a DFS web service and its client follows web service standards and a typical usage of these protocols.

Question 5. Tell About Method Server?

Answer :

The Content Server is supported by Method Servers, which can execute methods. In this context, a method is a piece of code that can be scheduled to run as a job or can be invoked from a workflow activity or a lifecycle action.

There are two kinds of Method Servers:

• Dmbasic Method Server
• Java Method Server

Question 6. Define Aspects?

Answer :

Aspects extend behavior and attributes for objects. An object type defines the properties and behavior of all objects of that type(and of its subtypes, via inheritance).

In contrast, aspects enable us to attach additional behavior and attributes to an object, regardless of its type. Even though aspects can be attached regardless of the type of object, aspects cannot be attached to arbitrary types of objects.

Aspects can be attached under the following restrictions on types

• An aspect can be attached to any sysobject.
• An aspect can be attached to any object of null type (type with no supertype), once the type has been altered to allow aspects.
• It is also possible to attach multiple aspects to one object but one aspect cannot be attached multiple times to the same object.
• If an aspect's name contains a dot, such as jumbo.loan, it cannot have any properties.

Question 7. Why Would We Want An Aspect Without Any Properties?

Answer :

An aspect without any properties can serve as a flag where the presence of this flag can be checked on objects.

Question 8. Explain Default Aspects?

Answer :

Even though aspects are not automatically tied to object types sometimes we may have a need to do just that (often for convenience).

For example, we may have an existing type called dq_loan_doc and we may want all of its objects (and of its subtypes) to have an aspect dq_web_viewable attached. If an aspect is associated with an object type, the aspect is automatically attached to each new object of the specified object type.  Such an aspect is called a default aspect for the specified type.

Of course, this aspect can still be attached to objects of other types (subject to the restrictions mentioned earlier). Default aspects for an object type are recorded in dmi_type_info.default_aspects for the type.

Question 9. Explain Bof ?

Answer :

The  Business Object Framework   (BOF) is a set of functionality included starting with DFC 5.1 that provides ability to hook into any of the methods in the standard DFC object interfaces.

Question 10. Define Dmc_jar?

Answer :

The dmc_jar object type is a subtype of dm_document, and it is used for JAR archives containing Java code.

Question 11. Explain Base 64?

Answer :

Base64 is for Smaller Files around 5kb

Base64 is an established encoding for transfer of opaque data inline within a SOAP message (or more generally within XML). The encoded data is tagged as an element of the xs : base 64Binary XML schema data type.

Base64 encoded data is not optimized, and in fact is known to expand binary data by a factor of 1.33x original size. This makes base64 inefficient for sending larger data files. As a rule, it is optimal to use base64 for content smaller than around 5K bytes. For larger content files, it is more optimal to use MTOM.

Question 12. Explain Mtom?

Answer :

MTOM is for (Large files)

MTOM, an acronym for SOAP Message Transmission Optimization Mechanism, is a W3C recommendation adopted by JAX-WS. Enabling MTOM means that both the request that the SOAP client is sending to the server and the returned response go though MTOM encoding and decoding.

Question 13. Explain Ucf?

Answer :

Unified Client Facilities (UCF) is a lightweight client-server application that transfers content between a DFS consumer, a DFS service, and a content repository.

The UCF APIs provide a remote UCF server on the service host with access to the client file system and registry, and provides support for:

• client- orchestrated content transfer in a web application or service chain
• Integration with ACS and BOCS for optimized transfer in distributed architectures
• Transfer of complex content types, such as XML content with file references and Microsoft Office documents with internal links
• post-transfer actions (which generally means opening the content in a viewer or editor)

Question 14. Specification For Installing Content Server 6.5?

Answer :

Hard Disk Space: 4 GB

RAM: 2 GB Ram

Question 15. Index Server Machine Requirement?

Answer :

Hard Disk Space: 3.2 GB to Install , 3 GB to Run

RAM: 4 GB

Question 16. Supported Software For Content Server?

Answer :

OS: Windows 2000 SP2

Database: Oracle 10.2.8 , 10.2.9 , 11 G

SQL Server: 2000 SP4

App Server: Tomcat 5,  BEA Web Logic 8.1 SP6

Browser: IE , Mozilla , Nescafe , Safari

JRE Client: JRE 1.4.2

Java ( Server): Java 1.4

Portal Software: BEA Weblogic Portal 8.1 , IBMWebsphere Portal 5.1

Question 17. Installing Emc Documentum Products Includes The Following Additional Products?

Answer :

For Content Server:

• Documentum Foundation Classes 6.5 SP1
• EMC Centera SDK 3.2
• Red Hat JBoss Enterprise Application Platform 4.2.0 CP01

Question 18. Difference Between Super User And Sysadmin?

Answer :

Sysadmin

• Create, alter, and drop users and groups
• Create, modify, and delete system-level ACLs
• Grant and revoke Create Type, Create Cabinet, and Create Group privileges
• Create types, cabinets, and printers
• Manipulate workflows or work items, regardless of ownership
• Manage any object’s lifecycle
• Set the a_full_text attribute
• The Sysadmin privilege does not override object-level permissions

Super User

• Perform all the functions of a user with Sysadmin privileges
• Unlock objects in the repository
• Modify or drop another user’s user-defined object type
• Create subtypes that have no supertype
• Register and unregister another user’s tables
• Select from any underlying RDBMS table regardless of whether it is registered or not
• Modify or remove another user’s groups or private ACLs
• Create, modify, or remove system ACLs
• Grant and revoke Superuser and Sysadmin privileges

Question 19. What Is Fulltext Index Server?

Answer :

creates word per word search results. Documentum will search even the words inside the MSWord file.

Question 20. What Is Captiva?

Answer :

an imaging software. Full text cannot search words inside images, so you need captiva to do OCR during scanning.

Question 21. What Is Documentum Transformation Services (dts)?

Answer :

sometimes you don't want user to load the Word file, so you automate the creation of PDF or JPEG, and presents it to the user.

Question 22. What Platform/os Does It Run?

Answer :

• Solaris
• AIX
• HP-UX
• Linux (Redhat/Fedora - sorry other Linux guys, these are the only ones I personally tested with)
• Windows 2000+ Server

Question 23. What Database?

Answer :

• Oracle
• DB2
• Sybase
• MSSQL - would you believe MSSQL is the most number of DB being used by Documentum

Question 24. What Web Server?

Answer :

• Apache Tomcat (suggested is 5.0.28 and above, works like a charm, our production actually runs Tomcat)
• Websphere 5 (and above)
• Web Logic
• JBoss ( 6.5)

Question 25. What Are Presets In Documentum? What Is The Order Of Presets?

Answer :

A preset determines the selections or actions available in particular situations. Creating a preset offers a way to reduce screen options to those options that are relevant to the user’s task in the particular situation.

The default order of precedence for applying presets is as follows: a preset for a location takes first precedence; then a preset for a user; then a preset for a role; then a preset for an object type.Customized installations might vary. It is important to note that presets are not used to provide security.

Question 26. What Is Object Relationships?

Answer :

There are 2 major object types that you need to know in

1. dm_relation_type - This defines a relation, means this object type holds the information about the relation like its name, security type, parent type, child type etc.User must have SysAdmin or Super User privileges to create object of this type. All the objects of this type will have r_object_id starting with 38
2. dm_relation - This defines each individual relationship between the objects. Means this type has ID’s of the both parent and child object which makes the relation, the name of the relation etc. All the objects of this type will have r_object_id starting with 37

Question 27. How Do You Migrate Documents From One Repository To Another Repository?

Answer :

If you can live with just CURRENT documents with metadata (no renditions), you can use Composer to migrate contents and folder structure from one repository to another. There is one Tool Named Buldosar that copy the Metadata and Renditions along with the Document.

Question 28. How Do You Find The Last Login Time Of A User Using Dql?

Answer :

select last_login_utc_time from dm_user where user_name=' name of user'

Question 29. How Do You Retrieve The Folder Path Through Dql?

Answer :

SELECT r_folder_path FROM dm_folder WHERE r_object_id in (SELECT i_folder_id FROM dm_document WHERE  object_name='object_name')

Question 30. What Is Server.ini And Where It Is Located?

Answer :

Each Content Server instance has a file named server.ini which it reads on start-up. Each Content Server instance also has a server configuration object (of type dm_server_config). Projection targets can be specified in the server.ini file and the server configuration object

Question 31. Tell About Scs ?

Answer :

Site Caching Services is used to extract content and metadata from the repository and deliver it to a file system. The file system can be any file system on any accessible host–it doesn’t have to be a web server.

In addition to moving the actual content, SCS can move the metadata to a target relational database. The database can then be used for personalization.

Site Caching Services is used to publish content from a Documentum repository to a website. 

Question 32. How Do You Deploy A Method?

Answer :

To deploy methods to the method server,we need to simply copy the class files or JAR files to the %DOCUMENTUM% dba java_methods directory on the Content Server. The method server will include them in its classpath.

Jboss is the Java Method Server in D6 .Whenever classes are deployed to the method server, the method server will need to be stopped, the tmp folder in %DOCUMENTUM% jboss1.4.2 server DctmServer_MethodServer tmp and start the server. We can find the jboss logs under %DOCUMENTUM% dba jboss1.4.2 DctmServer_MethodServerlog.

Question 33. Can We Change The Name Of Custom Folder? If Yes, Where We Have To Change?

Answer :

Right Click on the Custom Folder and Change the Name of the Folder.

Question 34. Difference Between App.xml And Web.xml ?

Answer :

web.xml - A WDK based J2EE Web application has a root directory which contains a WEB-INF folder. This folder has a web.xml file containing configuration information for the web application. This is mandated by the J2EE Servlet Specification

app.xml - A WDK application is a folder within the main J2EE Web application root directory. If you see your webtop folder, it contains the following four WDK applications. custom, webcomponent,wdk and webtop

Each Application will have its own app.xml. Inheritance is controlled by the tag in the app.xml file of the WDK application

The following are the application tags for a standard webtop installation:

•  custom
• webtop
• webcomponent
• wdk

 The ‘wdk’ WDK application does not inherit from any layers as it the core framework. For each WebTop/DA installation, there is one web.xml and four app.xml.

Question 35. If We Import A Document Where It Comes From And Resides In Which Location And If We Check Out The Document The File Comes From ?

Answer :

If I Import a Document it comes from Local Drive and Resides in Repository ( Oracle Stored the Metadata of the Document ) . If User Checkout the Document it comes from the Repository and then it stores in C:DocumentumCheckout Directory

Question 36. What Is Binding Rule?

Answer :

A rule that identifies which version of a component to include in your virtual document.

Question 37. What Is Category?

Answer :

In Web Publisher, this is a folder used to store content file templates pages. Users navigate through categories and sub-categories to find a content file template to use.

Question 38. What Is Client Capability?

Answer :

Is an attribute of a Documentum user that determines what he/she can do from a client application. For example, a user with the capability of a Consumer can only search and view content as needed. A Contributor, on the other hand, can crate content.

Question 39. What Is Connection Pooling?

Answer :

A facility whereby physical connections to a data source can be stored and reused. Connection Pooling improves performance because it saves the overhead of having to create a new connection every time a connection is requested.

Question 40. What Is Dmcl?

Answer :

Documentum Client Library. It manages the communication between the client and the Content Server.

Question 41. What Is Dynamic Group?

Answer :

A group whose members are dynamically added to or removed from the group by a client application at runtime. Dynamic groups allow administrators to control permissions and access based on client application and user location.

Question 42. What Is Eroom?

Answer :

A digital workplace for distributed teams to collaborate on content and processes. This application includes features like project planning tools, discussion thread, and drag-and-drip file sharing.

Question 43. What Is Federation?

Answer :

A group of Docbase that have one governing Docbase and other member Docbase.

Question 44. What Is Full-text Index?

Answer :

An index of words in all documents that Docbase users have asked to include in the index.

Question 45. What Is Inputaccel Capture For Documentum?

Answer :

This product from Captiva enables users to input information in the form of paper, fax and microfiche and transform it into electronic data, convert it into a usable format, and then store it automatically in the Documentum repository, InputAccel Capture for Documentum gives organization s a better way to coordinate and ensure the integrity of incoming data and helps them turn it into business-ready content.

Question 46. What Is Palette?

Answer :

The location in Workflow Manager of activity and workflow objects that are used to build workflow templates.

Question 47. What Is Persistent Cache And Webdav?

Answer :

Persistent Cache:A cache of Docbase objects and query results available across client sessions. Persistent caching preserves cached content during shutdown and startup of DMCL and avoids repeatedly retrieving objects that are accessed infrequently

WebDAV:Web -based Distributed Authoring and Versioning. A set of extensions to the HTTP protocol that allows users to collaboratively edit and manage files on remote Web servers.

Question 48. Dql To Get The List Of Users Logged Into Documentum?

Answer :

Select * from dm_user where last_login_utc_time>DATE (NOW)-90

Question 49. Dql To Get The Count On User’s Login To Documentum?

Answer :

Select count (*) from dm_user where last_login_utc_time>DATE (NOW)-90

Note: This query retrieves the use login information by using their last successful login as reference

Question 50. Dql To Deactivate User?

Answer :

UPDATE dm_user OBJECTS SET user_state = 1 WHERE user_name = 'username'

Question 51. Dql To Grant Extended Privileges?

Answer :

Grant Config Audit to User User_name

Question 52. Dql To Get The List Of Users Whose State Is Active And They Belong To Groups?

Answer :

select user_name, user_os_name, user_state from dm_user where user_state=0 and r_is_group=0 order by user_name

Question 53. Dql To Add A User To A Group?

Answer :

ALTER GROUP group_name ADD (select user_name from dm_user where user_name = 'karthik')

Question 54. Dql To Remove User From Group?

Answer :

ALTER GROUP group_name DROP (select user_name from dm_user where user_os_name = 'karthik')

Question 55. Dql To Get Subgroups?

Answer :

Select group_name from dm_group where any i_supergroups_names='enterprise'

Question 56. Dql To Grant Extended Priviledges?

Answer :

Grant Config Audit to User User_name

Question 57. What Is Method Server?

Answer :

The Documentum 5 platform introduced the Java method server as a means of improving the performance and scalability of the Documentum method architecture.

The method server runs as a process distinct from the Content Server and is responsible for the invocation of the individual methods. Each method invocation results in a call to the method server which manages the actual execution of the Java-based method implementation. As the method server is a continuously running process, there is no overhead involved in loading and tearing-down a Java virtual machine with each invocation. This yields an enormous benefit in overhead.

Question 58. What Is Full Text Indexed Server?

Answer :

To make documents in a filestore available for searching, you must first create one or more collections. A collection is set of partitions (directories and files) that allow search users to use the Verity search engine to quickly find and display documents matching various search criteria.

Question 59. How Many Documents Can I Store In A Filestore With Full Text Indexing?

Answer :

A single filestore can contain approximately 10 million indexable documents.

Question 60. What Is Parallel Searching And How Does It Work?

Answer :

A customized Parallel search specifies a single filestore as part of the search criteria. You can issue multiple search requests to the individual filestores,thus spawning multiple search requests.

Question 61. How Can I Improve Full Text Query Performance In A Large Documentum Repository?

Answer :

There are few search options that can improve performance.

• Efficient Security Checks
• Avoid Unselective Queries

Question 62. What Is Index Server And Index Agent?

Answer :

The Index Agent is the component that communicates with the Content Server to retrieve content that needs to be indexed. The Index Agent passes indexable content to the Index Server; the Index Server actually builds and maintains the indexes and responds to search requests.

Question 63. What Are The Workflow Tools That You Have Used? Have You Created Workflow Templates?

Answer :

Here we have a closer look at the Workflow functional components. Starting from the top, we have Workflow Manager which is used to create workflow template. Workflow template can also reference alias set and LDAP integration in its definition.

Coming to the center of the diagram is the workflow runtime control. In the center is the Server Workflow Engine, maintained by Workflow Supervisor. It controls automated aspect of the business process

The Workflow Engine references the the routing document (content).

The Workflow Engine also maintains a set of workflow control data. It is used to control the processing of the existing tasks and to determine the next tasks.

Here is the object model in DCTM server.

• Business Process - what is intended to happen
• On the left is the Design Time Definition. Workflow Template is defined by

1. Process Definition - dm_process, representation of what’s intended to happen
2. Activity Definition - dm_activity, representation of what’s intended to achieve at a logical step

• On the right is the Run Time Management

1. Workflow Instance - dm_workflow, controls automated aspect of the business process and record runtime information of workflow
2. Task - record run time information of activity
3. Work Item - dmi_workitem, task allocated to task performers
4. Queue Item - dmi_queue_item, peer item for work item for querying in Inbox
5. Package - dmi_package, references documents and comments routed among task

Question 64. Tabs In Work Flow And Their Uses?

Answer :

ü  Performer tab

• Performer information
• Delegate, reassign, and signoff information

ü  Package tab

• Package information
• Port/link definition

ü  Transition tab

• Determine what to do when the task is completed
• Transition types:

§  all - all next tasks will be started

§  manual transition - performer chooses the next tasks (forward or reject)

§  auto transition - server picks the next tasks based on the condition defined

ü  Trigger tab

• Determine when to start this task
• Trigger conditions:

§  all - all previous tasks are done

§  some - certain number of previous tasks are done

§  event - the task will not start until a certain event arrives

Number of times the activity can run

Question 65. Running A Simple Workflow?

Answer :

1)Start with workflow template

• The workflow template objects: dm_process, a list of dm_activity objects

2)Create workflow instance

• ü  Create a dm_workflow object
• ü  dm_workflow points to the workflow template dm_process
• ü  Save dm_workflow
• ü  dm_workflow is in Dormant state

3)Run the workflow

• ü  Execute dm_workflow
• ü  dm_workflow is in Running state

Question 66. What Is Full Text Engine?

Answer :

Verity’s Full Text Engine is a powerful search tool embedded within Documentum’s Content Server. It enables a user to search both attributes and content stored within the Docbase without leaving the Documentum environment. Using the full-text search a user can perform a comprehensive search of both attributes and content through the execution of a single query.

Going down to the bottom of the picture, task list is created for manual tasks. In this case, performer receives the task in the Inbox. He completes the task through the Task Manager interface of the client.

For automatic tasks, the Workflow Engine will invoke the applications directly. Here the applications can talk to the Workflow Engine through server methods and/or DFC.

Question 67. Composer And Dab What Are The Differences?

Answer :

DAB/DAI is an MFC-based application that was used to configure Documentum artifacts.

Composer is intended to replace DAB/DAI and is built on top of the Eclipse infrastructure. This allows us to build new capabilities much easier on top of an industry-standard platform.

Question 68. What Is Dmr_content?

Answer :

The contents of renditions are stored as dmr_content. The Content of a deleted document can be retrieved using dmr_content.The actual document or the content is stored as dmr_content and it is linked to dm_document which stores the metadata.

Question 69. How Can I Make A Large Fulltext Index More Efficient?

Answer :

To make your full text index more efficient, you should avoid indexing nonselective or commonly found words.

Question 70. What Is Quick Flow?

Answer :

A quickflow is something that you create on the spot when you want it... sorta ad-hoc.  A full workflow is saved within the system and has a predefined set of steps.  It's good for if you had a process of approvals that you needed to go through to get a document approved.

Question 71. What Are The Application Server U Have Worked Other Than Tomcat?

Answer :

JBOSS and Weblogic

Question 72. What Is Publish And Flush?

Answer :

Flush is used to clear the Persistent Cache and Publish is to publish the Data Dictionary.

Question 73. Have You Worked On Auditing?

Answer :

An Audit Trail is the history of instances of an Audit Event. Each instance of an Audit Event results in the creation of one Audit Trail entry which stores information about the event (such as the time of the event, which objects were involved, who performed the actions, and which values were affected).

Question 74. What Is Keystore?

Answer :

Keystore stores PKI credentials that DFC client uses to communicate with global registery.