Are you preparing for an Informatica interview? If yes, then you must be searching for the most common Informatica interview questions to get an idea of what to expect during the interview. Here, we have curated a list of the most common Informatica interview questions that are likely to be asked during your interview.
- What is Informatica?
Informatica is a tool used for extracting data from different sources, transforming it, and loading it to other target systems. It is an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tool used for data integration.
- What are the different components of Informatica?
The different components of Informatica are:
- PowerCenter Designer
- PowerCenter Workflow Manager
- PowerCenter Workflow Monitor
- PowerCenter Repository Manager
- PowerCenter Server Manager
- PowerCenter Repository Service
- PowerCenter Integration Service
- PowerCenter Repository Manager
- What is a repository?
A repository is a database where Informatica stores all the metadata related to the mappings, transformations, and workflows.
- What is a workflow?
A workflow is a set of instructions that describe how to run a particular ETL process. It consists of tasks, sessions, and workflows.
- What are the different types of tasks in Informatica?
The different types of tasks in Informatica are:
- Command task
- Email task
- Decision task
- Timer task
- Assignment task
- Control task
- Event wait task
- What is a mapping?
A mapping is a set of instructions that converts the source data into the target data. It is a blueprint that describes how data should be transformed.
- What are the different types of mappings in Informatica?
The different types of mappings in Informatica are:
- Source Qualifier Mapping
- Expression Mapping
- Filter Mapping
- Aggregator Mapping
- Joiner Mapping
- Rank Mapping
- Router Mapping
- Update Strategy Mapping
- What is a session?
A session is a set of instructions that describes how to run a particular ETL process. It includes details about the source and target connections, mapping, and transformation rules.
- What is a transformation?
A transformation is a set of instructions that modify or manipulate the source data into the target data. It includes various types of transformations like Aggregator, Expression, Filter, Joiner, Lookup, Rank, Router, and Update Strategy.
- What is the difference between a lookup and joiner transformation?
A lookup transformation is used to lookup data from a relational table, while a joiner transformation is used to join data from two sources based on a common key.
- What is a pipeline partition and what is its significance?
Pipeline partitioning is the process of partitioning a mapping based on the number of sources and the number of target instances. It helps to optimize the performance of the mapping and improve the scalability of the ETL process.
- What is a session partition and what is its significance?
Session partitioning is the process of dividing a session into multiple partitions to increase the processing speed and optimize the performance of the ETL process. It is used to handle large data volumes and improve the scalability of the ETL process.
- What is dynamic lookup?
Dynamic Lookup is a feature in Informatica that allows you to perform a lookup operation by dynamically changing the lookup table and the lookup condition at run time.
- What is a mapplet?
A mapplet is a reusable set of transformations that you can use in multiple mappings. It functions as a self-contained module that can be used to create a transformation or set of transformations.
- What is a slowly changing dimension and how is it implemented in Informatica?
A slowly changing dimension is a type of data that changes slowly over time. It is used to track changes in dimensions like customer, product, or location over time. It is implemented in Informatica using the SCD (Slowly Changing Dimension) transformation.
Conclusion:
If you are preparing for an Informatica interview, these questions will help you understand the most common topics covered in the interview. It is essential to have a good understanding of Informatica components, architecture, workflows, mappings, and transformations as these form the core of Informatica ETL. Good luck with your interview!
- What is Informatica?
Informatica is an enterprise data integration platform used for extracting, transforming, and loading data from different sources. It is an ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) tool that supports the integration of diverse data sets, including relational databases, flat files, XML, and more.
Informatica automates data integration tasks like data profiling, data quality, data transformation, and data management. It ensures data accuracy, consistency, and completeness, making information available across the enterprise for better decision-making.
- What are the different components of Informatica?
- PowerCenter Designer is a graphical design tool used for creating and developing mappings, mapplets, and reusable transformations.
- PowerCenter Workflow Manager is used for designing and maintaining workflows which are sequences of tasks that execute ETL operations.
- PowerCenter Workflow Monitor is used for monitoring and managing the workflow execution process.
- PowerCenter Repository Manager is used for managing the metadata stored in the repository and configuring permissions, security, and privileges.
- PowerCenter Server Manager is used for managing server processes, creating and managing repositories, and monitoring server performance.
- What is a repository?
A repository is a metadata database where Informatica stores the components and objects used in an ETL process. It provides data about the location of the source and target databases used in ETL, the rules used for data transformations, and other pertinent ETL process information. Repositories can be created for different ETL applications or projects.
- What is a workflow?
A workflow is a group of tasks that represent a complete ETL process. It specifies all the steps that an ETL process will execute to extract, transform, and load data. A workflow is created using the Workflow Manager tool.
The various elements that define a workflow include source definition, target definition, workflow variables, task instances, links, and the order in which they need to execute. Workflows can be run on-demand, scheduled, or triggered in response to events.
- What are the different types of tasks in Informatica?
Informatica comes with a variety of tasks that are used for different purposes. The key tasks that are commonly used in most ETL projects include:
- Command task: Used for running shell commands or scripts.
- Email task: Used for sending emails when a workflow is complete or to notify users of specific events.
- Decision task: Used for implementing conditional logic or branching in workflows.
- Timer task: Used for scheduling a workflow to start or stop at a specific time.
- Assignment task: Used for assigning values to workflow variables or parameters.
- Control task: Used for controlling the flow of data between tasks.
- Event wait task: Used for waiting for a specific event to occur.
- What is a mapping?
A mapping is a visual representation of the transformation rules that convert the source data into the target data. The mapping shows the flow of data from the source to the target and specifies the transformations that occur in between.
A mapping consists of source definitions, target definitions, transformation rules, and connections between different elements. The Informatica Designer is used for creating mappings.
- What are the different types of mappings in Informatica?
The different types of mappings in Informatica include:
- Source Qualifier Mapping: It converts source data into an Informatica format.
- Expression Mapping: It uses expressions to modify the source data.
- Filter Mapping: It filters out rows from the source data based on a specified condition.
- Aggregator Mapping: It performs aggregations on a group of rows.
- Joiner Mapping: It joins two or more sources into a single target, based on common data.
- Rank Mapping: It selects the top or bottom records based on a specified value or rank.
- Router Mapping: It splits the data based on specified conditions.
- Update Strategy Mapping: It updates the target rows based on specified rules.
- What is a session?
A session is a set of instructions that provide detailed information about how to run a workflow or mapping, including the source and target database connections, transformation rules, and scheduling. It contains all the necessary information required to execute the ETL process.
Session properties define how a session executes, which includes parallelism, error handling, tracing, and other factors. Depending on the requirements, sessions can be run either sequentially or concurrently.
- What is a transformation?
A transformation is a rule or set of rules that takes in a set of input data and transforms it into an output. It can be used for simple calculations or complex data manipulation. Informatica provides several transformations for different requirements.
Transformations can be categorized into 3 types: source transformation, midstream transformation, and passive transformation. Source transformation performs upon ETL row returned by source; midstream transformation operates on modified row returned by prior transformation or source. Passive transformation processes the data row, but produces no effect on data sent on to next step.
Popular questions
- What is Informatica?
Informatica is an enterprise data integration platform used for extracting, transforming, and loading data from different sources. It automates data integration tasks like data profiling, data quality, data transformation, and data management.
- What are the different types of tasks in Informatica?
The different types of tasks in Informatica include command task, email task, decision task, timer task, assignment task, control task, and event wait task.
- What is a mapping in Informatica?
Mapping in Informatica is a set of instructions that convert source data into target data. It specifies the transformation rules between the source and target data, and it helps to transform the data in a more meaningful way.
- What is a repository in Informatica?
A repository is a metadata database in Informatica that stores all the metadata related to mappings, transformations, and workflows. It provides data about the location of the source and target databases used in ETL, the rules used for data transformations, and other pertinent ETL process information.
- What are the different types of transformations in Informatica?
The different types of transformations in Informatica include source transformation, midstream transformation, and passive transformation. Source transformation performs upon ETL row returned by source; midstream transformation operates on modified row returned by prior transformation or source. Passive transformation processes the data row, but produces no effect on data sent on to next step. Other commonly used transformations include Expression, Filter, Aggregator, Joiner, Lookup, Rank, Router, and Update Strategy.
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