SAP BI Interview Questions and Answers

  1. What are the extractor types?

Application Specific
BW Content FI, HR, CO, SAP CRM, LO Cockpit
Customer-Generated Extractors
LIS, FI-SL, CO-PA
Cross Application (Generic Extractors)
DB View, InfoSet, Function Module

  2. What are the steps involved in LO Extraction?
The steps are:

• RSA5 Select the Data Sources

• LBWE Maintain DataSources and Activate Extract Structures

• LBWG Delete Setup Tables

• 0LI*BW Setup tables

• RSA3 Check extraction and the data in Setup tables

• LBWQ Check the extraction queue

• LBWF Log for LO Extract Structures

• RSA7 BW Delta Queue Monitor

  3. How to create a connection with LIS Info Structures?

LBW0 Connecting LIS Info Structures to BW

  4. What is the difference between ODS and Info Cube and Multi Provider?

ODS: Provides granular data, allows overwrite and data is in transparent  tables, ideal for drill down and RRI.
CUBE: Follows the star schema, we can only append data, ideal for primary  reporting.
Multi Provider: Does not have physical data. It allows to access data from  different Info Providers (Cube, ODS, Info Object). It is also preferred for  reporting.

  5. What are Start routines, Transfer routines and Update routines?

Start Routines: The start routine is run for each Data Package after the data  has been written to the PSA and before the transfer rules have been executed. It  allows complex computations for a key figure or a characteristic. It has no  return value. Its purpose is to execute preliminary calculations and to store  them in global Data Structures. This structure or table can be accessed in the  other routines. The entire Data Package in the transfer structure format is used  as a parameter for the routine.
Transfer / Update Routines: They are defined at the  Info Object level. It is like the Start Routine. It is independent of the  Data Source. We can use this to define Global Data and Global Checks.

  6. What is the difference between start routine and update routine, when, how  and why are they called?

Start routine can be used to access Info Package while update routines are  used while updating the Data Targets.

  7. What is the table that is used in start routines?

Always the table structure will be the structure of an ODS or Info Cube. For  example if it is an ODS then active table structure will be the table.

  8. Explain how you used Start routines in your project?

Start routines are used for mass processing of records. In start routine all  the records of Data Package is available for processing. So we can process all  these records together in start routine. In one of scenario, we wanted to apply  size % to the forecast data. For example if material M1 is fore casted to say 100  in May. Then after applying size %(Small 20%, Medium 40%, Large 20%, Extra Large  20%), we wanted to have 4 records against one single record that is coming in  the info package. This is achieved in start routine.

  9. What are Return Tables?

When we want to return multiple records, instead of single value, we use the  return table in the Update Routine. Example: If we have total telephone expense  for a Cost Center, using a return table we can get expense per employee.

  10. How do start routine and return table synchronize with each other?

Return table is used to return the Value following the execution of start  routine

  11. What is the difference between V1, V2 and V3 updates?

V1 Update: It is a Synchronous update. Here the Statistics update is carried  out at the same time as the document update (in the application tables).
V2 Update: It is an Asynchronous update. Statistics update and the  Document update take place as different tasks.
V1 & V2 don't need scheduling.
Serialized V3 Update: The V3 collective update must be  scheduled as a job (via LBWE). Here, document data is collected in the order it  was created and transferred into the BW as a batch job. The transfer sequence  may not be the same as the order in which the data was created in all scenarios.  V3 update only processes the update data that is successfully processed with the  V2 update.

  12. What is compression?

It is a process used to delete the Request IDs and this saves space.

  13. What is Rollup?

This is used to load new Data Packages (requests) into the Info Cube  aggregates. If we have not performed a rollup then the new Info Cube data will  not be available while reporting on the aggregate.

  14. What is table partitioning and what are the benefits of partitioning in  an Info Cube?

It is the method of dividing a table which would enable a quick reference.  SAP uses fact file partitioning to improve performance. We can partition only at  0CALMONTH or 0FISCPER. Table partitioning helps to run the report faster as data  is stored in the relevant partitions. Also table maintenance becomes easier.  Oracle, Informix, IBM DB2/390 supports table partitioning while SAP DB,  Microsoft SQL Server, IBM DB2/400 do not support table portioning.

  15. How many extra partitions are created and why?

Two partitions are created for date before the begin date and after the end  date.

  16. What are the options available in transfer rule?

• InfoObject

• Constant

• Routine

• Formula

  17. How would you optimize the dimensions?

We should define as many dimensions as possible and we have to take care  that no single dimension crosses more than 20% of the fact table size.

  18. What are Conversion Routines for units and currencies in the update rule?

Using this option we can write ABAP code for Units / Currencies conversion. If  we enable this flag then unit of Key Figure appears in the ABAP code as an  additional parameter. For example, we can convert units in Pounds to Kilos.

  19. Can an Info Object be an Info Provider, how and why?

Yes, when we want to report on Characteristics or Master Data. We have to  right click on the Info Area and select "Insert characteristic as data target".  For example, we can make 0CUSTOMER as an Info Provider and report on it.

  20. What is Open Hub Service?

The Open Hub Service enables us to distribute data from an SAP BW system  into external Data Marts, analytical applications, and other applications. We  can ensure controlled distribution using several systems. The central object for  exporting data is the Info Spoke. We can define the source and the target object  for the data. BW becomes a hub of an enterprise