FAQ) on Business Objects:
1. What changes are upcoming for the BusinessObjects certification program?
Effective April 30, 2010, there will be
new BusinessObjects certification exams available after realignment
with the certification program. All existing BusinessObjects exams
will be retired at the end of April and will be replaced by the
following three exams:
C_BOCR_08 – Certified Application Associate Crystal Reports 2008
C_BOE_30 – Certified Application Associate BusinessObjects Enterprise XI 3.x
C_BOWI_30 – Certified Application Associate BusinessObjects Web Intelligence XI 3.x
2. Do current certificates keep their value?
Absolutely; individuals holding a current valid Business Objects certification will not need to recertify.
3. If a test taker has already passed 3 out of 4 papers for BusinessObjects Certified Professional – Business Objects Enterprise and is only left with the XI 3-1 upgrade exam (SABE 501) what should he/she do?
To avoid taking the full certification
exam after the retirement of the XI 3-1 upgrade exam the final exam
should be taken prior to its retirement at the end of April.
4. What has changed in the new exams?
There are some minor content updates and
the scoring model has been changed to dichotomous scoring. The
dichotomous scoring model scores multiple response questions as either
correct or incorrect and does not give partial grades for responses.
This better reflects the need for customers and partners to know
whether a certified individual can perform a task to the complete
satisfaction of all concerned. Leaving a question blank is equivalent to
a false response. In addition there is now only one exam required to
gain the full certification.
5. Will the current certification holders automatically be considered at Associate level?
Yes, those holding the existing
certification BusinessObjects certification are entitled to use the
Associate certification logo and title. The former BusinessObjects
Certification branding and logo will no longer be used by or provided
to test takers.
6. For those who already possess the BOCP-CR XI, there is currently a delta BOCP-CR 2008 update exam to update to CR2008. Will a CR delta exam exist after this realignment?
No, after the realignment there will no
longer be a delta exam to update to CR2008. This will be retired in
April and not replaced.
7. Will the exam duration change?
The exam duration will be aligned with the rest of the Global Certification program. There will be 80 questions in 3 hours.
8. Why is the series of exams for each BusinessObjects product line being compressed into single exams?
This is a step to align the BusinessObjects exam format with the rest of the Global Certification program.
9. How many times can the test taker take the certification exam?
He/she can sit for an certification
exam a maximum of three times. If he/she is unsuccessful in passing your
certification exam after two attempts, and has not previously taken
training classes, we highly recommend that they complete the training.
The fee for certification retakes is the same as the initial exam. No
candidate may sit for the same examination for the same release more
than three times. A candidate who has failed an examination three times
for a release may not attempt that examination again until the next
release. There are no rules on waiting periods prior to a retake.
10. A test taker just missed reaching a passing grade and would like to review my exam for possible rescoring. What is the appeals process?
Unless there were technical system
difficulties experienced while taking the exam, exams will not generally
be reviewed for rescore. If however a test taker feels that there are
grounds for appeal it is necessary to submit that appeal to the local
Education team as soon as possible – but at the latest up to 3 months –
after the testing event.
11. Where can BusinessObjects tests be taken?
From April 30, 2010 BusinessObjects
certification exams will no longer be available via Pearson VUE test
centers in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxembourg. However the exams will continue to be available via Pearson
VUE test centers in the rest of the world. From April onwards the
registration for an BusinessObjects exam at a Pearson VUE Test Center
will no longer be possible athttp://www.vue.com/busobjects. All future
registrations must be made via http://www.vue.com/. In addition to this,
the BusinessObjects exams will also be available in Education Centers
around the world from April 2010 onwards. Registration for this can be
arranged viahttp://www..com/certification/ or by contacting your local
Education representative.
12. Is there any difference in the certification exam at an Education center or through ’s delivery partner, Pearson VUE?
No. Certification exams are the same no matter where the test is taken.
13. Does the test taker need to enter a user ID when registering for a certification exam and does he/she need to be affiliated with an customer or partner in order to take an exam?
The test taker does not need to be
affiliated with an customer or partner in order to take an exam, but
does have to apply for a so-called S-User ID (or in the case of internal
employees an I, D or C-user ID) from prior to registering.
Instructions on how to apply for that ID and register for the exam can
be found at http://www.vue.com/.
14. How does a test taker obtain the actual certificate?
On successfully passing the exam, the certificate will be sent to the test taker within 4-6 weeks.
15. Are professional and master exams planned for BusinessObjects certifications?
There are not currently plans for professional and master exams.
16. Can BusinessObjects vouchers be ordered for taking tests at VUE?
Yes. Vouchers can be ordered online here http://www.vue.com/vouchers/pricelist/
17. Will the pricing change?
The pricing will be aligned with the
rest of the Global Certification program to reflect the increased exam
duration and the single exam per certification scenario. Pricing will
not differ between an exam taken at a VUE test center or an Education
Center.
18. How can a test taker get information about recommended training offerings to prepare for the tests?
The recommended training alternatives are listed in the test section on http://www..com/services/education/certification
19. Are Academies or eAcademies planned as part of the BusinessObjects curriculum?
Academies are planned for launch in 2011.
20. Explain the concepts and capabilities of Business Object.
A business object can be used to represent entities of the business
that are supported in the design. A business object can accommodate data
and the behavior of the business associated with the entity…………………
21. What is broad cast agent?
A broadcast agent allows automation of emails to be distributed. It
allows reports to be sent to different business objects. It also users
to choose the report format and send via SMS, fax, pagers etc.
broadcast………….
22. Explain the functional differences between BO and COGNOs.
Business objects in business intelligence are entities of the business. COGNOS makes BI and performance planning software……………
23. What is a universe? Explain the types of universes in business objects.
A universe connects the client to the data warehouse. It is a file
defining relationships amongst the tables in the warehouse, classes and
objects, database connection details……………
24. What is security domain in Business Objects?
Security domain in business objects is a domain containing all
security information like login credentials etc. It checks for users and
their privileges………………
25. What is batch processing in Business Objects?
Batch processing can be used to schedule reports. Objects can be also
be used for batch processing. Batch processing can be used to also
select the objects to be processed……………..
26. What are the functional & architectural differences between business objects and Web Intelligence Reports?
Functional differences – Business objects, for building or accessing
reports, needs to be installed on every pc. On the other hand, Web
intelligence reports needs a browser and a URL of the server from where
Business……………….
27. What is slicing and dicing in business objects?
Slicing and dicing of business objects is used for a detailed
analysis of the data. It allows changing the position of data by
interchanging rows and columns………….
28. What is the security level used in BO?
Security level used in BO:- Row Level, Column Level……………
29. What is Object qualification?
Object qualification is an attribute of an object that helps to determine how it can be used in multidimensional analysis………….
30. What is BOMain.Key?
A BOMain.key file contains all relevant information about the
repository. It contains the address of the repository security
domain………………
31. OLAP database objects
The following are the OLAP database objects:
Cubes: Data in cubes are persisted in a summarized version that helps to analyze data quickly. The data is persisted, through which reporting can be done easily………………
Cubes: Data in cubes are persisted in a summarized version that helps to analyze data quickly. The data is persisted, through which reporting can be done easily………………
32. Cubes
A data cube stores data in a summarized version which helps in a
faster analysis of data. The data is stored in such a way that it allows
reporting easily…………….
33. Data Sources
Data source is where the data comes from in data warehousing. The data collected from various sources and is cleaned…………..
34. Fact Tables
Data in a warehouse comes from the transactions. Fact table in a data
warehouse consists of facts and/or measures. The nature of data in a
fact table is usually numerical. e.g. If I want to know the number…………..
35. Database roles
Database level roles are used to manage the security of the database. The role can be either fixed or flexible……………
36. Explain the concepts and capabilities of OLAP.
Online analytical processing performs analysis of business data and
provides the ability to perform complex calculations on usually low
volumes of data. OLAP helps the user gain an insight on the data…………..
37. Explain the functionality of OLAP.
Multidimensional analysis:- OLAP helps the user gain an insight on
the data coming from different sources. OLAP helps faster execution of
complex analytical and ad-hoc queries……………
38. What are MOLAP and ROLAP?
Multidimensional Online Analytical Processing and Relational Online
Analytical Processing are tools used in analysis of data which is
multidimensional………………
39. Explain the role of bitmap indexes to solve aggregation problems.
Bitmap indexes are useful in connecting smaller databases to larger
databases. Bit map indexes can be very useful in performing repetitive
indexes…………..
40. Explain the encoding technique used in bitmaps indexes.
For each distinct value, one bitmap is used. The number of bitmaps
can be reduced using log(C) bitmaps with to represent the values in each
bin…………….
41. What is Binning?
Binning can be used to hold multiple values in one bin. Bitmaps are then used to represent the values in………….
42. What is candidate check?
Binning process when creates the binned indexes, answers only some
queries. The base data is not checked. The process of checking the base
data is called as a candidate check. Candidate check at times………….
43. What is Hybrid OLAP?
In a Hybrid OLAP, the database gets divided into relational and
specialized storage. Specialized data storage is for data with fewer
details while relational storage can be used for large amount of
data…………..
44. Explain the shared features of OLAP.
OLAP product by default is read only. If multiple access rights are required, admin needs to make necessary changes………………
45. Compare Data Warehouse database and OLTP database.
Data Warehouse is used for business measures cannot be used to cater
real time business needs of the organization and is optimized for lot of
data, unpredictable queries. On the other hand, OLTP database is
for……………..
46. What is the difference between ETL tool and OLAP tool?
ETL is the process of Extracting, loading and transforming data into
meaningful form. This data can be used by the OLAP tool for to visualize
data in different forms. ETL tools also perform some cleaning of
data………………
47. What is the difference between OLAP and DSS?
Data driven Decision support system is used to access and manipulate
data. Data Driven DSS in conjunction with On line Analytical Processing
48. Explain the concepts and capabilities of Business Object.
A business object can be used to represent entities of the business
that are supported in the design. A business object can accommodate data
and the behavior of the business associated with the entity…………………
49. What is broad cast agent?
A broadcast agent allows automation of emails to be distributed. It
allows reports to be sent to different business objects. It also users
to choose the report format and send via SMS, fax, pagers etc.
broadcast………….
50. Explain the functional differences between BO and COGNOs.
Business objects in business intelligence are entities of the business. COGNOS makes BI and performance planning software……………
51. What is a universe? Explain the types of universes in business objects.
A universe connects the client to the data warehouse. It is a file
defining relationships amongst the tables in the warehouse, classes and
objects, database connection details……………
52. What is security domain in Business Objects?
Security domain in business objects is a domain containing all
security information like login credentials etc. It checks for users and
their privileges………………
53. What is batch processing in Business Objects?
Batch processing can be used to schedule reports. Objects can be also
be used for batch processing. Batch processing can be used to also
select the objects to be processed……………..
54. What are the functional & architectural differences between business objects and Web Intelligence Reports?
Functional differences – Business objects, for building or accessing
reports, needs to be installed on every pc. On the other hand, Web
intelligence reports needs a browser and a URL of the server from where
Business……………….
55. What is slicing and dicing in business objects?
Slicing and dicing of business objects is used for a detailed
analysis of the data. It allows changing the position of data by
interchanging rows and columns………….
56. What is the security level used in BO?
Security level used in BO:- Row Level, Column Level……………
57. What is Object qualification?
Object qualification is an attribute of an object that helps to determine how it can be used in multidimensional analysis………….
58. What is BOMain.Key?
A BOMain.key file contains all relevant information about the
repository. It contains the address of the repository security
domain………………
59. OLAP database objects
The following are the OLAP database objects:
Cubes: Data in cubes are persisted in a summarized version that helps to analyze data quickly. The data is persisted, through which reporting can be done easily………………
Cubes: Data in cubes are persisted in a summarized version that helps to analyze data quickly. The data is persisted, through which reporting can be done easily………………
60. Cubes
A data cube stores data in a summarized version which helps in a
faster analysis of data. The data is stored in such a way that it allows
reporting easily…………….
61. Data Sources
Data source is where the data comes from in data warehousing. The data collected from various sources and is cleaned…………..
62. Fact Tables
Data in a warehouse comes from the transactions. Fact table in a data
warehouse consists of facts and/or measures. The nature of data in a
fact table is usually numerical. e.g. If I want to know the number…………..
63. Database roles
Database level roles are used to manage the security of the database. The role can be either fixed or flexible……………
64. Explain the concepts and capabilities of OLAP.
Online analytical processing performs analysis of business data and
provides the ability to perform complex calculations on usually low
volumes of data. OLAP helps the user gain an insight on the data…………..
65. Explain the functionality of OLAP.
Multidimensional analysis:- OLAP helps the user gain an insight on
the data coming from different sources. OLAP helps faster execution of
complex analytical and ad-hoc queries……………
66. What are MOLAP and ROLAP?
Multidimensional Online Analytical Processing and Relational Online
Analytical Processing are tools used in analysis of data which is
multidimensional………………
67. Explain the role of bitmap indexes to solve aggregation problems.
Bitmap indexes are useful in connecting smaller databases to larger
databases. Bit map indexes can be very useful in performing repetitive
indexes…………..
68. Explain the encoding technique used in bitmaps indexes.
For each distinct value, one bitmap is used. The number of bitmaps
can be reduced using log(C) bitmaps with to represent the values in each
bin…………….
69. What is Binning?
Binning can be used to hold multiple values in one bin. Bitmaps are then used to represent the values in………….
70. What is candidate check?
Binning process when creates the binned indexes, answers only some
queries. The base data is not checked. The process of checking the base
data is called as a candidate check. Candidate check at times………….
71. What is Hybrid OLAP?
In a Hybrid OLAP, the database gets divided into relational and
specialized storage. Specialized data storage is for data with fewer
details while relational storage can be used for large amount of
data…………..
72. Explain the shared features of OLAP.
OLAP product by default is read only. If multiple access rights are required, admin needs to make necessary changes………………
73. Compare Data Warehouse database and OLTP database.
Data Warehouse is used for business measures cannot be used to cater
real time business needs of the organization and is optimized for lot of
data, unpredictable queries. On the other hand, OLTP database is
for……………..
74. What is the difference between ETL tool and OLAP tool?
ETL is the process of Extracting, loading and transforming data into
meaningful form. This data can be used by the OLAP tool for to visualize
data in different forms. ETL tools also perform some cleaning of
data………………
75. What is the difference between OLAP and DSS?
Data driven Decision support system is used to access and manipulate
data. Data Driven DSS in conjunction with On line Analytical Processing
