SQL Server Interview Questions

Does MicroStrategy Web support clustering via Cisco Local Router or any other third-party clustering software?

MicroStrategy Web relies on third-party web-clustering software to provide clustering functionality. MicroStrategy Web is designed to be stateless so that each individual MicroStrategy Web node can function without the knowledge of the existence of other nodes. Therefore, any third-party software used to cluster web servers can be used.

What information is shared by the application across MicroStrategy Web nodes?

MicroStrategy Web is designed to be as stateless as possible. Therefore, no information is shared by the MicroStrategy Web application across cluster nodes. All state information for running jobs is pushed to the client browser.

When a report is submitted by a MicroStrategy Web user, the user will receive a wait page in the client browser. This wait page will poll the MicroStrategy Web Server periodically for the status of the report. This polling is performed as new http requests. This http request will contain all state information, including encrypted login information and MicroStrategy Intelligence Server connection information.

Is MicroStrategy Web "cluster-aware"?

The MicroStrategy Web application is designed so that each MicroStrategy Web cluster node does not need to know that it is a member of a cluster. MicroStrategy Web is designed to be stateless, so that each client http request can be processed individually without having to persist information within the MicroStrategy Web application. Therefore, third-party Web-server clustering software can be used to cluster together multiple web servers running MicroStrategy Web.

Should MicroStrategy Web be specifically configured to access a MicroStrategy Intelligence Server cluster?

No. When the administrator configures MicroStrategy Web to access a particular MicroStrategy Intelligence Server, the MicroStrategy Web application will automatically detect that the MicroStrategy Intelligence Server is a member of a cluster. Once this detection is made, MicroStrategy Web will automatically add all the other members of the same cluster into the pool of available MicroStrategy Intelligence Servers.

Microstrategy Basic Questions

What is Microstrategy Desktop?

Microstrategy Desktop™ is a Windows client-server software application that provides integrated monitoring, reporting, and analysis capabilities.

2. What does Microstrategy Desktop allow users to do?

Using Microstrategy Desktop, users can easily access and share critical corporate information they need to make cost-cutting decisions and improve business processes. The information found in databases can also be used to help increase revenue and boost profits. Users can access this database and SAP data without having to learn technical database query (SQL) or multi-dimensional expression (MDX) syntax.

3. What can users do with the information they access using Microstrategy Desktop?

Users can analyze the information using standard aggregations and more sophisticated functions such as average, summation, percentage contribution, standard deviation and net present value. Investigative reporting, using pivoting, sorting, slicing, and drilling to more detail, can be performed with simple mouse clicks. Users can also format reports to their specifications and view the data as intuitive charts and graphs to identify trends and anomalies quickly.

4. What are the benefits of using Microstrategy Desktop?

Users can obtain critical information immediately without waiting for IT departments to create reports. The software is easy to use and provides context sensitive help, thus eliminating the need for extensive support and maintenance staff.

5. Are the reports created using Microstrategy Desktop available to other products such as Microstrategy Web?

Yes. Reports created using Microstrategy Desktop are immediately available to other Microstrategy products because of our centralized metadata architecture.

6. Can Microstrategy Desktop access SAP data?

Yes. With the release of Microstrategy 8, Microstrategy Desktop incorporates a new dynamic data access engine designed to access multi-dimensional databases (MDDBs or OLAP Cube Databases) such as those from SAP Business Information Warehouse (BW) databases.

7. Can Microstrategy Desktop access operational data systems?

Yes. Microstrategy Desktop users can use a new Operational SQL Engine to include data from any operational system using completely free-form SQL, including stored procedures and views.

8. How fast is the performance on Microstrategy Desktop?

Microstrategy Desktop provides instant access and analysis of information. This high performance is enabled through Intelligence Cubes™, caches, incremental fetches and advanced analytic features.

9. How long does it take to learn Microstrategy Desktop?

Microstrategy Desktop preserves the look and feel of popular desktop software such as Microsoft® Windows® Explorer and Microsoft Office. As such, users are immediately comfortable with Microstrategy Desktop. A customized interface using HTML can be created, simplifying navigation and report execution.

10. Can I make my data and graphs look professional?

Yes. Users can format their data into appealing reports using various formatting styles and graphs for maximum visual impact. Users can choose from more than 30 different charting options to present information in the best layout possible.

11. Is it possible to display multiple reports, images and information on the same page?

Yes, users can easily combine tables, images, graphs and other information onto the same page in a document. Visually impressive and compelling documents can be printed out and shared with corporate executives. Business users can now rearrange the organization of any report with simple drag and drop actions or by clicking on the new toolbar icons to get entirely new views of the data, all from the same report and without requiring assistance from IT.

12. What printing capabilities are available in Microstrategy Desktop?

Microstrategy Desktop offers advanced printing capabilities. Features include repeating row/column headers, customizable headers and footers, and a comprehensive page setup menu. Users can preview reports before sending it to the printer.

13. What subtotaling features does Microstrategy Desktop contain?

Microstrategy Desktop has more than 10 different subtotaling functions that aid analysis of the data. Subtotals can be presented at any level in the rows, columns and pages on the report.