Introduction to MicroStrategy Interview Questions and Answers

MicroStrategy is an enterprise-level tool with multiple usages in the software world or other words; it is an enterprise business intelligence application and data warehousing reporting tool. MicroStrategy platform can conceive multiple aspects like interactive dashboards, thresholds, and alerts, automated report distribution, highly formatted reports etc. Internal and external data can be analyzed thoroughly to make business decisions and help with mobile applications development. Significant benefits of MicroStrategy is that it uses a single common metadata for consistency and streamlined maintenance. It also supports in-memory analytics with the concept called “Intelligent cubes”. Metrics and attributes can be created only once and then can be utilized across several types of reports. All required changes can be done in a single place, and concerning reports are updated automatically. The same benefits are applicable for security permissions; they are granted in one place, which can reduce administration costs.

Now, if you are looking for a job that is related to MicroStrategy, then you need to prepare for the 2020 MicroStrategy Interview Questions. Every interview is indeed different as per the different job profiles. Here, we have prepared the important MicroStrategy Interview Questions and Answers, which will help you succeed in your interview.

In this 2020 MicroStrategy Interview Questions article, we shall present the 10 most essential and frequently used MicroStrategy interview questions and Answers. These interview questions are divided into two parts are as follows:

Part 1 – MicroStrategy Interview Questions (Basic)

This first part covers basic Interview Questions and Answers.

Q1. Define metadata in MicroStrategy?

Answer:
MicroStrategy consist of multiple object definitions, which are stored using a database repository known as metadata. It could be hosted on most of the databases. Metadata repository also consists of information about data warehouse. All the required information is captured in a format within a relational database. All report making and data analysis is done by mapping MicroStrategy objects, achieved through metadata. Similarly, the report creation process uses various objects, representing data as report building blocks, which are eventually created and stored in a metadata repository. Sharing of objects across the MicroStrategy application is enabled by metadata by providing a central repository for object definitions.

Q2. Describe various kinds of objects is MicroStrategy?

Answer:
This is the common Interview Question asked in an interview. Objects can be categorized into 3 flavours:

Configuration objects: These objects provide critical information and act as a parameter for crucial project information like administration, user privileges, and connectivity. Some of these objects can be database instances, user group etc. All configuration objects are generated and maintained by managers having an administration icon. They are not utilized directly but generated by an administrator to govern the platform.
Schema objects: All the database objects, like tables, views, columns, correspond to a Schema object created in an application. Any business intelligence application has three essential aspects: facts, attributes, and hierarchies; all these aspects are stored inside schema objects. All schema objects are created and maintained by the MicroStrategy architect.
Application object: Reports, filters, documents, templates, metrics, prompts, custom groups are included in the Application object. Insight into relevant data and their analysis is achieved using application objects. These objects are created and maintained by MicroStrategy developer, unlike a Schema object. These objects are created using schema objects as building blocks.

Q3. Explain the scope of Business intelligence and why BI tools are essential?

Answer:
Any form of business requires some level of intelligence to face competitors and market challenges. Understanding the market and competition can be done by properly analysing and deriving useful information from it. It assists the business with some reliable data-related operations. Frequent changing demands of customers can be understood by organizations with a proper and powerful strategy of intelligence. Other business can collaborate with organizations reliably after attaining some level of intelligence in any business scenario. Any operation that can be adopted in business have a past, present and future view. Business intelligence tools let the organization know about this view. How effectively data can be utilized in performing any business intelligence task like reporting, data visualization, data mining, and auditing can be achieved with BI tools. Thus, production can be enhanced, and financial glitches can be avoided with BI tools’ help.

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Q4. What is the difference between 2 tier, 3 tier and 4 tier architecture in MicroStrategy?

Answer:
In 2 tier architectures, MicroStrategy desktop interacts with data warehouse and metadata in the form of a query without any intelligent server. Thus, a normal interaction takes place between desktop and metadata. 3 tier architectures, on the other hand, consist of an intelligent server between desktop and data warehouse or metadata. 4 tier architectures add an extra component in 3 tier architectures in the form of MicroStrategy Web.

Q5. What is the difference between MicroStrategy and IBM Cognos?

Answer:
Following are the differences:

MicroStrategy supports multiple languages, whereas Cognos provides a customizable dashboard.
MicroStrategy is usable in both forms, web and desktop tools, whereas Cognos is a web-based reporting tool mechanism.
It is based on a single data repository strategy, whereas Cognos has two metadata repository and database-based.
Reporting with MicroStrategy is fast, whereas Cognos reporting feature slow as compare to the MicroStrategy tool.

Part 2 – MicroStrategy Interview Questions (Advanced)

Let us now have a look at the advanced Interview Questions and Answers.

Q6. Explain the process of creating intelligent cubes in MicroStrategy?

Answer:
A public folder or a specific user folder can be selected to create intelligent cubes in MicroStrategy. After a report creation process is achieved, one can point the report to a cube and further right-click on a folder and then select cube-option to create a new cube. Once cube creation is done, required report objects need to be selected and thus save the cube. Then, a cube is stored and ran to check; anyone creates multiple reports out of the cube now. A developer can also add new attributes and metrics with the cube, and the same would be available when we run the report any other time.

Q7. What are the methods to implement Intelligent cube technology in MicroStrategy?

Answer:
This is the most popular MicroStrategy Interview Question asked in an interview. Intelligent cubes allow a user to access OLAP service features on reports; a shared set of data can be shared among multiple reports. Intelligent Cubes are multi-dimensional cubes on a BI platform, having two unique methods to implement intelligent cube technology:

Personal intelligent cubes: It is an intelligent cube functionality in which the user can begin with report creation in a usual manner and afterwards analyze the reports with OLAP service feature like derived metrics, view filters, and dynamic aggregation. All features are processed with an in-memory copy of data, called a personal intelligent cube. Thus, rather than being processed in a data warehouse, processing occurs with an in-memory copy.
Intelligent cubes: A shared intelligent cube with a set of data can be shared as a single in-memory copy among different users’ reports. Sets of data are being returned from data warehouses and then save them directly into intelligence Server memory. All reports having access to intelligent cubes can utilize OLAP services features for reporting and analysis purpose.

Q8. List out different algorithms being used in MicroStrategy?

Answer:
There are different sets of algorithms that are vastly supported in MicroStrategy; some of them are:

Regression algorithm
Tree algorithms
Clustering algorithms
Neural network algorithms.

Let us move to the next Interview Questions.

Q9. What is Prompt, and what are its types?

Answer:
All report contents can be modified dynamically through an attribute called as Prompt. There are many types of prompts like:

Object prompts – Allows the user to select an object having a run-time report.
Level prompts – One can determine the level of aggregation calculation of metrics.
Value prompts – Allow a user to type a value, which can be used along with metrics.
Filter definition prompt – Allow a user to decide how the attribute element filter filters the report’s data.

Q10. What is an implicit attribute in MicroStrategy?

Answer:
An attribute having its expression is called an implicit attribute. It does not exist physically in the database but exists virtually. Hence can also be termed as a virtual attribute. It is created at the application level.