Bw Nterview - Sap R3 & Bw Interview Questions (not Validated)

SAP Interview Questions General, SAP ABAP interview questions SAP ABAP 1. What is ERP? - ERP is a package with the techniques and concepts for the integrated management of business as a whole, for effective use of management resources, to improve the efficiency of an enterprise. Initially, ERP was targeted for manufacturing industry mainly for planning and managing core business like production and financial market. As the growth and merits of ERP package ERP software is designed for basic process of a company from manufacturing to small shops with a target of integrating information across the company. 2. Different types of ERP? - SAP, BAAN, JD Edwards, Oracle Financials, Siebel, PeopleSoft. Among all the ERP’s most of the companies implemented or trying to implement SAP because of number of advantages aver other ERP packages. 3. What is SAP? - SAP is the name of the company founded in 1972 under the German name (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) is the leading ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software package. 4. Explain the concept of “Business Content” in SAP Business Information Warehouse? - Business Content is a pre-configured set of role and task-relevant information models based on consistent Metadata in the SAP Business Information Warehouse. Business Content provides selected roles within a company with the information they need to carry out their tasks. These information models essentially contain roles, workbooks, queries, InfoSources, InfoCubes, key figures, characteristics, update rules and extractors for SAP R/3, mySAP.com Business Applications and other selected applications. 5. Why do you usually choose to implement SAP? - There are number of technical reasons numbers of companies are planning to implement SAP. It’s highly configurable, highly secure data handling, min data redundancy, max data consistency, you can capitalize on economics of sales like purchasing, tight integration-cross function. 6. Can BW run without a SAP R/3 implementation? - Certainly. You can run BW without R/3 implementation. You can use pre-defined business content in BW using your non-SAP data. Here you simply need to map the transfer structures associated with BW data sources (InfoCubes, ODS tables) to the inbound data files or use 3rd part tool to connect your flat files and other data sources and load data in BW. Several third party ETL products such as Acta, Infomatica, DataStage and others will have been certified to load data in BW. 7. What is IDES? - International Demonstration and Education System. A sample application provided for faster learning and implementation. 8. What is WF and its importance? - Business Work Flow: Tool for automatic control and execution of cross-application processes. This involves coordinating

the persons involved, the work steps required, the data, which needs to be processed (business objects). The main advantage is reduction in throughput times and the costs involved in managing business processes. Transparency and quality are enhanced by its use. 9. What is SAP R/3? - A third generation set of highly integrated software modules that performs common business function based on multinational leading practice. Takes care of any enterprise however diverse in operation, spread over the world. In R/3 system all the three servers like presentation, application server and database server are located at different system. 10. What are presentation, application and database servers in SAP R/3? - The application layer of an R/3 System is made up of the application servers and the message server. Application programs in an R/3 System are run on application servers. The application servers communicate with the presentation components, the database, and also with each other, using the message server. All the data are stored in a centralized server. This server is called database server. 11. What should be the approach for writing a BDC program? - Convert the legacy system data to a flat file and convert flat file into internal table. Transfer the flat file into sap system called “sap data transfer”. Call transaction(Write the program explicitly) or create sessions (sessions are created and processed ,if success data will transfer). 12. Explain open SQL vs native SQL? - ABAP Native SQL allows you to include database-specific SQL statements in an ABAP program. Most ABAP programs containing database-specific SQL statements do not run with different databases. If different databases are involved, use Open SQL. To execute ABAP Native SQL in an ABAP program, use the statement EXEC. Open SQL (Subset of standard SQL statements), allows you to access all database tables available in the R/3 System, regardless of the manufacturer. To avoid conflicts between database tables and to keep ABAP programs independent from the database system used, SAP has generated its own set of SQL statements known as Open SQL. 13. What are datasets? - The sequential files (processed on application server) are called datasets. They are used for file handling in SAP. 14. What are internal tables check table, value table, and transparent table? Internal table: It is a standard data type object, which exists only during the runtime of the program. Check table: Check table will be at field level checking. Value table: Value table will be at domain level checking ex: scarr table is check table for carrid. Transparent table: - Exists with the same structure both in dictionary as well as in database exactly with the same data and fields. 15. What are the major benefits of reporting with BW over R/3? Would it be sufficient just to Web-enable R/3 Reports? - Performance — Heavy reporting along with regular OLTP transactions can produce a lot of load both on the R/3 and the database (cpu, memory, disks, etc). Just take a look at the load put on your system during a month end, quarter end, or year-end — now imagine that occurring even more frequently. Data analysis — BW uses a Data Warehouse and OLAP concepts for storing and analyzing data, where R/3 was designed for transaction processing. With a lot of work you can get the same analysis out of R/3 but most likely would be easier from a BW.

16. How can an ERP such as SAP help a business owner learn more about how business operates? - In order to use an ERP system, a business person must understand the business processes and how they work together from one functional area to the other. This knowledge gives the student a much deeper understanding of how a business operates. Using SAP as a tool to learn about ERP systems will require that the people understand the business processes and how they integrate. 17. What is the difference between OLAP and Data Mining? - OLAP - On line Analytical processing is a reporting tool configured to understand your database schema ,composition facts and dimensions . By simple point-n-clicking, a user can run any number of canned or user-designed reports without having to know anything of SQL or the schema. Because of that prior configuration, the OLAP engine “builds” and executes the appropriate SQL. Mining is to build the application to specifically look at detailed analyses, often algorithmic; even more often misappropriate called “reporting. 18. What is “Extended Star Schema” and how did it emerge? - The Star Schema consists of the Dimension Tables and the Fact Table. The Master Data related tables are kept in separate tables, which has reference to the characteristics in the dimension table(s). These separate tables for master data is termed as the Extended Star Schema. 19. Define Meta data, Master data and Transaction data - Meta Data: Data that describes the structure of data or MetaObjects is called Metadata. In other words data about data is known as Meta Data. Master Data: Master data is data that remains unchanged over a long period of time. It contains information that is always needed in the same way. Characteristics can bear master data in BW. With master data you are dealing with attributes, texts or hierarchies. Transaction data: Data relating to the day-to-day transactions is the Transaction data. 20. Name some drawbacks of SAP - Interfaces are huge problem, Determine where master data resides, Expensive, very complex, demands highly trained staff, lengthy implementation time. 21. What is Bex? - Bex stands for Business Explorer. Bex enables end user to locate reports, view reports, analyze information and can execute queries. The queries in workbook can be saved to there respective roles in the Bex browser. Bex has the following components: Bex Browser, Bex analyzer, Bex Map, Bex Web. 22. What are variables? - Variables are parameters of a query that are set in the parameter query definition and are not filled with values until the queries are inserted into workbooks. There are different types of variables which are used in different application: Characteristics variables, Hierarchies and hierarchy node, Texts, Formulas, Processing types, User entry/Default type, Replacment Path. 23. What is AWB?. What is its purpose? - AWB stands for Administrator WorkBench. AWB is a tool for controlling, monitoring and maintaining all the processes connected with data staging and processing in the business information whearhousing. 24. What is the significance of ODS in BIW? - An ODS Object serves to store consolidated and debugged transaction data on a document level (atomic level). It describes a consolidated dataset from one or more InfoSources. This dataset can

be analyzed with a BEx Query or InfoSet Query. The data of an ODS Object can be updated with a delta update into InfoCubes and/or other ODS Objects in the same system or across systems. In contrast to multi-dimensional data storage with InfoCubes, the data in ODS Objects is stored in transparent, flat database tables. 25. What are the different types of source system? - SAP R/3 Source Systems, SAP BW, Flat Files and External Systems. 26. What is Extractor? - Extractors is a data retrieval mechanisms in the SAP source system. Which can fill the extract structure of a data source with the data from the SAP source system datasets. The extractor may be able to supply data to more fields than exist in the extract structure.

Q). What is BW Statistics and what is it used for? Answer: BW statistics are a set of infocubes delivered by SAP as part of SAP BIW which are useful in measuring the performance of how quickly a query is calculated, or how quickly data in loaded into BW and so on. BW statistics as the name suggest are useful in showing data about the costs associated with BW queries, aggregative data, OLAP, SAP business warehouse management etc. BW statistics can be enabled in SAP business warehouse using the menu path AWB >> Tool >> BW Statistics. This can result in significant reduction in overheads once individual data providers are enabled. To take an example, BW Statistics queries can be runtime queries, queries related to infocubes, mean time per query, use of infocubes etc. Finally, as part of the interview question, the candidate can also discuss how BW statistics can be installed. The Business content section of the AWB contains the settings for BW statistics. One can select the objects to be inserted for collection. After selecting the objects, the BW user must install the technical content i.e. the BW user role "SAP_BW_TCONT". After BW authorizations are complete, the last step is to install the infopackage groups for master data and transaction data.

1. Difference between Transfer Rules and Update Rules ? Transfer Rules : Which specifies how the mapping between the Data Source fields with the Infosource fields (So called Communication Structure). Update Rules : Which specifies how data will be updated into the Data Targets (ODS or InfoCube). (Which internally does some techinical name mapping)

BW Interview Questions Doc text: Here are some useful questions that can be asked in a BW interview... if anyone of you have any more questions or answers please go ahead and add to this: • Explain the significance of Roles in BW? • How are Authorization object and info object related to each other? • Can COPA data be extracted? Explain the process • What does communication structure contain? • What is a Info cube? • Generic extraction can be done on? • What is a Time dependent attribute? • Star schema structure is helpfel for? • Steps to activate business content data source? • Can an ODS data be loaded to : o another ODS or o info cube or o PSA • Do multi cube contain transactional data? • What type of data can be extracted from R3? (Transaction data, master data, and Meta data) • What is a Transfer structure? • What are the Flatfile formats that we can load into BW? • Are there any Rows and column limitations on a excel? • What can Partitions be done on? (Info cube, ODS, PSA or none) • What improvements does Partitioning result in? (navigation..etc) • What is dynamic geo characteristic with attribute values? • Explain the use of filters in the query builder? • What BW elements can you write user exits for? (Master data, Transaction data, Text Hierarchies)

One question often asked at beginner level SAP interviews is relating to the SAP Internet Transaction Server (ITS). Below, I am explaining the concept of internet transaction server in SAP R/3 ERP. Q). What is SAP Internet Transaction Server ITS ? Answer: SAP Internet Transaction Server allows users to access the SAP R/3 system over the internet via a web browser. SAP designed transactions inSAP R3 with a easy user interface to be used over the internet. To put this in other words, SAP ITS is the middleware which integrates the SAP R/3 ERPp with Internet. The ITS browser allows users to access internet application

components (IACs) designed by SAP. These internet application components or scenarios can be customized to company specific requirements. The SAP internet transaction server consists of W-Gate Web Gate and the A-Gate Application Gate components. The web gate component talks to the web server and the application gate component talk to the SAP R3 application servers. The Web gate component of SAP ITS isolates the A-gate component from the web server. Thus, SAP ITS enables users to access mySAP components with the SAP GUI for HTML. Internet transaction server is the portal generator for the mySAP workplace.

http://wiki.ittoolbox.com//index.php/Topic%3ASAP_Business_Warehouse SAP BW is an Enterprise Data Warehouse system. It provides the tools to perform the ETL (Extraction, Transformation, and Loading) of data from both R3 and other source systems, master data management, and data archiving. It has its own query and reporting tools, including an integrated version of Excel and a web based query tool. The web tools permit the construciotn of business cockpits with rich graphical content. SAP BW supports a variety of other access mechanisms through APIs that support XML, SOA, and MDX. It can distribute query results via e-mail and web pages using Information Broadcasting, and integrates with the NetWeaver Portal to support portal access and collaboration. It supports multiple data structures, both conventional flat table structures, known as an ODS (or DataStore in the latest BW version) and InfoCubes to support OLAP analysis/reporting. It also provides a Data Mining toolset. SAP BW can run on several different operating systems and databases. Several leading 3rd party tools integrate with SAP BW, including Ascential for ETL processing and Cognos, Business Objects, SAS, and others for query/reporting. Currently the versions are BI3.5 and BI7.0 (now known as 2004s)which will be available for general availability by May 2006.

QuestionEdit section What are BIW and BW? Why do they have a significant role in Enterprise Resource Planning?

Answer 1Edit section Not sure this is a useful distinction. Appears to be promoting one vendor's naming convention. ERP and BI were around before SAP made it popular. Business Information Warehousing (BIW) is a supporting tool that provides interactive, real-time access to data for analysis and manipulation of back office corporate information. Business Warehousing (BW) is an independent data warehouse solution that provides management reporting to support business decision making and planning.

BIW and BW are simply an efficient manner of transforming industry data for outsourcing. BIW and BW have a significant role in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) because of the way industries expect data to be flexible and need to run reports exploring the resources and data in an effective manner. In addition, because of the mySAp.cpm invention, the role of the BW has received wide publicity and has therefore increased in demand. Now SAP BIW or BW takes on a new role as SAP BI which is fully integrated with the netweaver stack. This would lead to better integration with the netweaver stack and make SAP BI an integral part of any SAP Implementation with SAP BI driving the reporting layer. BIW is the core where == information integration == happens. What it does is: - ETL integration check and transformations - stores structured information in an integrated form. - provides tools for authorized access, explore and broadcast already accumulated information. - gives ability to add additional high level business information (planning) - allows tuning for custom performance. - provides tools for detailed system and usage monitoring on all levels What it doesn't do is: - not suitable to process and play with transactional data - its not a formated reporting tool for ERP

Answer 2Edit section BIW from SAP is previous version of BW. BIW 1.0,.......And from BIW 2.0 onwards it is known as BW. ie., BW 3.0A, 3.0B, 3.5, ........And now it is BI 7.0. These are all version different product of Datawarehousing solution from SAP. BW is a datawarehousing solution for [[decision making, analysis]] in Business(Enterprise resource Planning),.. For more information log on to www.sap.com

QuestionEdit section What makes BW different than other OLTP systems?

AnswerEdit section BW offers ready out-of-the-box components to meet the general challenges when ETL-ing, staging, exploring and broadcasting structured and integrated information in a BI solution. OLTP as it name suggests OnLine Transaction Processing System, where as BW is related to analysis and decision making which depends less on individual transaction and more on summary information, trends.