Basic Level Questions

1. What is Business Objects (BO)?

o Answer: Business Objects (BO) is a suite of front-end applications
that allow users to view, sort, and analyze data. It includes tools
for reporting, querying, analysis, and data visualization.
2. What are the key components of SAP Business Objects?
o Answer: The key components include:
 Web Intelligence (WebI): A tool for creating ad-hoc reports.
 Crystal Reports: A powerful reporting tool for creating
formatted reports.
 Universe: A semantic layer that translates database objects
into business terms.
 Dashboard: Tool for creating interactive dashboards.
 Xcelsius: A data visualization tool.
 BusinessObjects Explorer: Provides a search-based interface
for data discovery.
3. What is a Universe in Business Objects?
o Answer: A Universe is a semantic layer between the end-user and
the database, allowing users to query and report on data without
needing to understand the underlying database structure.
4. What are the types of reports in Business Objects?
o Answer: The main types are:
 Ad-hoc reports: Created dynamically based on user queries.
 Formal reports: Designed and structured reports for
operational or executive use.
 Dashboards: Visual representation of business metrics.
5. What is the difference between Web Intelligence and Crystal Reports?
 o Answer: Web Intelligence is more flexible and allows for ad-hoc
reporting and analysis, while Crystal Reports is more structured
and is typically used for formatted, print-ready reports.
6. What is a Business Objects repository?
o Answer: A repository in Business Objects is a central storage
location where all BO objects like reports, universes, and security
settings are stored.
7. What is the purpose of the BEx (Business Explorer) Query Designer?
o Answer: The BEx Query Designer is used to create queries in SAP
BW (Business Warehouse) and can be accessed within Business
Objects for reporting.
8. What are the types of joins in Business Objects Universe?
o Answer: Types of joins include:
 Inner Join: Returns matching rows between two tables.
 Left Outer Join: Returns all rows from the left table and
matching rows from the right table.
 Right Outer Join: Returns all rows from the right table and
matching rows from the left table.
 Full Outer Join: Returns all rows when there’s a match in
either left or right table.
9. What is a "context" in Business Objects?
o Answer: Contexts are used to resolve circular joins and loops
within a Universe, enabling Business Objects to determine the
correct SQL query to run.
10.Explain the concept of “aliases” in Business Objects.
o Answer: Aliases are used in a Universe to represent different
tables that have the same data but require different join
conditions.

Intermediate Level Questions

11.What is the significance of the "Business Objects SDK"?
o Answer: The SDK (Software Development Kit) allows developers to
customize and extend the functionality of Business Objects by
creating custom applications and tools.
12.What is the difference between a measure and a dimension in Business
Objects?
o Answer: A dimension is a descriptive field (e.g., Product, Region),
and a measure is a quantitative field used for aggregation (e.g.,
Revenue, Sales).
13.What is the BO Designer?
o Answer: BO Designer is used to create and manage Universes,
where users define the structure, connections, and business logic.
14.How is security handled in Business Objects?
o Answer: Security in Business Objects can be managed at various
levels:
 User Level: Control access to reports and data for individual
users.
 Group Level: Control access for specific groups.
 Object Level: Permissions on reports, universes, and
documents.
15.What are classes and objects in Business Objects?
o Answer: Classes are categories within the Universe that group
related objects together, while objects represent fields or data
elements that can be used in reports.
16.What is a "query" in Business Objects?
o Answer: A query is a request for data based on the Universe
structure, and it is used to fetch information from the database.
17.What are the different types of prompts in Web Intelligence reports?
o Answer: Prompts include:
 Static prompts: Pre-defined values presented to the user.
  Dynamic prompts: Values are fetched from the database at
runtime.
18.What are LOVs (List of Values) in Business Objects?
o Answer: LOVs provide predefined lists of values to the user,
allowing them to select from a range of valid options for report
filtering.
19.What is a drill-down in Business Objects?
o Answer: Drill-down allows users to view data at different levels of
detail by expanding a dimension in a report.
20.What is a “slice and dice” operation in Business Objects?
o Answer: It refers to the ability to dynamically filter, rearrange, or
pivot data to analyze it from different perspectives.

Advanced Level Questions

21.What is a "circular join" in Business Objects and how is it resolved?
o Answer: A circular join occurs when there is a loop in the
relationships between tables in a Universe. It can be resolved by
using contexts and aliases.
22.What is the use of "slice and dice" in Web Intelligence?
o Answer: It refers to rearranging or pivoting data in different
dimensions to examine it from different perspectives.
23.What are the limitations of Business Objects?
o Answer: Limitations may include:
 Performance issues with large data volumes.
 Complexity in setting up security.
 High dependency on IT for Universes and report creation.
24.What is the significance of "Data Federator" in SAP Business Objects?
 o Answer: Data Federator allows users to combine data from
different sources into a unified view without physically moving the
data.
25.What is the significance of the "Universe Design Tool"?
o Answer: The Universe Design Tool (UDT) is used to create and
manage Universes in Business Objects, defining the metadata and
structure for reports.
26.How can you improve the performance of reports in Business Objects?
o Answer: Performance can be improved by optimizing queries,
using aggregates, limiting the number of records, and utilizing
indexing on the database.
27.What are "derived tables" in Business Objects?
o Answer: Derived tables are virtual tables created in the Universe
based on SQL queries to manipulate or combine data for reporting
purposes.
28.What is the difference between "BusinessObjects BI Platform" and
"Web Intelligence" (WebI)?
o Answer: BusinessObjects BI Platform is the overall server
infrastructure for BO tools, while Web Intelligence (WebI) is the
front-end tool for creating and viewing reports.
29.What is an "object" in the context of Business Objects Universe?
o Answer: An object is a data element, such as a field or column,
that can be queried and used in reports.
30.What is "schedule" in Business Objects?
o Answer: Scheduling allows reports to be executed automatically at
specified intervals and distributed to users.

Expert-Level Questions
31.What are the advantages of using SAP Business Objects over other BI
tools?
o Answer: Some advantages include:
  Easy integration with various data sources.
 Comprehensive reporting tools.
 Advanced data visualization options.
 Strong security model.
32.What are the challenges in managing Business Objects reports at scale?
o Answer: Challenges include maintaining performance, managing
large volumes of data, securing access, and ensuring data
consistency across reports.
33.What is the "BI Launch Pad"?
o Answer: The BI Launch Pad is the central access point for users to
interact with BusinessObjects content like reports, dashboards,
and queries.
34.What is "Adaptive Processing Server" in SAP Business Objects?
o Answer: The Adaptive Processing Server (APS) is responsible for
handling data processing tasks like running reports, managing
scheduling, and interacting with data sources.
35.Explain the concept of "Cashing" in Business Objects.
o Answer: Caching stores pre-processed query results in memory for
faster retrieval and reduces the load on the database.
36.How do you handle “dynamic security” in Business Objects?
o Answer: Dynamic security involves applying user-specific data
restrictions dynamically based on user roles and access rights.
37.How does the “Central Management Console” (CMC) work in Business
Objects?
o Answer: The CMC is the central administrative interface for
managing users, security, documents, and configurations in
Business Objects.
38.What is the “Web Intelligence SDK”?
 o Answer: The Web Intelligence SDK allows developers to
programmatically interact with Web Intelligence reports, including
customization and automation.
39.What is “multi-dimensional analysis” in Business Objects?
o Answer: It refers to analyzing data across multiple dimensions
(e.g., time, geography, and product) to gain insights from different
perspectives.
40.What is the purpose of the "BI Platform" in Business Objects?
o Answer: The BI Platform is the back-end infrastructure where all
Business Objects applications and services are hosted, managed,
and secured.

Bonus Questions
41.What are the different data connection types in Business Objects?
42.What is “Object Linking and Embedding” (OLE) in Business Objects?
43.Explain the concept of "report bursting" in Business Objects.
44.What is the "Semantic Layer" in Business Objects?
45.What are the differences between “Linked Universe” and “Local
Universe”?
46.How can you optimize queries in Business Objects?
47.What are the different output formats for Business Objects reports?
48.How does Business Objects handle large datasets?
49.What is “Business Objects Central Management Server”?
50.What are “User Groups” in Business Objects?