Top BI Testing Interview Questions

BI Testing Interview Questions

BI Testing is the process of validating the data, format and performance of the reports, subject areas and security aspects of the BI Projects.

Q.1 What is BI testing, and why is it important?

BI testing is the process of verifying and validating the accuracy and functionality of business intelligence systems and reports. It ensures that the data and insights provided are reliable and valuable for decision-making.

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Q.2 Explain the difference between BI testing and traditional software testing.

BI testing focuses on validating data accuracy, report consistency, and meaningful insights, while traditional testing primarily addresses software functionality.

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Q.3 What are the key components of a typical BI system?

BI systems include data sources, ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes, data warehouses, reporting tools, and dashboards.

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Q.4 What is ETL testing, and how does it relate to BI testing?

ETL testing verifies the accuracy and reliability of data extraction, transformation, and loading processes, which are crucial for BI systems to provide accurate insights.

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Q.5 What is the importance of data quality in BI testing?

Data quality ensures that BI reports and analytics are based on accurate and reliable data, which is vital for making informed business decisions.

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Q.6 What are some common challenges in BI testing?

Challenges include handling large datasets, complex data transformations, data integration issues, and ensuring data security and privacy.

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Q.7 How do you ensure data accuracy in BI testing?

Verify data at the source, validate data transformations, and compare BI reports with trusted sources or known results.

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Q.8 Explain the concept of data profiling in BI testing.

Data profiling involves analyzing data to understand its structure, quality, and relationships, helping identify anomalies and issues for testing.

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Q.9 What is regression testing in the context of BI testing?

Regression testing ensures that changes or updates in BI systems do not introduce new issues or affect existing functionality and reports negatively.

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Q.10 How do you handle performance testing for BI systems?

Performance testing assesses the responsiveness and scalability of BI reports and dashboards, involving tasks like load testing and stress testing.

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Q.11 What is a data warehouse, and why is it used in BI?

A data warehouse is a central repository that stores historical and current data from various sources, providing a unified data source for BI reporting and analysis.

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Q.12 Explain the role of metadata in BI testing.

Metadata contains information about data, such as its source, transformations, and relationships, helping testers understand and verify data flows.

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Q.13 How do you handle testing for data security and access control in BI systems?

Test access restrictions, encryption, user roles, and authentication mechanisms to ensure data security and compliance with regulations.

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Q.14 What are OLAP cubes, and how are they tested in BI?

OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) cubes are multidimensional structures used for faster data analysis. Testing involves verifying cube data and query performance.

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Q.15 How do you validate the accuracy of calculated measures in BI reports?

Compare the results of calculated measures in BI reports with the expected outcomes calculated manually or through known algorithms.

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Q.16 What is a drill-through report, and how is it tested?

A drill-through report allows users to access more detailed information from summary reports. Testing involves validating the drill-through links and data accuracy.

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Q.17 Explain the concept of data lineage in BI testing.

Data lineage tracks the origin and transformation of data within a BI system, helping testers understand data flow and identify potential issues.

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Q.18 How do you ensure BI reports are user-friendly and intuitive?

Test the report layout, navigation, data visualization, and ensure that users can easily interpret and interact with the reports.

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Q.19 What is the importance of business domain knowledge in BI testing?

Domain knowledge helps testers understand the context and business logic behind data, making it easier to identify anomalies or data discrepancies.

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Q.20 How do you document test cases and test results in BI testing?

Use test management tools to create and manage test cases, record test execution results, and document defects and observations.

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Q.21 What is the role of test data generation in BI testing?

Test data generation involves creating representative datasets to simulate real-world scenarios for testing various aspects of the BI system.

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Q.22 How do you handle version control and change management in BI testing?

Version control tracks changes in BI reports and data models, and change management ensures proper documentation and communication of changes.

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Q.23 What is the purpose of data reconciliation in BI testing?

Data reconciliation verifies that data in the BI system matches data in source systems, ensuring data integrity and accuracy.

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Q.24 How do you validate the performance of ETL processes in BI testing?

Performance testing of ETL processes involves measuring data extraction, transformation, and loading times to ensure they meet performance requirements.

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Q.25 What is a data mart, and how does it differ from a data warehouse?

A data mart is a subset of a data warehouse, focusing on specific business areas or departments. Testing data marts ensures their accuracy and relevance.

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Q.26 How do you ensure data consistency across different BI reports and dashboards?

Verify that data values and calculations are consistent across all reports and dashboards that use the same data sources.

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Q.27 What are "slowly changing dimensions" (SCDs), and how are they tested?

SCDs refer to data attributes that change over time. Testing involves verifying that historical data is correctly handled and updated.

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Q.28 Explain the concept of "dimensional modeling" in BI testing.

Dimensional modeling is a design technique that structures data for easier analysis. Testers validate that dimensional models support reporting requirements.

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Q.29 How do you validate BI reports for compatibility with different devices and browsers?

Conduct cross-browser and cross-device testing to ensure that reports display correctly and are usable on various platforms.

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Q.30 What is "data granularity," and why is it essential in BI testing?

Data granularity refers to the level of detail in data. Testers ensure that data is aggregated and presented at the appropriate granularity for reporting.

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Q.31 How do you handle BI testing for data stored in the cloud?

Test data retrieval and synchronization processes, security measures, and performance when BI data is hosted in cloud platforms.

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Q.32 What are some best practices for BI testing documentation?

Document test objectives, test cases, test data, test results, defects, and test environments comprehensively for traceability and clarity.

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Q.33 How do you perform end-to-end testing for BI systems?

End-to-end testing involves testing the entire BI process, from data extraction to report generation, to ensure data accuracy and integrity at each stage.

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Q.34 Explain the importance of test automation in BI testing.

Test automation enhances efficiency, repeatability, and coverage in BI testing, especially for regression and performance testing.

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Q.35 How do you ensure that BI reports and dashboards load within acceptable time frames?

Performance testing assesses the response times of reports and dashboards to ensure they meet performance expectations.

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Q.36 What is the role of user acceptance testing (UAT) in BI testing?

UAT involves end-users validating BI reports and dashboards to ensure they meet their business needs and expectations.

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Q.37 How do you handle BI testing for real-time or near-real-time reporting?

Test the data streaming and processing capabilities to ensure that real-time reports provide timely and accurate information.

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Q.38 What is "data skew," and how does it affect BI testing?

Data skew refers to imbalanced data distribution. Testers address data skew issues that can impact query performance and reporting accuracy.

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Q.39 How do you test the drill-down and drill-through functionalities in BI reports?

Validate that users can navigate from summary reports to more detailed information seamlessly and that the data is consistent.

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Q.40 What is the importance of cross-functional collaboration in BI testing?

Collaborate with data engineers, developers, and business analysts to ensure comprehensive testing coverage and accurate data interpretation.

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Q.41 How do you handle testing for data transformations in BI?

Test data transformations for accuracy, completeness, and efficiency, ensuring that they align with the business requirements.

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Q.42 What strategies do you use to ensure that BI reports are accessible to users with disabilities?

Test reports with assistive technologies and adhere to accessibility standards to make them usable by all users.

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Q.43 How do you verify that BI reports and dashboards adhere to corporate branding and style guidelines?

Ensure that reports have consistent branding elements, layouts, and visualizations in line with corporate standards.

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Q.44 Explain the concept of "data anomaly detection" in BI testing.

Data anomaly detection involves identifying irregular data patterns or outliers that may indicate data quality issues.

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Q.45 What is the role of data masking in BI testing for data security and privacy?

Data masking involves obscuring sensitive information in test environments to protect customer privacy and data security during testing.

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Q.46 How do you validate data transformations for date and time dimensions in BI systems?

Test date and time calculations, conversions, and formatting to ensure that reports reflect accurate time-based data.

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Q.47 What are the common security vulnerabilities in BI systems, and how do you address them in testing?

Address vulnerabilities like data leakage, unauthorized access, and SQL injection through security testing and access control validation.

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Q.48 How do you ensure that BI reports are responsive and functional on mobile devices?

Conduct mobile testing to verify that reports adapt to different screen sizes, touch interactions, and device-specific behaviors.

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Q.49 Explain the concept of "cascading parameters" in BI report testing.

Cascading parameters allow users to filter data in reports dynamically. Testers validate that these parameters work correctly and do not produce unexpected results.

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Q.50 What is "report bursting," and how do you test it in BI systems?

Report bursting involves sending customized reports to multiple recipients. Testing ensures that reports are distributed accurately and securely.

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Q.51 How do you handle BI testing for reports that involve geospatial data and mapping?

Verify that maps display accurate geographic data, markers, and layers, and ensure smooth interactivity with geographical elements.

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Q.52 Explain the concept of "ETL metadata testing" in BI testing.

ETL metadata testing involves validating metadata accuracy, completeness, and consistency in the ETL processes.

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Q.53 What is a "slow query" in the context of BI reporting, and how do you address it?

Slow queries are queries that take an unusually long time to retrieve data. Performance testing identifies and addresses slow query issues.

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Q.54 How do you ensure that calculated measures and KPIs in BI reports are logically sound?

Validate that calculations are based on the correct business rules and mathematical formulas, and that KPIs reflect key performance indicators accurately.

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Q.55 What is the significance of data lineage and impact analysis in BI testing?

Data lineage helps trace data transformations, while impact analysis identifies the potential effects of changes on downstream reports and data.

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Q.56 How do you test the integration of BI reports with external data sources or APIs?

Validate that data integration with external sources is accurate, secure, and maintains data consistency.

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Q.57 Explain the concept of "ETL metadata testing" in BI testing.

ETL metadata testing involves validating metadata accuracy, completeness, and consistency in the ETL processes.

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Q.58 What is a "slow query" in the context of BI reporting, and how do you address it?

Slow queries are queries that take an unusually long time to retrieve data. Performance testing identifies and addresses slow query issues.

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Q.59 How do you ensure that calculated measures and KPIs in BI reports are logically sound?

Validate that calculations are based on the correct business rules and mathematical formulas, and that KPIs reflect key performance indicators accurately.

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Q.60 What is the significance of data lineage and impact analysis in BI testing?

Data lineage helps trace data transformations, while impact analysis identifies the potential effects of changes on downstream reports and data.

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Q.61 How do you test the integration of BI reports with external data sources or APIs?

Validate that data integration with external sources is accurate, secure, and maintains data consistency.

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Q.62 What strategies do you use for continuous testing in BI projects with frequent data updates?

Implement automated regression testing to verify that data updates do not introduce new defects or affect existing reports.

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Q.63 How do you address the challenge of managing and testing historical data in BI systems?

Use historical data sets and versioning techniques to ensure that historical reports and data are preserved and tested accurately.

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Q.64 What is the role of performance tuning in BI testing?

Performance tuning optimizes BI system components, such as databases and queries, to improve report generation speed and responsiveness.

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Q.65 How do you handle BI testing for reports with complex hierarchies and drill-down paths?

Verify that hierarchies and drill-down paths function correctly, allowing users to navigate through data dimensions seamlessly.

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Q.66 Explain the concept of "BI dashboard testing" and its key objectives.

BI dashboard testing focuses on validating dashboard interactivity, visualization accuracy, and alignment with business goals.

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Q.67 What are the best practices for managing and organizing test data in BI testing?

Create data sets that represent various business scenarios, maintain data catalogs, and ensure data security and privacy.

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Q.68 How do you verify that BI reports and dashboards are optimized for performance on different browsers and devices?

Conduct cross-browser and cross-device testing to identify and address any rendering or performance issues.

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Q.69 What strategies do you use to ensure that BI reports are available and accessible to users 24/7?

Implement robust monitoring and alerting systems to proactively detect and address system failures or downtime.

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Q.70 How do you handle BI testing for ad hoc reporting and self-service BI tools?

Ensure that ad hoc reporting tools allow users to create custom reports while maintaining data accuracy and security controls.

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Q.71 Explain the concept of "data lineage" in BI testing.

Data lineage tracks the flow and transformations of data within the BI system, helping testers understand how data is processed and used in reports.

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Q.72 What is the role of data governance in BI testing, and how do you ensure compliance?

Data governance establishes data quality standards and policies. Testers ensure compliance by validating data quality and adherence to governance rules.

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Q.73 How do you address performance bottlenecks in BI testing?

Performance profiling and profiling tools help identify bottlenecks in queries, ETL processes, and reporting components for optimization.

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Q.74 What are the key metrics or KPIs you monitor during BI testing?

Metrics include data accuracy, query response times, report rendering times, and user satisfaction with report usability.

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Q.75 How do you ensure that BI reports provide consistent results across different versions of reporting tools?

Regression testing is performed when reporting tools are updated to verify that existing reports produce consistent results.

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Q.76 Explain the concept of "data virtualization" in BI testing.

Data virtualization allows BI systems to access and use data from different sources without physically moving it. Testing ensures that virtualized data is accurate.

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Q.77 How do you handle testing for BI systems that use machine learning or predictive analytics?

Validate the accuracy of machine learning models, the quality of training data, and the integration of predictive insights into reports.

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Q.78 What is "ETL data cleansing," and why is it essential in BI testing?

ETL data cleansing involves identifying and correcting data quality issues during the transformation process to ensure high-quality data for reporting.

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Q.79 How do you ensure that BI reports comply with industry-specific regulations, such as HIPAA or GDPR?

Test data masking, access controls, and audit trails to demonstrate compliance with data privacy regulations.

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Q.80 Explain the concept of "BI data lineage documentation" and its benefits.

BI data lineage documentation provides a visual representation of data flows, making it easier to trace data from source to destination and identify issues.

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Q.81 What is the role of data snapshots in BI testing, and how are they used?

Data snapshots capture and store historical data for testing and validation purposes, allowing testers to compare current results with past results.

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Q.82 How do you ensure that BI reports provide accurate insights, even when handling real-time data streams?

Test the data processing pipeline to verify that real-time data is ingested, transformed, and visualized accurately in reports.

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Q.83 What are the common challenges in BI testing for unstructured data sources, such as text or multimedia?

Challenges include text extraction, sentiment analysis, and ensuring that unstructured data is correctly integrated into BI reports.

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Q.84 How do you verify that data security policies and access controls are enforced correctly in a BI system?

Conduct security testing to validate that only authorized users can access data, and audit trails capture any unauthorized access attempts.

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Q.85 What is the role of data versioning and change tracking in BI testing?

Data versioning and change tracking help testers identify and verify changes to data sources, ensuring that reports reflect the most recent data accurately.

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Q.86 What is Business Intelligence Course?

Many Business Intelligence Course are available across the world. You should select testing certification by answering following questions

- Does Hard copy or e-learning is provided?

- Practice test for assessing oneself is given?

- Are video demonstrations provided?

- What is the alumni strength

Vskills provides the all the above and you can register for BI testing at link – https://www.vskills.in/certification/testing/bi-testing-certification

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Q.87 What does Business Intelligence Analyst do?

Business Intelligence Analysts do activities related to Business Intelligence i.e. generating intelligence for the organization from various data points across the company.

They gather, process, transform data and also present it into easy to understand manner for senior and mid-level executives.

Intelligence generated for the organization, helps organization to be competitive and ahead of competitors.

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Q.88 Does Business Intelligence need coding?

Business Intelligence does not need coding as it is an analysis focused activity. It focuses on generating insights and action-oriented intelligence for senior and mid-level executives, to act.

There are many BI tools in market which do not need any coding but, knowledge of database, data access and processing is essential.

Further, knowledge of coding helps in better using the BI tools. Hence, knowledge of coding is helpful in BI.

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Q.89 Is business intelligence a good career?

Yes, of course business intelligence is a good career. There is huge demand for business intelligence professionals across the industry. Companies need business intelligence to analyze their data so as to take meaningful decisions.

Business intelligence focuses on generating detailed intelligence for the company to quickly take on competition and be better aware of its data and processes

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Q.90 What is the difference between ETL testing and data warehouse testing?

The difference between ETL testing and data warehouse testing is as

Data warehouse testing – It involves testing of data warehouse, data validation and verification. Testing for functionality, reliability, integrity, availability and performance.

ETL testing – ETL expands to Extract, Transform and Load hence, ETL testing involves testing the ETL procedure in all stages of ETL i.e. pre-ETL or extract stage, during Transform stage and final or load stage.

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Q.91 What are the steps for successful BI implementation?

The steps for successful BI implementation are as

· Recognizing crucial data points and processes of the company.

· Enlist goals and their metrics

· Outline data parameters, access and structure

· Recognize availability of resources

· Be flexible and focus on system’s longevity

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Q.92 What is ETL testing in software testing?

ETL testing in software testing refers to testing of ETL process and its system in an organizational setup. ETL testing – ETL expands to Extract, Transform and Load hence, ETL testing involves testing the ETL procedure in all stages of ETL i.e. pre-ETL or extract stage, during Transform stage and final or load stage.

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Q.93 What is the difference between manual testing and ETL Testing?

The difference between manual testing and ETL Testing is as

manual testing – It is testing of software tools and applications, manually. Test design, execution and analysis, all stages of software testing are manually. It can include software testing,out of preview of ETL Testing

ETL Testing - involves testing the ETL procedure in all stages of ETL i.e. pre-ETL or extract stage, during Transform stage and final or load stage. It can involves either manual or use of automation tools for ETL testing.

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Q.94 Which tool is used for BI Testing?

Many tools are used for BI Testing. It depends upon various factors like your requirements, budget, time for testing, what to test, etc

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Q.95 What is ETL SQL?

ETL SQL refers to usage of SQL in ETL. ETL expands to Extract, Transform and Load. ETL SQL usage is as per database and data warehouse used for ETL implementation.

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Q.96 Can we automate BI Testing?

Yes, we can automate BI Testing by using automation tools for ETL Testing. Automation tools for ETL Testing checks ETL for various defined and required parameters,

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Q.97 Does ETL Testing have scope?

Yes, ETL Testing have scope of the complete ETL process. ETL testing involves testing the ETL procedure in all stages of ETL i.e. pre-ETL or extract stage, during Transform stage and final or load stage.

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Q.98 Why ETL is required?

ETL is required in organization due to its crucial contribution of using and transforming huge data a company from one database to other, for better analysis. ETL is an essential part of BI, which processes all historical data to provide insights and action-oriented intelligence for senior and mid-level executives, to act.

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Q.99 What is data ETL?

Data ETL refers to data in the ETL process. ETL is process of moving data from one database to other whilst, transforming it as well.

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Q.100 What is BI QA?

Business intelligence QA is the activity to ensure quality across the complete business intelligence activity in an organization. It starts with design phase of business intelligence requirement, till the completion of business intelligence activity. Data validation and verification is conducted, to maintain data integrity and reliability.

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Q.101 Can selenium be used for BI Testing?

Yes, Selenium can be used for BI testing but Selenium is not used usually for BI testing. Selenium is mostly used for automation testing of web applications.

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Q.102 What does an BI tester do?

BI tester is responsible for testing business intelligence process in an organization. BI tester tests starting from, design phase of business intelligence requirement, till the completion of business intelligence activity.

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Q.103 What is data validation in BI testing?

Data validation in BI testing refers to testing of data in data business intelligence process of an organization, for maintaining data integrity and reliability

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Q.104 Is BI testing manual testing?

BI testing is not manual testing as manual testing is testing of software tools and applications, manually. Test design, execution and analysis, all stages of software testing are manually. It can include software testing,out of preview of ETL Testing

BI Testing starts with design phase of business intelligence requirement, till the completion of business intelligence activity

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Q.105 What is Tosca bi?

Tosca bi is a commercial BI testing tool. It provides facility to automate BI testing.

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Q.106 What is a BI test?

BI test is part of BI testing. BI test checks for a specific function in business intelligence process of a company.

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Q.107 Which certification is best for business intelligence?

Many Business Intelligence Course are available across the world. You should select testing certification by answering following questions

- Does Hard copy or e-learning is provided?

- Practice test for assessing oneself is given?

- Are video demonstrations provided?

- What is the alumni strength

Many other certification providers are tool specific like from Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, etc

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Q.108 What is a business intelligence professional?

A business intelligence professional has activities related to Business Intelligence i.e. generating intelligence for the organization from various data points across the company.

Business intelligence professional gather, process, transform data and also present it into easy to understand manner for senior and mid-level executives.

Intelligence generated for the organization, helps organization to be competitive and ahead of competitors.

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Q.109 Is there any certification for BI testing?

Yes, business intelligence or BI testing certification is at link - https://www.vskills.in/certification/testing/bi-testing-certification

Vskills offers following deliverables

- Online video based, e-learning LMS

- Hard copy to candidates residing in India

- Practice tests for assessing your knowledge

- Government certification

- Past candidates working in MNC software companies like Accenture, IBM, TCS, etc

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Q.110 Is there any good link to practice my BI testing skills?

Yes, link to practice BI testing skills is at link - https://www.vskills.in/practice/bi-testing-questions

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