BI Publisher Interview Questions

If you're looking for Oracle BI Publisher Interview Questions & Answers for Experienced or Freshers, you are at the right place. There are a lot of opportunities from many reputed companies in the world. According to research, Oracle BI Publisher has a market share of about 0.7%.

So, You still have the opportunity to move ahead in your career in Oracle BI Publisher Engineering. Mindmajix offers Advanced Oracle BI Publisher Interview Questions 2023 that helps you in cracking your interview & acquiring your dream career as Oracle BI Publisher Engineer.

Frequently Asked Oracle BI Publisher Interview Questions

1. What is Oracle BI Publisher?

2. What is a Data Template?

3. What is a template Builder?

4. What Functionality is Supported?

5. Translatable (check box)?

6. How to handle the parameterized layout?

Oracle BI Publisher Interview Questions and Answers

1. What is Oracle BI Publisher?

Ans: Oracle BI Publisher is a new java-based product available with the technology stacks of EBS,  PeoplesoftSiebels, JD Edwards, and BI Enterprise Edition (OBIEE). It provides users with:

1. A template-based, easy-to-use publishing solution
2. A tool to rapidly develop and maintain report formats formats

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2. What is a Data Template?

Ans: The Oracle XML Publisher data engine enables you to rapidly generate any kind of XML data structure against any database in a scalable, efficient manner. The data template is the method by which you communicate your request for data to the data engine. It is an XML document whose elements collectively define how the data engine will process the template to generate the XML.

3. What is a template Builder?

Ans: The Template Builder is an extension to Microsoft Word that simplifies the development of RTF templates. The Template Builder is tightly integrated with Microsoft Word and allows you to perform the following functions:

1. Insert data fields
2. Insert data-driven tables
3. Insert data-driven forms
4. Insert data-driven charts
5. Preview your template with sample XML data
6. Browse and update the content of form fields

Extract boilerplate text into an XLIFF translation file and test translations

Valid template file types are:

eText – Inbound, eText – Outbound, PDF, RTF, XSL-FO, XSL-HTML, XSL-TEXT, and XSL-XML.

4. What Functionality is Supported?

Ans: The data engine supports the following functionality:

1. Schema generation
2. Default RTF template generation
3. Flexfields
4. Single and multiple data queries
5. Query links
6. Parameters
7. Aggregate functions (SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, COUNT)
8. Event triggers
9. Multiple data groups
10. Unicode for XML Output Unicode is a global character set that allows multilingual text to be displayed in a single application. This enables you to develop a single multilingual application and deploy it worldwide.
11. Canonical format

The data engine generates data elements using the canonical ISO date format: YYYY-MM-DDTHH24:MI:SS.FF3TZH:TZM for a mapped data element, and ######.## for number elements in the data template XML output.

5. Translatable (check box)?

Ans: Select this check box if you want this template to be translatable. Only RTF templates are translatable. After the template definition is created, the following fields are not updateable: Application, Code, and Type. Update the template from the View Template page.

6. How to handle the parameterized layout?

Ans: If the requirement is to display a different layout based on a user parameter value or a List of Value selection, then the parameter can be passed to the RTF layout and conditionally display the layout.
On the Report Editor, you first need to define a parameter with the name DeptName.

If this parameter has to be associated with a List of Values (LOV), then create a LOV on the Report Editor page. Next, in the parameter definition select the parameter type as “Menu” and then select the LOV from the selection. In the RTF template define a parameter using syntax 

Now when the user selects a department name from the List of Values on the report viewer page, the value gets passed to the RTF layer into the DeptName parameter. To display the layout based on this user selection, you can use an IF statement or a CHOOSE statement to evaluate the parameter value and call the associated sub-template.

Use CHOOSE statement when too many conditional tests are to be done and the default action is expected for the rest of the values, for example, for each department here we have a different sub-template and if the user parameter has a department name with no associated sub template, then a default sub-template can be called in otherwise section.

7. WATERMARK

Ans: PAGE LAYOUTàWATERMARK (Word 2007)
Format → Background →  Printed Watermark (Word 2003)

8. TEXT FIELD

Ans: Developer→ controls→ legacy tools→ text field

9. Adding Page/Brought Forward/Carried Forward Total

Ans: Placed before the column name→ PT

10. I want to create a report output in 10 languages, do I have to create 10 layout templates?

Ans: No, BI Publisher provides the required translation for your templates, based on the number of languages installed in your oracle apps environment requires outputs are provided

11. What is the required installation for using the BI Pub report?

Ans: BI Publisher desktop tool has been installed. Using this tool you can preview or test the report before deploying the same on to the instance.

12. How do you move your layout or data template across instances?

Ans: xdoloader is the utility that will be used.

13. What is the tool to map required data output and layout templates so that they can be tested in local machines?

Ans: Template viewer will be used for the same.

14. Which component is responsible for generating the output in XML format before applying it to the layout template?

Ans: DataEngine will take DataTemplate as the input and the output will be generated in XML format which will then be applied to layout template

Related Article: Top XML Interview Questions And Answers

15. Can BI publisher reports be used in OAF pages?

Ans: XDO template utility helper java classes are provided for the same.

16. Name some business use cases for BI reports?

Ans: Bank EFT, customer documents, shipping documents, internal analysis documents, or any transaction documents

17. How do you pass parameters to your report?

Ans: Concurrent program parameters should be passed, ensure that the parameter name/token is the same as in the conc prog defn and the data template

18. What are the various sections in the data template?

Ans: Parameter section Trigger Section SQL stmt section Data Structure section Lexical Section

19. What does the lexical section contain?

Ans: The required lexical clause of Key Flex field or Descriptive FF are created under this section

20. What triggers are supported in the Data template?

Ans: Before report and After report are supported

21. Where is the trigger code written?

Ans: The code is written in the plsql package which is given under ‘defaultpackage’ tag of the data template.

22. What is the file supporting the translation for a layout template?

Ans: xliff is the file that supports the translation, you can modify the same as required.

23. How do you display the company logo on the report output?

Ans: Copy and paste the logo (.gif. or any format) on the header section of .rtf file. Ensure you resize per the company standards. 
While BI Publisher may be a step in the right direction for Oracle, be sure to investigate your organization’s delivery needs and do not assume they can be met natively in R12.