a FAQ

Does Informatica provide a Teradata ODBC Driver?Informatica does not provide a dedicated ODBC driver for Teradata.

You must install and configure the Teradata native client software on the machine hosting PowerCenter. Based on recommendations from Teradata, Informatica uses ODBC to connect to Teradata, since this is a native interface for Teradata.

How to find the Rank cache size and directory information in a repository?

The Rank cache information can be obtained from the REP_WIDGET_ATTR view. The widget_type for the Rank transformation is 26: REP_WIDGET_ATTR.widget_type = 26.

The following query returns the Rank cache information with associated folders, workflows, sessions, mappings, and transformations:

SELECT c.subject_area folder_name,a.task_name workflow_name,b.instance_name session_name, c.mapping_name,d.instance_name transformation_name, DECODE(e.attr_id,6,'data_cache',7,'index_cache', 1,'cache_directory') cache_type, e.attr_valueFROM REP_ALL_TASKS a,REP_TASK_INST b,REP_LOAD_SESSIONS c,REP_WIDGET_INST d, REP_WIDGET_ATTR eWHERE a.subject_id= c.subject_id AND a.task_type=71 AND a.task_id=b.workflow_id AND b.task_type=68 AND b.task_id=c.session_id AND c.mapping_id=d.mapping_id AND d.widget_id=e.widget_id AND d.widget_type=26 AND e.widget_type=26 AND e.attr_id IN (1,6,7) ORDER BY 1,2,3,4,5,6

What TCP/IP port numbers do PowerCenter 7.1.x applications use?The following table lists the PowerCenter application/process that uses ports and the default ports used by these applications/processes.

PowerCenter Application/Process

Default TCP/IP Port Number

Configurable?

Repository Server process

5001 Yes.See below.

PowerCenter Server process (Informatica Windows service)

4001 Yes. See below.

Repository Agent process

5002 to 65535

Not individually,

Pavan Kumar Solution Architect-Informatica

only for the range.See below.

Debugger process 5101 Yes.See below.

More Information

PowerCenter Server

The port number of the PowerCenter Server is configured in the server's properties in Workflow Manager.

Repository Server

On UNIX this is defined by the Server Port property in the pmrepserver.cfg file. On Windows it is defined in the Informatica Repository Server Setup.

Repository Agent

The PowerCenter Repository Server creates an agent process every time a repository is started. On UNIX the repository agent port is defined by the RAMinPort and RaMaxPort properties in the pmrsconfig. On Windows it is done in the Informatica Repository Server Setup .

It is recommended that the RaMinPort and RaMaxPort be reduced to a range that accommodates for the number of repositories you will start against the Repository Server.You will need one port per repository started. For example, if you have 2 repositories then you would change the range to 5002 to 5003. The first repository would start the agent on 5002 and the second on 5003.

Debugger

The default port is defined on each client in Designer under Tools > options > debug. If you want to choose another port there is an option to pick a port. You can specify any range. If you only wanted to use 5102 then you would define the min and max as 5102.

Firewall

If there is a firewall on a machine that is hosting any of these applications/processes, there port that has been configured for them must be opened in the firewall definition.


What are the ports used by PowerCenter (8.x) applications?

The following TCP ports are used by PowerCenter 8.x applications:

Port Default Value Open in firewall TCP/UDP

Domain port 6001 Yes TCP

Default ports

(Configured while creating Node) 6005-6105 Yes (The number of

ports used depends on the number of services created.)

TCP

Debugger Port 5101, 9229 Yes TCP

HubPortNumber 7333 Yes TCP

InternalPortNumber 15555 Yes TCP

Server Manager 8005 Yes TCP

PowerCenter Advanced Edition

The following ports are used by Metadata Manager and Data Analyzer applications (PowerCenter Advanced Edition):

Port Default Value Open in firewall TCP/UDP

JBoss MQ Service Port 8093 Yes TCP

Web Service Port 8083 Yes TCP

UDP binding port 48408 No

SNMP Adapter port 1161 No

SNMP Manager port 1162 No

Tomcat ClusterPort 48419 No


HTTP Connector Port 8080 Yes TCP

IIOP Port 3528 Yes TCP

RMI Services Bind Address Port 1098 No

RMI Invoker Port 4444 No

JRMP Invoker Port 4445 No

HA-JNDI Stub Availability 1100 Yes TCP

JRMP Invoker Port for cluster 4446 No

Database connection port (Oracle) 1521 Yes TCP

PowerCenter 7.1.x Repository Server port assignment FAQs

How many ports will be used between the min and max port numbers in Repository Server?

The number of ports to be considered will depend on the number of repositories started by the Repository Server. One port is used for every repository started by the Repository Server. The Repository Server will use any port defined within this range. If development, test, QA and production repositories are handled by one Repository Server then 4 ports will be used.

What process or processes will use the ports inside this range?

The Repository Agent process will use the ports in this range.

Can other applications share the ports being used or they are reserved for the Repository server?

No. Third party products cannot share these ports. If a port is being used by a third party application, Repository Server will use the next port available, you might receive or see an error on the log file indicating the problem, however the process should not fail.

Is the range related to the number of clients connected to the Repository?


No. Client applications and PowerCenter Server communicate with the Repository Server through the same port number (by default 5001).The number of clients does not affect the range of ports defined.

Does PowerCenter support JDBC drivers to connect to a source or target database?PowerCenter does not support JDBC drivers for connecting to a source or target database. Only native drivers and ODBC drivers are supported.

More Information JDBC drivers are divided into four types or levels. Each type defines a JDBC driver implementation with increasingly higher levels of platform independence, performance, and deployment administration. The four types are:

Type 1: JDBC-ODBC Bridge Type 2: Native-API/partly Java driver

Type 3: Net-protocol/all-Java driver

Type 4: Native-protocol/all-Java driver

PowerCenter does not support any of these for connecting to source target or repository

Will the Daylight Saving time changes in 2007 affect PowerCenter schedules?

Starting in 2007, daylight saving time will start 2 weeks earlier andend 2 weeks later in the United States. Will this change affect PowerCenter schedules in any way?

Solution

This change does not impact PowerCenter schedules . Customers are advised to continue to follow appropriate procedures that might be in use already around DST changes.

The Run Every scheduling option is based on regular time intervals and does not adjust for the DST time change. If a workflow is configured as Run Every Day it will run every 24 hours regardless of the time of day. To schedule a workflow to run at the same time every day including changes in time use the Customized Repeat > Run every 1 Day(s) scheduling option .

Example:

Aworkflow scheduled as Run Every day to run at 3:00 pm every day. When Daylight Saving Time conversion takes place on March 11 2007, the workflow will start running at 4:00 pm every day instead of 3.00 pm. "Run Every" is based on regular time intervals. So if a workflow is configured as run every day it means every 24 hrs.


If the workflow is scheduled as Customized Repeat > Run every 1 Day(s) , then it will continue to run at 3:00 pm (the Start Time ) every day regardless of DST.

More Information

All Informatica applications rely on the operating system environment to determine the date and time for all operations. It is up to the user to ensure that all operating system requirements and environment modifications are in place to handle any changes in the timing of DST (examples are use of the TZ environment variable on UNIX or not have the required OS patches).

Daylight Saving Time Changes

The following chart shows the start and end date for daylight saving time in the U.S.:

Year Spring Forward Fall Back

2004 2 a.m. April 4 2 a.m. Oct. 31

2005 2 a.m. April 3 2 a.m. Oct. 30

2006 2 a.m. April 2 2 a.m. Oct. 29

2007 2.a.m. March 11 2 a.m. Nov. 4

2008 2 a.m. March 9 2 a.m. Nov. 2

2009 2 a.m. March 8 2 a.m. Nov. 1

2010 2 a.m. March 14 2 a.m. Nov 7

2011 2 a.m. March 13 2 a.m. Nov. 6

When a row causes a reject at the target can the source row data be captured?

When the PowerCenter session writes a row to a target the row can be rejected by the database.The data in the row may be different than what was in the row that was in the source.Can the original data in the source table be captured?


The source of the target row that is rejected cannot be captured by PowerCenter.

More Information Rows rejected by a target go to the reject file under the BadFiles Directory.When running a PowerCenter session, the PowerCenter Server creates a reject file for each target instance in the mapping. If the Writer thread rejects the data, the PowerCenter Server writes the rejected row into the reject file. The reject file and session log contains information that helps to determine the cause of the reject.

When a row is rejected at the target it is written to the target reject file only. It is not possible to capture source row data of the same row that caused the target error.

What versions of Windows are supported by PowerCenter?

PowerCenter 8.6.1 32-bit

The following versions of Windows are supported by PowerCenter 8.6.1 32-bit:

Server

Windows 2000 32-bitSP2 or above, Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 minimum, latest MDAC.

Windows 2003 32-bit

Windows 2008 32-bit

Client

Windows XP 32-bit Internet Explorer 6.x minimum

Windows 2003 32-bit Internet Explorer 6.x minimum

Windows 2008 32-bit

Windows Vista 32-bit SP1 or above




Windows 2003 64-bit x64 (Opteron, EM64T)

Windows 2003 64-bit Itanium



PowerCenter 8.6 32-bit

The following versions of Windows are supported by PowerCenter 8.6 32-bit:

Server


Windows 2003 32-bit

Client



Windows Vista 32-bit SP1 or above








Server


Windows 2003 32-bit

Client








PowerCenter 8.1.1 (SP1), 8.1.1 (SP2), 8.1.1 SP3, 8.1.1 SP4, 8.1.1 SP5 32-bit

The following versions of Windows are supported by PowerCenter 8.1.1 SP1-SP5 32-bit:

Server



Windows 2003 32-bit

Client




PowerCenter 8.1, 8.1.1 32-bit

The following versions of Windows are supported by PowerCenter 8.1 and 8.1.1 32-bit:

Server

Windows 2000 32-bitSP2 or above, Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 minimum _ latest MDAC.

Windows 2003 32-bit

Windows 2003 64-bit (Itanium)

Windows 2003 64-bit (Opteron EM64T)

Client

Windows 2000 32-bit

Internet Explorer 6.x minimum






Server

Windows 2000 32-bitSP2 or above, Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 minimum _ latest MDAC.

Windows 2003 32-bit

Client

Windows 2000 32-bit

Internet Explorer 6.x minimum



PowerCenter 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 7.1.3, 7.1.4, 7.1.5:

The following versions of Windows are supported by older versions of PowerCenter:

Server

Windows 2000 32-bitSP2 or above, Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 minimum and latest MDAC.

Windows 2003 32-bit

Client

Windows 2000 32-Internet Explorer 6.x minimum


bit



More Information

Windows version 7 is not supported in any version of PowerCenter.

Can you upgrade a PowerCenter repository from PowerCenter 6.2 to PowerCenter 8.5/8.6?

PowerCenter 6.2 repository can only be upgrade to PowerCenter 7.1 or 8.1.It is not possible to upgrade a PowerCenter 6.2 repository to a PowerCenter 8.5 (or later) repository.Informatica recommends upgrading to PowerCenter 8.1 and then upgrading to PowerCenter 8.6.1 or later.

Upgrade a PowerCenter 6.2 repository to PowerCenter 8.1

To upgrade a PowerCenter 6.2 repository to PowerCenter 8.1 do the following:

1. Back up the repository using thePowerCenter 6.2 (or 6.1) Repository Server Administration Console.

2. Create a new database or a new database schema for the 8.1 repository.

3. Restore the backup of the PowerCenter 6.2 repository to the new repository location using the PowerCenter 6.2 Repository Server Administration Console.

4. Install the PowerCenter 8.1 client, and server.

5. In the PowerCenter Administration Console, click on Create and select Repository Service .

6. Specify the Primary and backup nodes for your installation.

7. Select the license file to be used.

8. Configure the Repository Service for the upgraded repository. Specify the Connection Information, Database Type, and the Codepage.


9. Select Do not create repository content .

10. Start the Repository Service.

11. Configure the Repository Service for the upgraded repository. Specify the connection information, database type, and the appropriate codepage.

12. Click Create . The new repository service will appear on the left side of the console, with the details of the repository database on the right side of the console.

13. Click Enable to enable this service.

14. Click Actions > Upgrade Contents .

15. Enter the Administrator user name and password.

Upgrade a PowerCenter 8.1 repository to PowerCenter 8.5 or 8.6

Effective in PowerCenter version 8.5, repository users are maintained in the domain.A repository upgrade from a prior version involves the following steps:

Upgrade contents Upgrade users and groups.

Upgrade contents

Do the following steps to upgrade the repository contents:

1. Backup the repository using the PowerCenter 8.1.x Administration Console.2. Create a new schema for the upgraded repository.

3. Create a new Repository Service (referencing the new database schema) using the PowerCenter 8.1.x Administration Console.Select the option Do not create content .

4. Enable this new Repository Service.It will display a message stating that the repository does not have any content.

5. Restore the backup (from step 1) using this new Repository Service.

6. Enable this repository to confirm that the restore is successful.Once the restore is successful, you will have 2 identical repositories in the domain.

7. Disable the new Repository Service.

8. Using the PowerCenter 8.5.x (or 8.6) Administration Console , create a Repository Service with the same name as step 3.


Use with the same connection parametersSelect the option Do not create content .

9. Enable the Repository Service.

10. The Repository Service will display a message indicating that an upgrade is required.

11. Select Action > Upgrade contents .This will start the upgrade of the repository contents.

Upgrade Users and groups

Once the contents are successfully upgraded do the following:

1. Select the Repository Service.

2. Select the Action > Upgrade users and groups .

This will upgrade the users and groups and add them to the domain.

Note:

It is mandatory that users and groups be upgraded when upgrading a repository to PowerCenter 8.5 (or 8.6).After the upgrade you can delete the users if they are no longer needed.

SrcSuccessRows and TgtSuccessRows How are the SrcSuccessRows and TgtSuccessRows workflowvariables calculated in PowerCenter?

SrcSuccessRows is calculated based on all the sourcesthat are part of a particular session. If a session has 3 sources each with 100 rows, then the SrcSuccessRows is 300.

Do the SrcSuccessRows and TgtSuccessRows workflowvariablesreturn the same as theApplied Rows (underWorkflow Monitor > Properties > TransformationStatistics)?

TheApplied Rows information (in Workflow Monitor> Properties > Transformation Statistics ) isshown for each source. Hence, the sum of all the applied rows foreach source is equal to theSrcSuccessRows variable value.The same holds true forTgtSuccessRows .

Is the TgtFailedRows the same number as the rejected rows?


TgtFailedRows returns the same value as the number ofrejected rows in the session log. If there is more than one target,then it is the sum of rejected rows for each target.

Joiner Transformation Whatis the difference between Joiner transformation andJoin in the SQL override in a Source Qualifier transformation?

Some of the difference between the Joiner transformation andJoin of the SQL override in Source Qualifier transformation are thefollowing:

Youcan join heterogeneous data sources using the Joinertransformation whichis not possible in a Source Qualifiertransformation.

You need matching keys to join two relational sources in SourceQualifier transformation. There is no need for matching keys tojoin two sources with Joiner transformation.

While joining two relational tables using a source qualifier,the tables should exist in the same sourceconnection.However, with a Joiner transformation you can jointwo relational tables from different source connections.

What are the limitations of Joiner transformation?

The conditions on which the Joiner transformation cannotbe usedinclude the following:

When both pipelines begin with the same original datasource. When both input pipelines originate from the same SourceQualifier transformation.

When both input pipelines originate from the same Normalizer transformation.

When both input pipelines originate from the same Joiner transformation.

When either of the input pipelines contains an Update Strategy transformation.

When either of the input pipelines contains a connected or unconnected Sequence Generator transformation.

What are the settings to configure the Joinertransformation?

The settings for configuring a Joiner transformation are:

1. Setup one of the tables as Master andtheother as Detail

2. Select the type of Join

3. Enter the Condition of the join


Whatare the join types in Joiner transformation?

Following are the join types for joiner transformation:

Normal (Default) Master outer (fetches all the rows from the Detail table)

Detail outer (fetches all the rows from the Master table)

Full outer

What are the Joiner caches?

When a session with a Joiner transformation in the mapping is executed, the Informatica Server reads all the records from the master source and builds the index and caches based on the master rows.

After building the caches, the Joiner transformation reads records from the detail source, and based on the JOIN condition and JOIN type it performs the joins.

Can you override the directory where a session log file is stored using a parameter file?

What syntax should you use in the parameter file, and how should the session properties be defined? Can you use a parameter for the Session Log File Directory?=

Effective in PowerCenter 8.5 you can use a parameter for the Session Log File Directory that can be set using a parameter file.

In previous versions server variables could not be set with a parameter file. You could override $PMSessionLogFile with a session parameter including a directory override, but the the Session Log File directory could not be overridden with $PMSessionLogDir and define $PMSessionLogDir in a parameter file.

To override the session log file and directory leave the Session Log File Directory field blank and keep $PMSessionLogFile in the 'Session Log File name' field. In the parameter file override the log and at the same time populate where you want the log to be placed.

Example:

$PMSessionLogFile=C:\my_log_dir\my_log.txt

Why is the TCP port 6002 used by PowerCenter?


This is the shutdown port used by the Informatica Service Manager. The installer sets the shutdown port number to the node port number (by default, it is 6001) plus one. Thus, the shut down port is, by default, 6002 (6001+1).

Note:

This port also needs to be open in firewall if the node needs be restarted from a remote machine.

What considerations should be made when configuring PowerCenter Node ports?

The default number of ports used by service processes on a PowerCenter node is 100 (Maximum: 6105 and Minimum: 6005).This is not a requirement and this range can be configured as required.

When configuring consider the following:

The number of ports should match the number of service processes that are that are associated with that node in the Administration Console.

If a port is already in use when the service is started the process chooses the next available free port, there will be no connection failure.If the number of free ports is less than the the number of service processes, then some of the services will not start.

All of the ports in this range are not reserved when the PowerCenter node is started.They are only used when a service is started.

What do the red, blue and green icons represent in the Workflow Manager?

Red Icon

The red "x" icon ( ) represents invalid workflows, reusable worklets and other reusable task objects (such as reusable session tasks).

Blue Icon

The blue "x" icon ( ) represents invalid objects contained in a workflow such as session task instances and worklets in a workflow.

Green Symbol

The green icon ( ) represents an instance of a reusable task (session, email, etc.) or worklet in a workflow.


The Workflow Manager displays a red invalid icon if the worklet object is invalid. The Workflow Manager validates the worklet object using the same validation rules for workflows. The Workflow Manager displays a blue invalid icon if the worklet instance in the workflow is invalid. The worklet instance may be invalid when any of the following conditions occurs:

The parent workflow or worklet variable you assign to the user-defined worklet variable does not have a matching datatype.

The user-defined worklet variable you used in the worklet properties does not exist.

You do not specify the parent workflow or worklet variable you want to assign.

For non-reusable worklets, you may see both red and blue invalid icons displayed over the worklet icon in the Navigator.

Is it possible to use a PowerCenter workflow variable in a session or command task?

Presently there is no feature that would allow the value of a Workflow variable to be accessed in a command or session task.

The only places where workflow variables can be accessed are:

Assignment tasksThis allows you to update the values of the variables.

Decision Tasks/Links This allows you to create branch conditions in the workflow based on the variable's value.

Timer tasks Allows you to set a timer based on a datetime workflow variable.

What variables can be used in a Command task?

The following built-in variables can be used in a command task:

$PMFolderName $PMWorkflowName

$PMIntegrationServiceName

$PMRespotioryServiceName

$PMRepositoryUserName

$PMWorkflowName

$PMWorkflowRunInstanceName

SYSDATE


WORKFLOWSTARTTIME

What are the Affected, Applied, Rejected counters in the session log?

TheApplied rows are the rows that are sent to the target for processing. TheAffected rows are the rows that are affected by processing.

TheRejected rows are the rows that failed during the processing at the target.

Example 1:

A Lookup Transformation checks a particular table and if the data is found in the source, it will send an update request to the target. If the target has the row to be updated, then it will be Applied rows = 1 and Affected rows = 1. However, if the target does not have the row to be updated, then Applied rows = 1 and Affected rows = 0. In the case of Insert, when any primary key or any other constraint is violated, then the rows become Rejected rows.

Example 2:

The following is the example of how it is displayed in the session log and its explanation:

WRT_8038 Inserted rows - Requested: 64Applied: 4 Rejected: 60 Affected: 4

WRT_8041 Updated rows- Requested: 64 Applied: 64 Rejected: 0 Affected: 8

WRT_8040 Deleted rows- Requested: 64 Applied: 64 Rejected: 0 Affected: 0

Here, the total rows requested for insert, update and delete is 192. Number of rows applied = 64 + 64 + 4 = 132, affected = 8 + 4 = 12 and rejected = 60. The number of rows that were applied to the target is 120. This happens if an update is sent for a value that is not there in the target. Like, if an update was sent for Dept = 5 and there is no record with record = 5 in the target. And this not rejected because, the rows are rejected only when there is some error while processing that row.

Example 3:

The following is another scenario from the session log:

WRT_8036 Target: DAS_TRANSACTION_QUEUE (Instance Name: [F4XER_Shortcut_to_DAS_TRANSACTION_QUEUE_INS])


WRT_8038 Inserted rows - Requested: 27 Applied: 25 Rejected: 2 Affected: 25

Here, 27 rows were marked for insertion, in that 25 were applied successfully (inserted successfully), so the affected and Applied rows is 25. The remaining 2 rowsout of 27 rowswere rejected.

Example 4:

The following is another scenario from the session log:

WRT_8041 Updated rows- Requested: 1 Applied: 0 Rejected: 1 Affected: 0

Here, the mapping has an update strategy, where DD_REJECT condition is applied. These records are not applied or affected, as it is being rejected explicitly from the mapping. Hence, it is 0 for Applied, 0 for Affected and 1 for Rejected.

What are the .bak files generated in the Cache directory when you use "Re-cache from lookup source"?

When you configure a lookup with Persistent Cache to Re-cache from lookup source, PowerCenter generates .bak files to store a backup of the existing lookup cache. If the session fails, PowerCenter is able to restore the original lookup cache from the backup files. After the session run, PowerCenter cleans up all the generated .bak files.

Note

If a session fails while re-caching, PowerCenter restores the backup files to the .dat/.idx files.

The session log shows the following:

Cache files lookup_cache.[dat/idx] for Lookup [LKPTRANS] are being restored from backup as the session failed.

This is the default behavior of PowerCenter and cannot be changed. In case of large lookup cache files, you can modfy the files by using a command task. This will save a lot of storage space being used by the backup

What is the 'Enterprise Grid' license type in PowerCenter 8.1.x?

TheEnterprise Grid license available with PowerCenter 8.1 (and later releases) includes the following functionalities:

Server Grid (this is workflow on grid akaWonG )


Partitioning

High Availability

Session on Grid ( SonG )

You will not see the Enterprise Grid option in the Administration Console as a license key option. Instead, you should see the the license options which comes with Enterprise Grid listed above.

What is the difference between enterprise grid and server grid?PowerCenter 7.1.x has a server grid architecture which comprises of two or more PowerCenter Servers working together to run workflow on a grid. However, the individual sessions or command tasks run on a single PowerCenter Server and can never be run on a grid. Such an architecture allows you to scale up or down at the workflow level but it does not allow you to scale up or down at the session level. In PowerCenter 8.1.x, sessions can also be run on a grid. Customers with license for enterprise grid will have the following licensing capabilities.

Server Grid (Workflow ON Grid/WONG) Partitioning

High Availability

SessionON Grid (SONG)

Customers with license for server grid will have the following licensing capabilities: Workflow ON Grid (WONG)

PowerCenter Grid

Can a Repository Service run on a Grid?

No, the Grid option is only available for the Integration Service and is not available for any other service.

Can the same node be assigned to more than one grid?

Yes, a particular node can be assigned to different grids.

Can an Integration Service run on a node as well as to grid?

No, an Integration Service cannot be assigned to both a node and a grid. While creating an Integration Service you can either assign it to a GRID or Nodes.


What configuration is required to make a workflow run on a grid?

When you assign an Integration Service that runs on grid to a workflow, then the workflow is configured to run on that grid.

What configuration is required to make a session run on a grid?

Edit the session and select the Session on Grid option under the Config Object tab.

Can two nodes on different operating system assigned to the same grid?

Yes, two nodes running on different operating system can be assigned to the same grid.


Can a backup grid be configured if one grid goes down?

No, there is no concept of backup grid.

Can the Web Services Hub service and SAP BW service run on a grid or made highly available (HA)?

No, the Web Services Hub and SAP BW services cannot run on a grid and cannot be made HA.

What happens if one of the nodes in the grid goes down while a workflow is running and the workflow is configured for grid and the session is not?

When Integration Service runs on a grid, one node will run the master service process and the other nodes run the worker service processes. Among the grid nodes, the master node is chosen at random. The Master server process is responsible for workflow scheduling/execution and handling client requests related to running of workflows. When you start a workflow on a grid and if one of the worker nodes go down, then the task running on that node will be aborted and the tasks running on the other node will finish successfully. If the master node goes down then the workflow and all the tasks in it will be aborted.

What happens if one of the nodes in the grid goes down while a workflow is running and the session in it is configured for grid?

When a Session is running on a gird, the Master DTM(Preparer DTM)and worker DTM are distributed on the nodes in the Grid. It is not necessary that Master DTM has to run on the master service process.

The Master DTM waits for the heartbeat signal from the worker DTM. When one of the nodes goes down, it fails to send a heartbeat signal to the master DTM and the Master DTM will abort the session.

Can there be nodes on different (heterogeneous) Operating Systems for a Session on Grid?

PowerCenter supports grids with nodes on heterogeneous Operating Systems (including a mix of 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems).

However, if there are heterogeneous nodes for a grid, then you can only run a Workflow on the Grid and not a session. A session on grid does not support heterogeneous Operating Systems. This is because a session could have a sharing cache file and others objects that might not be compatible with all the Operating Systems. For Session on Grid, you need to homogeneous grid.

Why does a session not run according to the configurations in the Resource Map?


To use the Resource Map , disable theIgnoreResourceRequirements option in the Administration Console, which is enabled by default. Follow the steps below to disable this option:

1. Logon to Administration Console 2. Select the Integration Services.

3. Click on Properties

4. Go to Advanced Property tab

5. Clear the IgnoreResourceRequirementsoption.

This will enable you to assign any node to the session.

How does load balancing work with Grids?

Starting with PowerCenter 8.1.1, load balancing can be in one of the following ways:

Round-robin Metric-based

Adaptive

Round-robin.

The Load Balancer dispatches tasks to available nodes in a round-robin fashion. It checks the Maximum Processes threshold on each available node and excludes a node if dispatching a task causes the threshold to be exceeded. This mode is the least compute-intensive and is useful when the load on the grid is even and the tasks to dispatch have similar computing requirements.

Metric-based.

The Load Balancer evaluates nodes in a round-robin fashion. It checks all resource provision thresholds on each available node and excludes a node if dispatching a task causes the thresholds to be exceeded. The Load Balancer continues to evaluate nodes until it finds a node that can accept the task. This mode prevents overloading nodes when tasks have uneven computing requirements.

Adaptive.

The Load Balancer ranks nodes according to current CPU availability. It checks all resource provision thresholds on each available node and excludes a node if dispatching a task causes the thresholds to be exceeded. This mode prevents overloading nodes and ensures the best performance on a grid that is not heavily loaded.



What Oracle datatypes are supported by PowerCenter?

The following Oracle native datatypes are supported in all versions of PowerCenter:

Blob Up to 4 GB Binary 1 to 104,857,600 bytes

Char(L) 1 to 2,000 bytes String 1 to 104,857,600 characters

Clob Up to 4 GB Text 1 to 104,857,600 characters

Date Jan. 1, 4712 BC to Dec. 31, 4712 AD

Date/Time Jan 1, 1753 AD to Dec 31, 9999 AD

Long Up to 2 GB Text

1 to 104,857,600 characters If you include Long data in a mapping, the PowerCenter Server converts it to the transformation String datatype, and truncates it to 104,857,600 characters.

Long Raw Up to 2 GB Binary 1 to 104,857,600 bytes

Nchar 1 to 2,000 bytes Nstring 1 to 104,857,600 characters

Nclob Up to 4 GB Ntext 1 to 104,857,600 characters

Number Precision of 1 to 38 Double Precision of 15

Number(P,S) Precision of 1 to 38; scale of 0 to 38

Decimal Precision of 1 to 28; scale of 0 to 28

Nvarchar2 1 to 4,000 bytes Nstring 1 to 104,857,600 characters

Raw(L) 1 to 2,000 bytes Binary 1 to 104,857,600 bytes

Timestamp (Effective in

Jan. 1, 4712 BC to Dec. 31, 9999 AD

Date/Time Jan 1, 1753 AD to Dec 31, 9999 AD


PowerCenter 8.5)

Precision 19 to 29, scale 0 to 9 (precision to the nanosecond)

(precision to the nanosecond)

Varchar(L) 1 to 4,000 bytes String 1 to 104,857,600 characters

Varchar2(L) 1 to 4,000 bytes String 1 to 104,857,600 characters

XMLType Up to 4 GB Text 1 to 104,857,600 characters

Unsupported Datatypes

The following Oracle native datatypes are not supported in any version:

Bfile Interval Day to Second

Interval Year to Month

Mslabel

Raw Mslabel

Rowid

Timestamp with Local Time Zone

Timestamp with Time Zone

What variables and parameters can be specified in Pre- and Post-Session shell commands?

The following variables can be used in a Pre- or Post-Session command:

Server variables Sessionparameters

Server variables


PowerCenter Server variables define the path and directories for session and workflow output files and caches. You can also use server variables to define workflow properties, such as the number of workflow logs to archive. The variables can be viewed under the server registration in the Workflow Manager.

Session Parameters

Session parameters are used in the session properties to specify properties such as source file name, etc. To use these in a shell command the session parameters must be set in the parameter file and specified in the session properties.

$PMSessionLogFile $DBConnection_<Name>

$InputFile_<Name>

$OutputFile_<Name>

$LookupFile_<Name>

$BadFile_<Name>

Variable and Parameter Syntax

Whenvariables and parameters are preceded by only one dollar sign ("$") (such as$PMRootDir or $PMSessionLogFile ), they can be used in pre- and post-session shell commands. Variables that are preceded by two dollar signs ("$$"), are user defined (either in a mapping or in a workflow) variables and theycannot be expanded in pre- or post session shell commands.

Does the size of columns in a source affect the amount of memory the is allocated for a session by the PowerCenter Server?

PowerCenter allocates memory for a session using theDTM buffer size andDefault buffer block size session properties. These memory allocations are independent of the actual precision of the source columns (row size).

TheDefault buffer block size property determines the number of rows the PowerCenter server can process at a time, while,DTM buffer size sets the number of blocks used by these rows.

PowerCenter does not allocate memory dynamically according to the input row length, but, instead it processes the input rows in blocks. The number of rows to be processed at a time will be decided in advance (based on total highest precision of all sources and targets instances in mapping).

Example


When you import a table with 6 columns in source, the source instance will have 6 columns of precision 256. The buffer block size will be specified to 64000. The number of rows that would be processed at a time would be decided as the following:

The total precision of source table columns is 256*6= 1536. Number of rows that would be accommodated in a buffer block are 64000/1536= 41.

Hence, 41 rows would be processed irrespective of actual length of input row (doesn't matter if input rows length is more or less than 1536).

Is the target repository locked when copying a folder or deploying in PowerCenter 8.x?

When you copy a folder or deploy a deployment group using PowerCenter 8.x or later release, the Repository Service first copies the folder or deployment group to temporary tables in the target repository database. During this stage of the deployment, you have read-only access to the target repository if you are copying but not replacing a folder, or if you are copying a deployment group. Workflows, sessions, and tasks that are running in the target repository continue to run. You can view them running in the Workflow Monitor after the deployment operation begins.

If you are replacing a folder, you cannot view the folder in the target repository after the deployment operation begins. Also, all running workflows, sessions, and tasks are immediately blocked in the target folder, and they remain blocked for the duration of the deployment operation. Running workflows, sessions, and tasks in other folders in the target repository continue to run. After the Repository Service copies all objects in the folder or deployment group to temporary tables, it moves the data from the temporary tables to the target repository. During this stage of the deployment, you no longer have read-only access to the target repository, and all running workflows, sessions, and tasks are blocked. When an Integration Service tries to access the repository to run a workflow, session, or task while a repository is blocked, the Repository Service denies access and returns the following message: Access to the repository is blocked since a folder/object deployment is in progress. The current operation will be suspended until the deployment is completed.

The error message appears in the Administration Console, workflow log, or session log, depending on which operation the Integration Service tried to perform. For example, if the Integration Service tried to fetch session information to run a session in a workflow, the message appears in the workflow log. The Integration Service pauses until the repository completes the deployment. It cannot fetch objects in that repository during this time. When the repository allows access again, it displays the following message: The folder/object deployment has completed. The current operation will resume.


The Integration Service fetches the repository object and completes the workflow, session, or task.

When should a user be given Super User and administer repository privilege?An Administrator is the default user and is assigned Super User privileges. A Super User has all privileges such as Administer Repository, Administer Server, Workflow Operator and so on. There is no option to remove any of these privileges assigned to the Super User. The Super User privileges should be assigned to users who perform Administrative tasks on the repository, servers and also perform tasks (such as creating mappings, running sessions, copying folders) using the PowerCenter client tools.

The Administer repository privilege should be given to users who perform administrative tasks such as creating andupdating the repository, managing passwords, users, groups, privileges and starting andstopping the repository.

Are 32-bit and 64-bit machines that run Integration Services and Repository Services compatible?A32-bit PowerCenter Integration Service can connect to a 64-bit Repository Service. A64-bit PowerCenter Integration Service can connect to a 32-bit Repository Service. 32-bit PowerCenter Services and 64-bit PowerCenter Services are compatible.

What browsers can be used with PowerCenter?

PowerCenter supports the following web browsers (Windows Only) for access to the PowerCenter Administration Console, Data Analyzer (PCAE), Metadata Manager (PCAE), and the Web Services Hub Console:

PowerCenter 8.6.1 Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 Internet Explorer 7.0

Mozilla Firefox 2.0

PowerCenter 8.6.0 Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 Internet Explorer 7.0

Mozilla Firefox 2.0

PowerCenter 8.5.1 Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1


Internet Explorer 7.0

Mozilla Firefox 2.0

PowerCenter 8.5 Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 Internet Explorer 7.0

Mozilla Firefox 2.0

PowerCenter 8.1.1 SP2, 8.1.1 SP3, 8.1.1 SP4, 8.1.1 SP5 Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 Internet Explorer 7.0

Mozilla Firefox 1.5

PowerCenter 8.1.1, 8.1.1 SP1 Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 Mozilla Firefox 1.5

PowerCenter 8.1 Internet Explorer 5.5 Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1

Mozilla Firefox 1.0.x


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