PowerCenter: Developer, Level 2

Module 1: PowerCenter 10 Architecture

• Describe the components of the Informatica PowerCenter 10 architecture and define key terms
• Describe PowerCenter’s optional and built-in high availability features

Module 2: Parameter Files

• Ascertain the use of the IsExprVar property in a mapping.
• Determine the structure of a parameter file.
• Establish the use of parameter files in mappings and sessions
• Describe the flexibility of using parameter files to build mapping expression logic.
• Describe the use of a date/time mapping variable, in a parameter file for incremental loading

Module 3: User-Defined and Advanced Functions

• Describe and implement advanced functions
• Describe User-Defined functions
• Create a public, User-Defined Function to create a standard name formatting function and implement the UDF in the mapping.
• Use the AES_Encrypt and Encode functions to encrypt and encode customer data before writing it to flat file.
• Debug the mapping using an existing session and observe the results

Module 4: Pivoting Data

• Describe the use of a Normalizer transformation to normalize data
• Describe the use of an Aggregator to denormalize data
• Normalize data into a relational table
• Denormalize data into a Fact table.

Module 5: Dynamic Lookups

• Define Dynamic Lookup
• Describe the Dynamic Lookup Cache
• Use a Dynamic Lookup to load data into a dimension table.
• Use a Dynamic Lookup in tandem with an Update Strategy transformation to keep historic data in a dimension table

Module 6: Stored Procedure and SQL Transformations

• Call a SQL stored procedure from a PowerCenter mapping
• Create and configure a SQL transformation in script mode.
• Create and configure a SQL transformation in query mode.
• Use a SQL transformation to create tables on an “as needed” basis.
• Enter a properly formatted query into a SQL transformation.
• Locate database errors in the result output of a SQL transformation.

Module 7: Troubleshooting Methodology and Error Handling

• Design error handling strategies appropriate for the intended purpose of a workflow
• Identify data errors and load them to an error table.
• Describe Update Strategies

Module 8: Transaction Processing

• Describe PowerCenter source-based, target-based, and user-based transaction control with and without the high availability option
• Describe constraint-based loading in databases with referential integrity constraints
• Load data to a set of tables with a RDBMS Primary-Foreign key relationship

Module 9: Transaction Control Transformation

• Describe the use of the transaction control transformation for data-driven transaction control
• Control when data is committed to disk or the target database
• Use a transformation variable to create a flag that determines when to commit data to the RDBMS based upon data values

Module 10: Recovery

• Describe workflow and task recovery with and without the high availability option
• Recover tasks and workflows that stop, abort, or terminate
• Verify that workflow recovery works in a consistent, reliable manner.

Module 11: Command Line Programs

• Describe PMCMD, PMREP, and INFACMD command line functionality
• Build batch files that use PMCMD and PMREP command line programs
• Use the command line utilities to execute a variety of platform status, query, object export, and workflow tasks

Module 12: Performance Tuning Methodology

• Isolate source, target and engine bottlenecks
• Interpret the performance counters
• Tune different types of bottlenecks
• Run a benchmark test
• Run a target bottleneck test
• Evaluate the results

Module 13: Performance Tuning Mapping Design

• Apply best practices in your mappings to optimize performance
• Locate session properties that can unnecessarily lower performance.
• Inspect and edit mappings for optimal performance design.
• Inspect and edit transformations for optimal performance design

Module 14: Memory Optimization

• Tune session-level memory
• Tune transformation caches
• Calculate how much memory a session uses
• Become familiar with PowerCenter Performance Counters
• Edit session memory limits
• Edit transformation cache memory properties
• Calculate memory cache sizes for transformations

Module 15: Performance Tuning: Pipeline Partitioning

• Apply partition points to efficiently utilize your CPU
• Partition your data to efficiently utilize your CPU
• Distribute your partitioned data to preserve functionality while optimizing your CPU
• Optimize your memory usage according to your partitioning strategy