The (7) essentials of Informatica Repository

Here are few handy tips that will help you to understand informatica repository.For those who have limited Informatica experience but starting on tool to write etl code. Also, stated some helpful metadata views.

#1. Repository is a generic term referred to container, place or room where something is stored.

#2. Informatica repository is a set of database tables where informatica stores its metadata. METADATA is data that describes other data.More specifically it is data about data.

#3. Informatica repository keeps Informatica Meta data.Information about different type of objects, Example mappings, transformations, Folders, connections, user privileges etc.

#4. Informatica repository metadata tables in industry also called as OPB tables/views or REP tables/views.

#5. Repository is managed with client tool “informatica power center repository manager”. Repository manager is useful for ADMIN activities.

1      You can create, edit and delete folders.

2      You can manage object and user permissions.

3      You can backup repository to local machine and restore it back to some other server.

4      You can create deployment group.

5      You can view objects and their locks as well you can disable write intent lock on the objects locked by you.

6      You can import and export objects.

7      You can copy objects from one folder to another.

Important informatica repository views

Here is run-down of some useful repository views. Repository views helps to perform analysis in applications where you are on code maintenance/ enhancement role. With no assumptions, impact analysis can be achieved.

#6. REP_WFLOW_RUN

It helps to have easy consolidated workflow run statistics. You can capture run statistics of all the WFs for a day. Pick failed and aborted workflows. Recover high  priority  workflows first and rest later.

#7. REP_ALL_TRANSFORMS,REP_WIDGET_ATTR

Join of these tables gives all the lookup in a folder. it also tells that which DB tables those lookup are poiting to. you can use it to understand which is the most important lookup table  in a folder/Project. Also, how many lookup need to change, if your lookup table is changing.

prevnext Informatica PowerCenter Level I Developer

This four-day, instructor-led course provides the basic skills and knowledge developers new to Informatica PowerCenter require to implement data integration projects, exposing core features of PowerCenter through lecture and hands-on exercises. In addition to gaining tremendous insight into the data integration platform, you will be exposed to Informatica Velocity Best Practices, troubleshooting techniques, and the use of technical support options. The course concludes with workshops in which you will design and implement a data integration project based on business requirements and a discussion of new features in PowerCenter 9.

PowerCenter 8.x/9.0 Level I Developer Content Details

Power Center: Terminology and Architecture

• Explain the purpose of PowerCenter
• Define terms used in PowerCenter
• Name the major components of PowerCenter

Mapping Fundamentals

• Create source and target definitions from flat files and relational tables
• Create a mapping using existing source and target definitions
• Use links to connect ports

Workflow Fundamentals

• Create a basic workflow and link its tasks
• Run a workflow, monitor its execution, and verify the results

Expression and Filter Transformations

• Use expression xformations to perform calculations on a row-by-row basis
• Use filter xformations to drop rows based on user-defined conditions

Joining and Merging Data

• Use Source Qualifier xformation to implement homogeneous joins
• Use Join xformation to implement heterogeneous joins
• Use Union xformation to merge records into a single record set

Lookup Transformation

• Use lookup xformations to bring in additional data related to a row

Aggregator and Sorter Transformations

• Order a set of records based on one or more fields using the Sorter xformation
• Calculate values based on data in a set of records using the Aggregator xformation

Using the debugger

• Use the Debug wizard and toolbar to debug a mapping

Updating Target Tables

• Use a router xformation to divide a single set of records into multiple sets of records
• Use an update strategy xformation to determine how the target should handle records (insert/update/delete)

Mapping Techniques

• Set and use variables and parameters

Create and use reusable transformations

• Use an unconnected lookup to provide values on an as-needed basis

Mapplets

• Create mapplets and incorporate them into mappings

Controlling Workflows

• Set and use workflow variables
• Use link conditions and decision tasks to control the execution of a workflow
• Use other workflow tasks
• Explain the purpose of the pmcmd utility
• Correctly use bulk and normal loading
• Schedule workflows to run automatically

Mapping Design Workshop

• Follow best practices for mapping design
• Create a mapping based on defined business needs

Workflow Design Workshop

• Follow best practices for workflow design
• Create a workflow based on defined business needs

Informatica Architecture

Informatica Architecture is divided into two components:
1. Server Components --> Server Components in Informatica are:
a. Repository Server
b. Informatica Server
2. Client Components --> Client Components in Informatica are:
a. Workflow Designer
b. Workflow Manager
c. Workflow Monitor
d. Repository Manager
Here is the Architecture Flow Diagram of Informatica:
Now, let`s talk about the flow in detail:
A developer writes a program in the Designer. The program is a GUI-Based program and is called Mapping. Once the mapping is created, the mapping needs to be saved into the repository.
Once the program(mapping) is saved, the next step is to execute the program. To execute the program WorkFlow Manager tool is required. You cannot execute the mapping directly, you need to create a session task for the mapping. Once the session task is created it needs to be saved into the repository.
Also, you cannot execute the session task directly. For execution you need to create a Workflow using the Workflow Manager tool. Once created you need to save the workflow to the repository. Workflow will be executed from the workflow manager.
During the execution of the workflow, you can monitor the activities using the WorkFlow Monitor.
In the next tutorial, we are going to define the Informatica Client Tools.

Informatica 8.1 Architecture Diagram

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