Top 40 Microstrategy Interview Questions and Answers

This question seeks to evaluate the candidate's foundational knowledge of Business Intelligence platforms. 

Here’s a sample answer: 

MicroStrategy is a robust analytics tool that enables organisations to analyse large datasets and generate actionable insights. It integrates capabilities such as reporting, dashboarding, and data exploration in a comprehensive environment that supports decision-making processes. 

The purpose of this question is to assess the candidate’s understanding of specific MicroStrategy applications. 

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MicroStrategy Desktop is a self-service analytics tool that allows users to build and explore data visualisations and dashboards independently of IT support. This enables a more agile response to Data Analysis needs within an organisation. 

This query tests knowledge of the functional capabilities of MicroStrategy Desktop. 

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Users can leverage this tool to access and combine various data sources, create insightful visualisations and reports, and share their findings with others in the organisation, all while ensuring data governance and security. 

The aim here is to understand the application's practical benefits. 

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Users can perform complex Data Analyses, develop tailored reports, and make informed decisions based on real-time data access. Additionally, the insights gained can be used to forecast trends and improve business processes. 

This question evaluates the candidate's ability to appreciate the advantages of MicroStrategy Desktop. 

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Benefits include enhanced data accessibility, user empowerment through self-service analytics, improved decision-making, and increased operational efficiency by quickly responding to market changes. 

The purpose of this question is to assess the understanding of a core concept in data management. 

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Metadata in MicroStrategy is data that describes other data within the system, providing information about various objects and their relationships, which is crucial for managing, maintaining, and using the Business Intelligence platform effectively. 

This question aims to determine the candidate’s knowledge of attribute types within MicroStrategy. 

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Attributes are the descriptive elements, such as 'Date', 'Region', or 'Product Type', which categorise and define the data, playing a critical role in how data is analysed and reported. 

The question tests the candidate’s understanding of the structural elements within MicroStrategy’s metadata. 

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Key components include objects like reports, dashboards, schemas, and definitions of data sources, which collectively help manage and streamline reporting and analysis processes. 

This question checks the candidate’s knowledge of MicroStrategy's integration capabilities. 

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Yes, reports and dashboards created in MicroStrategy Desktop can be accessed and further manipulated via MicroStrategy Web, providing flexibility and continuity across different platforms within the organisation. 

The aim here is to gauge understanding of more complex attribute structures in MicroStrategy. 

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A compound attribute is made up of multiple single attributes that together define a unique dimension in Data Analysis, such as combining 'City' and 'State' to form a 'Location' attribute. 

This question tests the candidate's knowledge of implicit attributes within MicroStrategy. 

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An implicit attribute is one that is not directly stored in the data warehouse but is derived during the data retrieval process based on existing attributes, enhancing data dimensionality without altering physical data storage. 

The goal is to assess familiarity with MicroStrategy's object types. 

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Objects in MicroStrategy can include attributes, metrics, filters, prompts, and reports, each serving distinct functions within the analytics and reporting environment. 

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This question is aimed at understanding the candidate's knowledge of Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) capabilities in MicroStrategy. 

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“In MicroStrategy, OLAP services allow me to slice and dice data dynamically, utilise ad hoc query capabilities, and efficiently handle large volumes of data. These services also include drill-down, drill-up, and pivoting functionalities, which enhance the analytical depth and flexibility of the reports I create.” 

This question tests awareness of MicroStrategy products offering OLAP capabilities. 

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End-user products include MicroStrategy Web, MicroStrategy Desktop, and MicroStrategy Mobile, all of which provide robust OLAP services that allow users to analyse multi-dimensional data interactively. 

The aim here is to evaluate the candidate's understanding of data abstraction in MicroStrategy. 

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A logical view acts as a virtual layer within MicroStrategy that allows developers to simplify complex schemas into more user-friendly formats without physically restructuring underlying databases, thereby optimising query performance and ease of use. 

This question assesses the candidate’s knowledge of advanced metric capabilities in MicroStrategy. 

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Smart Metrics allow for the intelligent aggregation of data at various levels of detail directly within the visual data discovery environment, ensuring accurate metrics computation across different hierarchies and dimensions without manual intervention. 

The purpose of this question is to determine the candidate's familiarity with quality assurance processes for BI reports. 

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Types of testing in MicroStrategy include functional testing to ensure reports meet business requirements, performance testing to verify response times, and security testing to ensure data protection standards are upheld. 

 This question aims to test knowledge of performance optimisation in MicroStrategy. 

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“Statistics tables in MicroStrategy are used to store data about the usage and performance of reports and dashboards. To configure project statistics, I would set up these tables to collect and analyse data, which is crucial for optimising query performance and improving resource allocation across projects.” 

The goal here is to assess understanding of MicroStrategy administration tools. 

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The Command Manager is a tool that allows administrators to automate and script a wide range of tasks, such as user and group management, security settings, and batch processing of reports, enhancing efficiency and control. 

This question checks the candidate's knowledge of MicroStrategy's licensing models. 

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MicroStrategy offers several types of licenses, including Named User licenses, Concurrent User licenses, and CPU Core licenses, each catering to different user needs and deployment scales. 

The question aims to explore the candidate's understanding of report performance optimisation. 

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MicroStrategy utilises report caching to speed up report execution. There are several types of caches, including result caches, view caches, and document caches, each optimising different aspects of report processing. 

This question is designed to test the candidate’s understanding of MicroStrategy Architect’s capabilities. 

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In MicroStrategy Architect, we can create and manage the logical data model, set up schema objects, define hierarchies, and map the data warehouse structure to our business model. These capabilities are crucial for developing scalable and efficient BI environments. 

The purpose here is to assess the candidate's strategic planning for data exploration. 

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We decide on drilling options for an attribute in MicroStrategy based on the hierarchical structure of the data model and the specific business needs. This approach allows users to navigate through various levels of data granularity, enabling them to uncover deeper insights effectively. 

This question aims to test knowledge of data aggregation techniques in MicroStrategy. 

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Consolidations are custom groupings of data that allow users to aggregate and report on data across various dimensions without altering the physical schema, useful for personalised data views and analyses. 

The goal is to evaluate the understanding of flexible data categorisation in MicroStrategy. 

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Custom groups are user-defined hierarchies that allow for dynamic grouping of attribute elements in different ways, providing tailored analytical views that are not limited by the physical data model. 

This question assesses the candidate's knowledge of advanced SQL functionalities in MicroStrategy. 

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Pass-through functions allow users to send native SQL statements directly to a database from within MicroStrategy, enabling complex calculations and data manipulations that are not natively supported by the platform. 

The aim here is to understand the candidate's approach to data security within BI tools. 

Here’s a sample answer: 

A security filter in MicroStrategy is a type of filtering mechanism that restricts data access based on user roles and privileges, ensuring that users only see data relevant and permissible to their role. 

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This question seeks to determine the candidate's understanding of MicroStrategy's advanced data warehousing solutions. 

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Intelligent cubes are multi-dimensional datasets that are pre-aggregated and stored in memory to facilitate extremely fast query performance. Unlike ordinary cubes, they allow for more complex computations and can be shared across multiple reports, reducing the load on databases and enhancing performance. 

The purpose of this question is to assess the candidate's knowledge of report optimisation techniques in MicroStrategy. 

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A report filter is used to restrict the data returned by a report based on specific criteria, directly affecting the query's result set. A report limit, however, is used to restrict the number of rows displayed in the report after the data has been retrieved and processed, affecting only the presentation but not the underlying data retrieval. 

This question tests the candidate’s knowledge of MicroStrategy's distribution and alerting capabilities. 

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The Narrowcast Server automates the delivery of personalised Business Intelligence reports and alerts to users based on predefined schedules and triggers, ensuring timely and relevant information distribution. 

The aim here is to evaluate the candidate's understanding of data structures within MicroStrategy. 

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A dataset in MicroStrategy refers to a structured collection of data that has been processed and optimised for quick analysis, typically stored within an Intelligent Cube or in-memory structures. A file-set, however, generally refers to raw data files used in the initial stages of data loading or staging processes. Datasets offer better performance, scalability, and are fully integrated within the BI platform, unlike file-sets. 

This question is aimed at assessing the candidate’s knowledge of MicroStrategy administrative tools for managing project versions and deployments. 

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Project Merge is used to combine different versions of a single project, useful during upgrades or when merging developments from different teams. Object Manager, on the other hand, is used for more granular control, such as moving, copying, or deleting specific objects within or across projects. 

The purpose of this question is to understand the candidate’s ability to manage data integrity and consistency in MicroStrategy. 

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Conflicts occur when multiple users attempt to change the same object or data point concurrently or when merging different project versions that have divergent changes. Resolving conflicts typically involves using version control mechanisms, conflict resolution tools provided by MicroStrategy, and clear communication among team members to align changes. 

This question tests the candidate's understanding of hierarchical data structures in MicroStrategy. 

Here’s a sample answer:  

“I decide which attribute qualifies as a child and which as a parent based on the logical relationship and the level of data granularity. Typically, the parent attribute represents a higher, more aggregated level, while the child attribute details a more specific, lower level. This hierarchy enables effective drilling and navigation within reports, allowing for a clearer analysis and understanding of data layers.” 

The aim here is to gauge the candidate’s knowledge of complex attribute relationships in MicroStrategy. 

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A joint child is an attribute that shares multiple parent attributes, typically used to resolve many-to-many relationships within the data model, ensuring accurate data aggregation and reporting across intersecting dimensions. 

This question assesses understanding of database optimisation in MicroStrategy. 

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The logical size of a table refers to the volume of data it can potentially handle and is typically influenced by factors such as the number of indexes, column types, and the normalisation of the table structure, which affect how data is stored and accessed. 

The purpose of this question is to evaluate the candidate's ability to implement advanced analytical functions in MicroStrategy. 

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Level Metrics are calculations performed at specific data hierarchy levels independent of the report's view. They are crucial for consistent metric calculation across different reports and dashboards, ensuring accurate Data Analysis even when data granularity varies. 

 This question is aimed at testing the candidate’s comparative analysis skills within the BI tool's spectrum. 

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Both MicroStrategy and Tableau are leading BI platforms, but they differ in their approach: MicroStrategy is highly scalable, suited for enterprise-wide deployments with strong administrative controls, while Tableau is renowned for its visual discovery capabilities and intuitive user interface, making it ideal for rapid, user-driven data exploration and visualisation. 

The aim here is to assess the candidate's knowledge of advanced data integration techniques in MicroStrategy. 

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Heterogeneous mapping refers to the capability of integrating and normalising data from various sources with different formats and structures into a unified view within MicroStrategy, facilitating comprehensive Data Analysis and reporting across disparate data systems. 

This question tests the candidate’s understanding of database management and optimisation in MicroStrategy. 

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VLDB properties (Very Large Database Properties) are settings that can be configured to optimise how MicroStrategy interacts with databases, including query optimisations, SQL generation, and processing settings tailored to specific database engines, enhancing performance and scalability of data operations. 

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