1. What is Informatica Cloud Data Integration (ICDI)?

 Answer: ICDI is a cloud-based ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) solution by

Informatica, allowing users to move and transform data between cloud
and on-premises sources and targets.
2. What are the key features of Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
 Answer: Key features include:
o Cloud data integration with various sources.
o Pre-built connectors for cloud applications like Salesforce, Amazon
Redshift, and Google BigQuery.
o Drag-and-drop interface for building ETL workflows.
o Real-time data processing.
o Integration with other Informatica cloud services.
3. How do you connect Informatica Cloud to on-premises data sources?
 Answer: You use the Informatica Cloud Secure Agent, which establishes
a secure connection between cloud applications and on-premises data
sources.
4. What is a Secure Agent in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Secure Agent is a lightweight, on-premises component that
enables secure communication between the Informatica Cloud and on-
premises data sources. It runs the data integration jobs and handles the
transfer of data securely.
5. What is the role of the Data Integration Hub in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Data Integration Hub allows users to consolidate data
across multiple cloud sources, enabling integration, transformation, and
routing of data across different systems in a unified manner.
6. How do you handle error handling in Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
 Answer: You can configure error handling in mappings and workflows,
using error log files, rejection tables, and setting up custom error-
handling logic within the workflow or mapping.
7. Explain the concept of mapping in Informatica Cloud.
  Answer: A mapping defines the data flow from source to target. It
consists of transformations like Filter, Expression, Aggregator, Joiner, etc.,
to transform data before it is loaded into the target.
8. What are transformations in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Transformations in Informatica Cloud are used to apply business
logic to the data, such as filtering, sorting, aggregating, or joining data
before loading it into the target system.
9. What types of sources and targets can Informatica Cloud Data Integration
work with?
 Answer: It supports a wide range of sources and targets, including
relational databases, flat files, cloud storage (Amazon S3, Azure), and
applications like Salesforce, Workday, and SAP.
10. What is the difference between real-time and batch processing in ICDI?
 Answer: Batch processing processes data in chunks or batches, typically
at scheduled intervals. Real-time processing handles data as it arrives,
allowing for immediate updates to the target system.
11. How do you schedule a workflow in Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
 Answer: You can schedule a workflow by defining a schedule within the
workflow configuration. You can set it to run at specific times or intervals
using the Informatica Cloud interface.
12. What is a mapping task in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: A mapping task is an execution unit that runs a specific
mapping. It links source and target definitions, transformations, and the
data flow defined in the mapping.
13. What are the different types of transformation in Informatica Cloud Data
Integration?
 Answer: Some common transformations include:
o Expression Transformation: For applying calculations, expressions,
and business logic.
o Filter Transformation: For filtering data based on specific
conditions.
 o Joiner Transformation: To join data from multiple sources.
o Aggregator Transformation: To perform aggregate calculations on
data.
o Lookup Transformation: For searching data in a reference table.
14. What is an Informatica Cloud task flow?
 Answer: A task flow defines a sequence of tasks (like mapping tasks,
command tasks, etc.) that need to be executed in a specific order. It
helps manage workflows with multiple steps.
15. What is the use of the Expression Transformation in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Expression Transformation is used to apply expressions or
calculations on data in the ETL process. It’s commonly used to
manipulate data, such as concatenating strings or converting date
formats.
16. How do you load data into a cloud data warehouse using Informatica
Cloud?
 Answer: You can use Informatica Cloud Data Integration to connect to
the cloud data warehouse (e.g., Amazon Redshift, Google BigQuery) and
use a mapping to load data through pre-built connectors.
17. Explain how Informatica Cloud integrates with Salesforce.
 Answer: Informatica Cloud Data Integration provides a Salesforce
connector to extract, load, and transform data between Salesforce and
other cloud or on-premises systems.
18. What is the difference between a mapping and a mapping task?
 Answer: A mapping defines the data flow logic between source and
target, whereas a mapping task is the executable unit that runs the
mapping.
19. How do you perform incremental data loads in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Incremental loads can be performed by using techniques such
as Change Data Capture (CDC) or using time-based filters to load only the
new or updated records since the last load.
20. What is CDC (Change Data Capture) in Informatica Cloud?
  Answer: CDC is a technique used to capture changes (inserts, updates,
deletes) in source data and apply them to the target system, enabling
efficient incremental data loads.
21. Can Informatica Cloud Data Integration be integrated with AWS services?
 Answer: Yes, Informatica Cloud supports integration with AWS services
like Amazon S3, Redshift, RDS, and more, using built-in connectors and
transformations.
22. What is the use of the Router Transformation in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Router Transformation is used to route data into different
output groups based on specified conditions, enabling conditional data
flow in a mapping.
23. How can you monitor and debug workflows in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Informatica Cloud provides monitoring tools like the Monitor
tab to view job status, logs, and errors. Debugging can be done by
checking the session logs and mapping debug settings.
24. What is a Data Synchronization task in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: A Data Synchronization task allows for the synchronization of
data between cloud and on-premises systems, ensuring that changes in
source systems are propagated to target systems.
25. What is the difference between Informatica PowerCenter and Informatica
Cloud Data Integration?
 Answer: PowerCenter is an on-premises ETL tool, while Informatica
Cloud Data Integration is a cloud-based ETL solution with pre-built
connectors for cloud and on-premises systems.
26. How do you handle data quality in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Informatica Cloud offers Data Quality tools to profile, cleanse,
and standardize data. Data Quality transformations can be applied in the
ETL flow to ensure clean data.
27. What are data tasks in Informatica Cloud?
  Answer: Data tasks are predefined actions like reading, writing, and
transforming data. They can be scheduled and executed through
mappings or workflows.
28. How do you secure data in transit in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Data in transit is secured using encryption protocols like SSL and
TLS to ensure that data is protected while being transferred between
systems.
29. What is the purpose of the Lookup Transformation in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Lookup Transformation is used to retrieve data from a
reference table or database based on a lookup condition, providing
additional information or validation to the source data.
30. How can you perform a full load in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: A full load is performed by selecting the entire dataset for
extraction from the source and loading it into the target system,
overwriting any existing data.
31. What is the role of a source qualifier in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Source Qualifier is used to retrieve data from the source
database, filtering or sorting data as necessary before passing it to the
transformations.
32. Can Informatica Cloud Data Integration work with unstructured data?
 Answer: Yes, Informatica Cloud can handle unstructured data sources
like text files, XML, and JSON, transforming them before loading them
into structured data systems.
33. What are the different types of joiners in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Informatica Cloud supports multiple types of joiners, including:
o Normal Join: Joins records based on matching keys.
o Master-Detail Join: Used when one source contains fewer records
than the other.
34. What is a session log in Informatica Cloud?
  Answer: A session log is a detailed log file generated during the
execution of a mapping task. It contains information about task status,
performance, and any errors encountered.
35. How do you implement version control in Informatica Cloud Data
Integration?
 Answer: Informatica Cloud supports version control by allowing users to
check in and check out objects, ensuring that different versions of
objects can be managed within the platform.
36. What is a data pipeline in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: A data pipeline refers to the flow of data from the source
system to the target system, involving various transformations and data
quality checks in between.
37. What is a flat file source in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: A flat file source refers to a simple text or CSV file that contains
data in rows and columns. It’s commonly used for ETL processes when
connecting to legacy systems or external sources.
38. How do you optimize performance in Informatica Cloud Data Integration?
 Answer: Performance can be optimized by:
o Using parallel processing.
o Choosing appropriate transformations.
o Minimizing data movement and applying filters early in the
process.
39. What is the difference between an on-premises agent and a cloud agent
in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The on-premises agent connects to on-premises data sources,
while the cloud agent connects directly to cloud-based sources and
systems.
40. How do you handle null values in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Null values can be handled using conditional expressions,
default value settings, or custom transformations that substitute or
ignore nulls during processing.
41. What is a Data Integration template in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: A template is a pre-built, reusable set of configurations and
logic for common integration scenarios, simplifying the creation of
workflows or tasks.
42. How do you perform data masking in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Data masking can be achieved using Data Masking
transformations or applying business logic to obfuscate sensitive data
during the transformation process.
43. How do you optimize the scalability of an Informatica Cloud solution?
 Answer: Scalability is enhanced by distributing processing across
multiple secure agents and leveraging the cloud infrastructure to handle
larger data volumes effectively.
44. What is a union transformation in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Union Transformation combines data from multiple input
groups into a single output stream, similar to a UNION operation in SQL.
45. How do you manage data lineage in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Informatica Cloud provides data lineage and impact analysis
features to track data movement, transformations, and dependencies
across different systems.
46. What is a domain in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: A domain is a container that holds all the Informatica Cloud
services and objects for a specific instance or environment, providing
centralized management and security.
47. What is an Informatica Cloud template for data integration?
 Answer: A template is a reusable structure or configuration that can be
used for common integration scenarios, helping speed up development
by reducing the need to create mappings from scratch.
48. How can you ensure data consistency when using Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Consistency can be maintained by using data validation, error
handling, and transaction control techniques to ensure data is not lost or
corrupted during ETL processing.
49. What is an Expression Transformation in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: The Expression Transformation allows the user to define custom
expressions to manipulate or calculate data as it flows through the
mapping.
50. How do you perform real-time data integration in Informatica Cloud?
 Answer: Real-time data integration can be achieved by using event-
based triggers and leveraging Informatica Cloud’s real-time capabilities
to push data from sources to targets immediately as it arrives.