Questions II

What is difference between IIF and DECODE function?
You can use nested IIF statements to test multiple conditions. The following example tests for various conditions and returns 0 if sales is zero or negative:
IIF( SALES > 0, IIF( SALES <> 0 and SALES <> 49 AND SALES <> 99 AND SALES <> 199, BONUS)

What are the new features of the server manager in the informatica 5.0?
You can use command line arguments for a session or batch.This allows you to change the values of session parameters,and mapping parameters and maping variables.
Parallel data processing: This feature is available for powercenter only.If we use the informatica server on a SMP system, You can use multiple CPU’s to process a session
concurently.
Process session data using threads: Informatica server runs the session in two processes.

Can we use aggregator/active transformation after update strategy transformation?
You can use aggregator after update strategy. The problem will be, once you perform the update strategy, say you had flagged some rows to be deleted and you had performed aggregator transformation for all rows, say you are using SUM function, then the deleted rows will be subtracted from this aggregator transformation.

what is the best way to show metadata(number of rows at source, target and each transformation level, error related data) in a report format?
You can select these details from the repository table. you can use the view REP_SESS_LOG to get these data

Can you start a batches with in a batch?
You can not. If you want to start batch that resides in a batch,create a new independent batch and copy the necessary sessions into the new batch.

How can you create or import flat file definition in to the warehouse designer?
You can not create or import flat file defintion in to warehouse designer directly.Instead you must analyze the file in source analyzer,then drag it into the warehouse
designer.

When you drag the flat file source defintion into warehouse desginer workspace,the warehouse designer creates a relational target defintion not a file defintion.If you want to load to a file,configure the session to write to a flat file.When the informatica server runs the session,it creates and loads the flat file.