ICC Data Structures & Algorithms 2 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Informatica Cloud, when processing hierarchical JSON data, which data structure best represents the parent-child relationship between source and target fields?
- Linked list
- Tree (Correct answer)
- Hash map
- Circular queue
Correct answer: Tree
Trees naturally represent hierarchical parent-child relationships found in JSON and XML data structures used in Informatica Cloud mappings.
Question 2: Which sorting algorithm has an average-case time complexity of O(n log n) and is commonly used in Informatica's internal sort transformations?
- Bubble sort
- Insertion sort
- Merge sort (Correct answer)
- Selection sort
Correct answer: Merge sort
Merge sort achieves O(n log n) average-case complexity and is well-suited for large datasets that Informatica sort transformations process.
Question 3: In Informatica Cloud data pipelines, a FIFO queue is used to buffer records between stages. What is the primary advantage of a FIFO queue in this context?
- Random access to any record
- Ensures records are processed in arrival order (Correct answer)
- Reduces memory usage by half
- Supports O(1) search operations
Correct answer: Ensures records are processed in arrival order
FIFO (First-In-First-Out) queues preserve record ordering, which is critical when sequence matters in pipeline stages.
Question 4: What is the space complexity of storing a lookup table for a joiner transformation with n records from the master source?
- O(1)
- O(log n)
- O(n) (Correct answer)
- O(nĀ²)
Correct answer: O(n)
A joiner transformation stores the master source in memory as a hash table requiring O(n) space proportional to the number of master records.
Question 5: In Informatica Cloud, a lookup transformation uses a hash map internally. What is the average time complexity for a single lookup operation?
- O(n)
- O(log n)
- O(1) (Correct answer)
- O(n log n)
Correct answer: O(1)
Hash maps provide O(1) average-case lookup time, which is why Informatica uses them to make lookup transformations efficient.
Question 6: Which traversal algorithm is most appropriate for processing XML data in Informatica Cloud when you need to process all child elements before the parent?
- Breadth-first search
- Pre-order traversal
- Post-order traversal (Correct answer)
- In-order traversal
Correct answer: Post-order traversal
Post-order traversal processes children before parents, which is needed when child data must be aggregated or transformed before writing the parent record.
Question 7: When Informatica Cloud performs a group-by aggregation on a large dataset, which underlying data structure is typically used to maintain running aggregates per group key?
- Stack
- Hash map (Correct answer)
- Singly linked list
- Binary search tree
Correct answer: Hash map
Hash maps allow O(1) average-time access to each group's running aggregate, making them ideal for GROUP BY aggregation operations.
ICC Data Structures & Algorithms 2
In Informatica Cloud, when processing hierarchical JSON data, which data structure best represents the parent-child relationship between source and target fields?