Sitecore Interview Questions

1. What are the essential features of Sitecore?

In order to help you better understand the benefits of Sitecore, here are some of the platform key
features:

 Personalized Customer Data: Everything about customers, from their interactions to behaviours to
data, is tracked and stored in order to provide insights to help the team deepen engagement and
increase revenue.
 Sitecore Experience Database (xDB): By integrating all of your customer experience data
(including data from CRM and non-Sitecore-based systems), the Sitecore xDB creates a single
store for the entire experience. Finally, you can see the entire journey of every individual customer
all in one place (single repository).
 Sitecore Experience Profile (xP): When xDB collects customer experience data, Sitecore XP
creates an individual profile of each customer. The information in these profiles will help you to
better understand your customers, such as what products they buy, what they click on, and how
long they spend on your website.
 Multi-language and Multi-Site Content Support: Expanding globally brings many challenges, but
delivering a consistent brand experience to new customers and employees is among the most
crucial. Sitecore provides multilingual support to help you reduce your time-to-market and stay
competitive, wherever you are.
 Marketing automation: Marketers can easily build automation campaigns that deliver real-time,
automated responses in response to the actions visitors take on a site. For example, when a
customer completes a purchase, an automated response email expressing appreciation for the
purchase is sent.
 Sitecore Federated Experience Manager (FXM): Wouldn't it be great if you didn't have to switch
all your websites to Sitecore? Sitecore FXM lets you extend certain Sitecore features to non-
Sitecore sites, ensuring that your customers have a seamless, positive experience across all of
your websites (and ensuring accurate customer data is captured).

2. How to add SXA into Sitecore?

First, you need to deploy the Sitecore Experience Platform on your on-premises content
management system before installing the Sitecore Experience Accelerator (SXA). You can then go
to the Sitecore Downloads page and download the SXA package that corresponds with the version
of the Sitecore Experience Platform you are using.

3. What is SXA (Sitecore Experience Accelerator)?

The Sitecore Experience Accelerator (SXA) is a tool that enables web development teams to
develop websites faster and reuse components, templates, and layouts across multiple sites. SXA
basically separates structure and design, which enables frontend/backend developers, content
authors, and creative designers to work simultaneously, and you can deploy and maintain multiple
sites efficiently and cost-effectively. After the user experience plan has been developed, everyone
can get started on the platform. As an example: while the front-end developer is working on the
theme, the content author enters content into the wireframe environment. Meanwhile, the developer
sets up the data templates.

4. Explain what you mean by Solr in Sitecore.

In essence, Sitecore Solr is primarily an indexing technology. Sitecore basically offers two search
engines, Lucene and Solr, that can be used to search Sitecore's content databases as well as the
operational databases used to gather analytics data, test data, and more. Solr can also be used for
the following reasons:

 Solr performs better when indexing large quantities of items (50,000 and above).
 Solr has more robust capabilities. Solr is recommended if the search is the primary interface for
your site.

5. Explain how to implement Sitecore.

Sitecore CMS is based on .NET technology. Comparatively, Sitecore is better than a large number
of other .NET-based platforms, such as OpenText or Sharepoint. Like any software implementation,
Sitecore implementation can also be time-consuming and expensive. However, it doesn't have to be
complex. The following are some key points as part of the implementation process.

 Identify Implementation Type: A CMS implementation may involve a complete redesign or maybe
more of a re-platforming. It is beneficial to meet with your stakeholders before implementing to
determine what is best for your business.
 Prepare Implementation Document: As every Sitecore implementation is unique, you should
create an architecture document that outlines your requirements and provides stakeholders with an
overview of the project. This will prevent any unpleasant surprises in the future.
 Set up a timeline: If you want your Sitecore implementation to succeed, you need to set a timeline.
This will give you a rough estimate of how long the project will take and will also help you plan for
any downtime that may occur.
 Outline Expectations: Together with a timeline, you can outline what to expect during the
implementation process. Using a CMS like Sitecore won't instantly solve all of your business's
problems and it also doesn't mean you can use all of its features. The most valuable thing you can
do when you start is to know what to expect and what limitations you might face.
 Be aware of Costs: Costs can be high when implementing Sitecore. It is essential that you have a
clear understanding of the project costs as well as the features and functions that are most
important to your business.
 Implementation Process: Finally, your implementation partner will walk you through the entire
implementation process. In addition to the timeline and costs, any additional resources and
personnel required will also be considered. In addition, it will outline the steps that will be taken by
teams working together and which project management style will be used to implement the
changes, either waterfall or agile, or any other.

6. Explain standard values in Sitecore.

Data template fields have default values known as Standard Values. In Sitecore, a standard value
is a way to specify a default value for a field, so that whenever items are created, it is possible to
specify a field value that must be used by default. The standard values associated with each data
template are stored in a child item of the data template definition item called "Standard Values".
Whenever the value of a field for an item is NULL, standard values are used.

As you can see in the above image, the "Sample item" data template basically contains the "Data"
data template section definition item. The standard value of the "Sample" data template is stored as
a child of the "Data" data template definition item named "_Standard Values."

7. State difference between AEM (Adobe Experience Manager) and Sitecore.

AEM (Adobe Experience Manager) and Sitecore are two of the most popular enterprise-level CMS
(Content management systems). Below are some key differences between Sitecore and AEM that
will help you determine which is best for your business.

AEM vs Sitecore:
 8. Explain Helix and Habitat.

 Sitecore Helix: It is a set of guidelines and recommendations that govern the development of
Sitecore websites. Essentially, Helix describes the overall architecture of your Sitecore solution
and explains design principles that are versatile and adaptable to any Sitecore project. It mainly
focuses on reducing dependencies between software modules, how they should be structured, and
how individual sites can use them. Helix is a set of recommendations meant to make building,
testing, extending, and maintaining a Sitecore project as easy as possible.

 Habitat: This is a working Sitecore project built on the Sitecore Experience Platform utilizing Helix
design principles and recommendations. The project serves as an example and shows how Helix's
principles are applied, and allows developers to experience a project that is aligned with these
principles. In addition, it saves the developer from having to create modules from scratch, as well as
provides an excellent basis for developing additional modules and extending existing ones.

10. What do you mean by templates and write different types of templates in Sitecore?

Templates essentially provide a schema for content, and schema gives definition and structure to
content. Generally, templates are items that provide structure and behaviour for other items. The
following types of templates are available in Sitecore for different purposes:

 Data Templates: These are used to specify how data should be entered. Specifically, they
determine which field sections, field types, and field names should be included in each item.
 Branch Templates: This allows you to create a set of items instead of just one. Each branch
template contains a branch template definition item, which can consist of a single item, a hierarchy
of items, or multiple hierarchies of items.
 Command Template: You can insert items through logic rather than by using a predefined
structure. The data template and branch template use predefined structures, but command
templates refer to Sitecore UI commands that invoke wizards or logic to create new items.

11. List the databases associated with Sitecore.

Sitecore CMS utilizes three SQL Server databases listed below:

 Core: This database contains all Sitecore settings, such as a large configuration file for the Sitecore
UI. When customizing Sitecore, such as when adding applications to the Sitecore desktop, it can be
used.
 Master: All versions of the content are stored in this database. Here, business users edit/modify the
content.
 Web: Here you can find the most recent or latest version of published content that has reached the
final stages of its workflow.
 13. The sea watchtower picture appears at Sitecore sign in/log in. What does it mean?

The sea watchtower picture shows up because you are logged into the Desktop (the developer tool)
rather than the Content Editor (the editor tool). Click the button labelled "Sitecore" in the
lower/bottom left corner of the screen and click "Log Off". This will take you back to the Sitecore
login screen. You can now login as usual: click the "Content Editor" button and enter your login
information. Then click the "Login" button.

14. What do you mean by Content Editor?

All of the content on your website can be managed and edited using the Content Editor (CE). User
roles, local security settings, and any customizations on a Sitecore installation can influence the
appearance and functionality of the Content Editor. CE user interface generally consists of three
main sections or areas that can be customized according to your preferences. These are

 Ribbon: The area where you can access all the features of the Content Editor.
 Content Tree: An area in which all items are arranged and organized. All items within your Sitecore
installation are displayed in the Content Tree.
 Content Area: This is where you can edit or make changes to your items.

15. Explain the term “item” in Sitecore.

In Sitecore, an item represents any kind of information that makes up a webpage, including text,
layouts, media files, and so on. Every item has a name, a unique ID (Identity), and a template
defining the fields the item contains. Additionally, items may have multiple language versions. To
edit, create, and insert items, you can use either the Content Editor (for managing and editing items
on the website) or the Experience Editor (for editing items visible on the web page). Before you can
edit an item in the Content Editor or Experience Editor, it must be in the editing state. If you want to
ensure that no other content authors work on the same item simultaneously, you can lock the item
before you begin.

Sitecore Interview Questions for Experienced

1. What do you mean by tokens? List types of tokens supported by Sitecore.

A token is simply a way to assign values dynamically when creating an item. Some strings in
Sitecore begin with the $ symbol (such as $name), mainly in standard values (_Standard Values) in
templates. If we create an item using the same template, a particular field will be replaced with a
readable name (i.e. item name). The magic in this scene comes from the $name, usually referred to
as Tokens in Sitecore. In a similar vein, Sitecore offers many built-in tokens as follows:

 $name: The name of the newly created item/

 $id: The new item's ID.
 $parentid: The ID of the new item's parent.
 $parentname: The name of the new item's parent.
 $date: Current date in yyyyMMdd format.
 $time: Current time in HHmmss format.
 $now: Current date and time in yyyyMMddTHHmmss format.

2. Compare these Content Management Systems: Sitecore, Umbraco and EPiServer.

 Umbraco: Umbraco is a free and open-source CMS solution, making it perfect for small and
medium businesses that can't afford dedicated IT departments and who need a website very
quickly. Since its inception in 2000, Umbraco has undergone significant changes and
enhancements. However, it has yet to become an all-in-one solution. It remains a simple, but well-
constructed, content management solution.
 Sitecore: Sitecore is a powerful enterprise-level web content management system that comes at an
enterprise price tag. It is highly extensible, offers lots of community and developer support, and is
very developer-friendly. This CMS is highly customizable, highly extensible, with a clever caching
system, powerful search capabilities, and a powerful page editor.

 Episerver: Optimizely (rebranded from Episerver in 2021) is a world-class CMS renowned for its
innovative approach to using content, experimentation, and new technologies to create fantastic
digital experiences. Using EPiServer is easy and friendly for developers and users. There are a
number of features available out of the box, along with an easy-to-use UI and page editor, good
drag-and-drop functionality, and ease of customization.

3. What do you mean by CM (Content Management) and CD (Content Delivery)?

 Content Management: CM is the "world of content editing" in Sitecore. The feature is only
available to content editors so that they can add, edit, and update content on their websites. Editors
can access the Sitecore dashboard via the Sitecore Experience Platform. This dashboard contains
several options depending on the editor's role. It is ultimately the "content editor" that would be
accessed to manage the changes to content as shown below:

 Content Delivery: It determines which content to serve and renders output in the appropriate
format for each channel, thus driving the experience for visitors across all channels. Several content
delivery servers can be configured for increased scalability and better performance.
Once a content editor has finalized and processed their piece of content, making it "live" is the next
step. For this process, they have the option of "publishing" the content. Consequently, behind the
scenes, that piece of content is moved from the "master" database to the "web" database and once
it appears in the web database, it becomes live and visible to everyone. Content delivery servers
exclusively connect to the "web" database for content, they do not access the "master" database.

4. Can you explain what a CMS (Content Management System) is in Sitecore?

The Sitecore CMS (Content Management System) is a platform that allows you to create, publish,
and manage content for your website. The CMS allows you to create, manage, and modify digital
content with ease, thus improving your customers' digital experience. A CMS is a tool for
collaborating on the creation, editing, and publishing of digital content, such as web pages and
blogs.

5. What are the steps to disable analytics in Sitecore?

Analytics can be disabled in Sitecore by changing a couple of things in Configurations as follows:

Step 1: Disable analytics

Go to /App_Config/Include/[Link] and set [Link] to false:

<setting name=”[Link]” value=”false” />

Step 2: Comment out connection strings related to analytics:

Go to /App_Config/[Link] and comment out the following connection strings:

<add name=”analytics” connectionString=”mongodb://localhost/analytics” />

<add name=”[Link]”
connectionString=”mongodb://localhost/tracking_live” />
<add name=”[Link]”
connectionString=”mongodb://localhost/tracking_history” />
 <add name=”[Link]”
connectionString=”mongodb://localhost/tracking_contact” />
<add name=”reporting” connectionString=”user
id=user;password=password;Data
Source=(server);Database=Sitecore_Analytics” />

6. What is Versioning in Sitecore?

In Sitecore, the versioning system allows creating multiple languages or number versions of any
item. The Content Editor or Experience Editor allows you to create new versions of any item in
Sitecore, and you can create as many versions as you want. There are two types of versions:

 Numbered versions: It offers versions in the same languages of an item. As an example, you can
make a different version of your products page that can be used during special promotions. You
can also create a new version of an image for the promotion, and then after the promotion, you can
change it back to the original version.
 Language versions: It offers versions in the different languages of an item. For example, you can
add an English version of the item in French. To display alternative text in both languages, you
should also include additional versions of the item's images.

7. Explain different types of rendering in Sitecore.

In Sitecore, renderings are used to display or render a page or part of a page. Some of the
renderings in Sitecore are as follows:

 View Rendering: This type of rendering is used in components that involve little logic and don't
have database transactions or MVC controllers. This should be used for rendering item content that
doesn't require substantial business logic or presentation logic.
 Controller Rendering: With this type of rendering, you supply the model, controller, and view. This
should be used for rendering item content that requires significant business logic or presentation
logic and relies heavily on external data.

8. Write down the steps to add a new command in Sitecore.

The steps to add a new command in Sitecore are as follows:

 Create a class that inherits from the [Link] class

 Either add the command to the /App_Config/[Link] file or create a patch file in
/App_Config/Include.
 Add/Include your command definition in the core database.

9. What do you mean by the media library in Sitecore?

All media content hosted on Sitecore can be managed using the Media Library. The Media Library
let you store and upload images (jpg, gif, png), non-HTML files (PDF, DOC, PPT), videos, and
audio files which can be accessed by the Content Editor later on. All your media items can be
managed from the Media Library, such as images that visitors can download or can be embedded
on your website.

 In addition, all media files can be kept in a single location and arranged in a folder structure like a
Content tree.
 Media items may be found quickly by using the Sitecore search engine or by navigating the content
tree.

10. Explain how you will add a new site to Sitecore.

 Consider a new site whose name will be '[Link]'. Configuring this site to Sitecore
requires the following steps:

 Step1: Select an existing item in the content tree (or create one from scratch).
 Step2: Add your site name to Sitecore Instance and it can be done in the following two ways:

Add the <site> element under the <sites> section of the [Link] file.
Or
Add the <site> element under the <sites> section of the [Link] file.

Adding a new site to the config file is only the first step. To access the newly added site, there are
two other steps that need to be completed outside of Sitecore.

 Step3: Add the site name to the IIS binding.

 Step4: Add the site name to the host's file of your server.

You can now access your newly added Sitecore website after completing these three steps.

11. Write different types of publishing modes in Sitecore?

 The three modes of publishing a website are as follows:

 Incremental Publish: It only publishes items currently present in the publishing queue. Modifying
or changing an item automatically adds it to the publishing queue. This method of publishing is
faster since Sitecore does not utilize resources to compare different versions of items in the
publishing queue before publishing them.
 Smart Publish: In this publication, all items that have changed since the last publication are
published. A Smart publish compares each item in the master database with its equivalent item in
the target database, and if there have been any changes, the item gets published. This involves
comparing all items in the database, which is a time-consuming process for publishing an entire
website, particularly if there are many items in the content tree.
 Republish: Everything is published there. Every item in the target database is overwritten by the
equivalent item in the Master database, even if the item has not changed. By republishing, all
obsolete versions are deleted from the target database. It can be used to bring an entirely new web
database online, restore a backup of the master database, and add new content languages,
publishing targets, and other system elements to the website.

12. How many processors are under the pipeline?

The Sitecore pipeline has 19 processors by default, however, this can change depending on what
modules you have installed in Sitecore. If you install Sitecore DMS (Digital Marketing Systems), for
example, you will see 21 processors under the <httpRequestBegin> pipeline.

13. What do you mean by Processor?

Each pipeline comprises one or more steps, also known as processors. There is a method named
Process() for each processor in a pipeline. Process() method takes a single argument and returns a
void. Processors can abort pipelines, preventing Sitecore from triggering further processors.

14. Explain the meaning of Pipeline in Sitecore.

In Sitecore, a pipeline is a set of actions that perform a specific task in sequence. Processes in
Sitecore are typically defined or considered as pipelines. Developers can modify pipelines to alter,
add, or remove functionality from Sitecore.

15. Can text lines be prevented from being transformed into links by Sitecore?

There is another way to make an anchor in Sitecore other than transforming text lines into links. We
need to put our cursor above the anchor's destination, without highlighting the text. The next step is
to click the hyperlink button to make the anchor, and then we can proceed with the rest. In order to
prevent text from being converted into an unwanted link, follow this procedure.

16. Why XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) is considered better than C# in Sitecore?

XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language) has an advantage over other programming languages in that
you can customize or reuse different structures or pages for source or other documents. This will
require a rule-based processing model, which most people dislike due to its obvious complexity
upon first use. At first, it might seem daunting, but it is a wise investment. We tend to have fewer
performance problems with XSLT until we use wrong querying, such as an XPath query. If a
website appears to experience performance issues, it may be for another reason.

Q1. What is Sitecore?

Ans: Sitecore is a very flexible Content Management System (CMS). It is one of the
leading enterprise-level content management systems (CMS), using which you can
create an enterprise website and intranet portal websites. Sitecore was founded in
2001, and it is built on the Microsoft .NET platform. Sitecore also allows deployment
via Microsoft Azure.

Q2. Why should you use Sitecore?

Ans: Here are the top features of Sitecore CMS that separate it from other CMS:

 It provides out-of-the-box flexibility and is highly customizable

 With Sitecore, you can create a multi-language site with little effort
 Provide personalized user experience and content variation features
 E-commerce Services
 It has out-of-the-box engagement automation and engagement analytics
 Email Campaign Manager
 Integration with Cutting Edge Technology
 Highly Scalable
 Improved Search Engine Optimization
 User-based and Role-based Security

Q3. Which is the latest version of Sitecore?

Ans: Sitecore Experience Platform (SXP) 10.4, which was released in April 2024

Q4. First look at Sitecore?

Ans: Sitecore's user interface is very similar in look and feel to Windows
desktop, which makes it easy for new users to pick up and learn Sitecore. There are
three ways you can log in to Sitecore: Desktop, Content Editor, and Page Editor.

Sitecore Login Screen:

Sitecore Login Screen

Sitecore Desktop Screen:

Sitecore Desktop Screen

Sitecore Content Editor Screen:

Sitecore Content Editor Screen

Sitecore Page Editor Screen:

Sitecore Page Editor Screen

Q5. What is a Desktop?

Ans: When you are logged in using Sitecore Desktop, you will find a rich set of
features, using which you can

 Create and install packages

 View files using File Explorer
 Clean up a database using the Control Panel
 Change the desktop background
 Change the application options
 Many more Sitecore Desktop user interfaces have many feature options compared to
the Content Editor user interface..

Q6. What is a Content Editor?

Ans: The Content Editor is designed for more experienced content authors who feel
comfortable working with a computer, Microsoft Word, and familiar with Sitecore
functionality to add, edit or remove the content of the website using a rich set of
features. Content Editor Interface has fewer feature options compared to the
Desktop interface but has more feature options compared to Page Editor Interface..

Q7. What is the Page Editor?

Ans: Content authors are generally focused on the quality and accuracy of the
material displayed on the Web site and not on the design, style, and layout of the
site. For this reason, most content authors prefer to work in such an interface that is
designed to meet their needs and not those of the developers and designers who
create Websites.

With this in mind, Sitecore CMS allows content authors to edit and create items
directly on the Web page with the Page Editor. The Page Editor is the simplest
editing tool that Sitecore contains. It is designed for inexperienced content editors
who edit and write content items directly on the page. It is a WYSIWYG editor (what
you see is what you get) and limits the amount of functionality that is presented to
the user.

When you log in to the Content Editor, the items that make up your Web site are
presented to you in a very different way than they are in the Page Editor. In the Page
Editor, you see the items as they are presented on the Web site.

Q8. How many databases are associated with Sitecore?

Ans: There are three databased associated with Sitecore:

1. Core Database
2. Master database
3. Web database

Q9. What is the core database? (Most Asked Question)

Ans: This core database has two purposes:

 The core database contains all Sitecore settings. It contains definitions for the
Sitecore user interface (Content Editor, Page Editor, etc.). This is where you can add
a context menu option to the Content Editor or a new ribbon button to the Page
Editor.
 It contains the [Link] membership tables that drive authentication and security.

You May Also Read - What Is Sitecore? A Beginner's Guide To Learn Sitecore

Q10. What is the master database?

Ans: The master database is the authoring database - it contains all versions of
content. Whenever a new piece of content is created, edited, or deleted it is stored
here. This is the database that content authors interact with and is the default
database used by the Sitecore Content Editor.

Q11. What is a web database?

Ans: The web database contains the live content of the website. When a content
editor publishes some content then it is copied from the master database to the web
database. It is a subset of the master database and optimized for size and speed.

Q12. What is the content author?

Ans: A website content writer or the content author is a person who specializes in
providing relevant content for websites. Every website has a specific target audience
and requires a different type and level of content. Content should contain words
(keywords) that attract and retain users on a website. Content written specifically for
a website should concentrate on a specific topic. It should further be easy to read,
offering the information in easy to understand clusters or laid out in bullet points.
Q13. What is Item in Sitecore?
Ans: An item is a record in the database. Items are the basic building blocks of a
Sitecore Site. An item may represent any kind of information, e.g. a piece of content,
a media file, a layout, etc. Items always have a name and ID that uniquely identifies
the item within the database. Items have a template that defines which fields the item
contains. An item representing a single version of a piece of content is a single
language. An item can be retrieved from a database using Items.

Q14. What is Template in Sitecore? (Very Very Important)

Ans: Sitecore uses data templates to define structures of items. Templates contain
fields to represent individual elements. Each data template field has a type, such as
Text, Image, Checkbox, and various other field types.

Q15. What is publishing? (Very Very Important)

Ans: By this time you are now aware of the fact that whenever you add, edit and
delete any item in Sitecore, it will be stored in the master database. Now in order to
move this change to a live website, you need to use publishing. Publishing is a
process that will help you to copy updated items from the master database to a web
database.

Q16. Which are the different types of publishing?

1. Republish: As the name implies, it will publish every item no matter whether it is
changed or not. It is intended to be used when you are publishing a new site first
time. This is most time-consuming publishing method as it blindly publishes all items
2. Smart Publish: This method works smartly by comparing each item in the master
database with the item in a web database. Sitecore maintains a revision number for
each item which gets changed whenever the item gets updated. By comparing this
revision number with the web database, it will create a list of updated items changes
and will publish only those items changes. Even though this method is comparing
each item, it is much faster than the republish method.
3. Incremental Publish: Every time an item is changed, it is added to the publishing
queue. This applies both to changes made through the Sitecore user interface and
changes made programmatically. Doing an incremental publish will only publish the
items in the publishing queue. Therefore only items that have been changed will be
published and Sitecore does not have to do any comparisons to figure out which
items have been changed. This way of publishing is therefore by far the fastest.
Republish and smart publish do not use the publishing queue

Q17. What is a Staging Environment? (Very Important)

Ans: As the best Sitecore practice, there should be separate Sitecore instances
where all changes should be deployed before they are moved to the live site
(production environment). This Sitecore instance is treated as a staging
environment. A meaningful URL is given to the stage environment like
[Link]
Once the user is happy with the changes on staging environment, deployment is
then roll-out to production environment.

Q18. What is the Production Environment?

Ans: Like staging Sitecore instance, there should be separate Sitecore instances for
the production environment. The production environment is nothing but a live site
that is getting used by the outside world. If this Sitecore instance gets down, that
means your live website is down. Respective live URL of above stage URL
[Link] would be [Link]

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Q19. What is versioning in Sitecore? (Very Important)

Ans: In Sitecore content, authors have the ability to make a piece of content
versionable. Each version of an item begins as a replica of the original or of another
version and are all stored in Sitecore. Previous versions operate individually and can
be published as the active version of a content item instead of the most recent
version. At any time an active version can be rolled back to a previous version and
vice versa.

Q20. Which are different types of view modes in Sitecore?

1. Preview Mode
2. Page-Editor mode
3. Normal mode

Q21. What are the standard values in Sitecore?

Ans: Standard values were first introduced in Sitecore 5.3 to overcome some of the
issues experienced with the predecessors of standard values - 'Masters'. In Sitecore
6 masters were completely removed and the concept of standard values took over.

Standard values are a way of having default or fallback values for fields in Sitecore,
meaning that when items are created, you can specify a field value that should be
used by default. This does not only account for custom fields you build but also
standard fields in Sitecore such as presentations and insert options. This means that
you can specify a value on the standard values, and when you create a new item
that inherits from this template, it will by default use the values specified on the
standard values.

Q22. What is standard fields? (Most Asked Interview Question)

Ans: Sitecore provides few common fields for all items, these fields are called
standard fields. These fields can help you to:

1. Set icon of your Sitecore item

2. Check last item update status
3. Check the current status of the item's workflow
4. And many more…
Q23. What is raw values? (Very Very Important)
Ans: Sitecore always stores field values as plain text in the appropriate Sitecore
database (in the Value column of the Fields table). In Sitecore, there are two ways of
getting data out of a field - the raw value or the rendered value.

A field's raw value is how the data is stored in the underlying database - for simple
fields such as Single Line Text, there is no difference between the rendered and raw
values; it's just plain text. This is not the case for more complex field types, such as
General Link, Image, or Rich Text. Take the raw value of a General Link field, for
instance - if you enable raw values in the Content Editor (by clicking the View tab
and ticking Raw values) and look at an item with a General Link field, you will see
that the value stored in the database is custom XML:

The following table provides an example of each field type, as the value is stored in
the Sitecore database.
Q24. Which field contains item sort value? (Very Important)
Ans: The sort order field under the Appearance section contains item sort value.
Decrease sort value to move up and increase sort value to move down items in the
tree.

Q25. What is Layout in Sitecore?

Ans: Whenever a user sends any request to Sitecore through a URL, Sitecore
resolves that item by generating a visual representation of that item. The layout
provides the basic structure of this visual representation. The layout is a container
that contains a different component of the page. Technically speaking, [Link]
page is the layout [Link], .CS [Link] file is a component (user control).

Q26. Which are the different types of rendering in Sitecore?

Ans: There are basically three types of rendering used by Sitecore developers.

1. Sub layout Rendering (mostly used): This is the developer's favorite and most used
rendering method. Sub layout is nothing [Link] user control.
2. Web Control Rendering (average used): [Link] web controls are created to use
this rendering. [Link] file for this rendering.
3. XSL Rendering (rarely used): Very few programmers are using this rendering as
writing the XSLT program is a bit difficult and it has limited features. [Link] file
to use XSL rendering.
Q27. What is the difference between the droplist and drop link field
type?
Ans: By the time you reach to this question, you must know that Sitecore always
stores field values as plain text in the appropriate Sitecore database (in the Value
column of the Fields table).

Sitecore has two different types of drop-down lookup fields that are available:
Droplist and Drop link. Both of them function essentially the same way: they point to
a Sitecore data item and list its children in a drop-down list for a content editor. This
is a great tool because it allows you (as a data designer) to build a nice set of lookup
values and not worry that editors will fat-finger these values.

But why are there the two, and what's the difference between them? Droplist data
type only stores the string value of the item that was chosen by the content editor,
while Droplink stores the GUID of the item that was chosen by the content editor.

So you may be wondering - so what?

This will cause a problem when you want to read the selected item's field value. If
you use a drop list, you are not going to get the selected item and will get only the
selected item's string value. But if you use a drop link, you can easily get the
selected items and then can read any field value of that selected item.

Q28. What is the pipeline?

Ans: A lot of things happen when you request a page in Sitecore which is handled by
pipelines. Pipelines define a sequence of processors that implement different
functions such as handling page requests, uploading files, and saving items through
the UI. If you have a series of tasks, which need to be performed to accomplish a
task, then a pipeline may be the way to go.

Each processor in a pipeline contains a method named Process() that accepts a

single argument and returns void. This method should return immediately if the
processing context is not relevant to the processor. A processor can abort the
pipeline, preventing Sitecore from invoking subsequent processors.

Sitecore separates the pipelines into two groups: those defined within the
/configuration/Sitecore/pipelines and /configuration/Sitecore/processors elements in
the [Link] file. In general, those defined within the
/configuration/Sitecore/processors define pipelines that operate for UI requests and
can interact with the user. Those defined with the /configuration/Sitecore/pipelines
tend to define system processes.

You May Also Read - Sitecore CMS Tutorial for Beginners

Q29. What is the processor?

Ans: Each step in the pipeline is called a 'processor'. The sequence of processors
within a pipeline is defined in the [Link] file. Each Processor contains a unique
operation and all these steps together create a pipeline. define system process such
as initialize Sitecore application, load content editor warning. define UI process such
as copy item, delete item, drag item, and so on.

define system process such as initialize Sitecore application, load content editor
warning. define UI process such as copy item, delete item, drag item and so on.

Q30. Under which pipeline Sitecore context gets defined?

Ans: under configuration/sitecore/pipelines in [Link] pipeline defines Sitecore
context.

Q31. How many processors are there under the pipeline?

Ans: By default, there are 19 processors under pipeline but it may vary based on
different modules you have installed in Sitecore. For example: If you have installed
Sitecore DMS then you will find 21 processors under < httpRequestBegin> pipeline.

Q32. What is the command?

Ans: When you click any button within the Sitecore interface, the respective
command gets called. Typically Sitecore commands are used to map actions to c#
code. This mapping is defined in /App_Config/[Link] file.

If you want to add your own commands you can edit the
/App_Config/[Link] file or set up a patch file in /App_Config/Include.

The Core database contains the command definition.

Q33. Which are the steps to add a new command in Sitecore?

Ans:

 Create a class that inherits from [Link]

class
 Add your command either at /App_Config/[Link] file or setup a patch file
in /App_Config/Include.
 Add your command definition in the core database

Q34. Which options are provided by the Sitecore interface to move

items from one instance to another instance?
Ans: Once you are ready with your Sitecore website, and you want to give it to QA
people to test on their Sitecore instance () - how can you achieve this? In short, how
to move your Sitecore items from the Development environment to the QA
environment?

There are two options to achieve this requirement:

 Package
  Serialization

If you are not seeing the “Developer” option in the menu bar, then configure it as
shown in below screen capture.
Q35. What is the difference between Package and Serialization?
Ans:

1. Sitecore Package:

 There is a size limit of 2 GB for package creation in Sitecore, so you need to create
multiple packages instead of creating one package if your deployment exceeds 2 GB
size.
 After installing the package, if you have changed a few items and now you want to
revert these items back to the original version then there is no way to achieve it.
 For example: If your package contains 50 new items, then you will have 50 new
items in your Sitecore instance after installing this package. Now let's say you have
changed 10 of these 50 items and you want to revert these 10 items back to the
previous version (same version when you installed the package), then there is no
such mechanism in package installation which will help you to revert these specific
10 items.

2. Sitecore Serialization:

 There is no size limit of serialization items in Sitecore.

 You have the option to revert your installation using revert options (e.g. revert tree,
revert items) in serialization.
So it's better to use 'Serialization' than 'Package' - lesson I learnt.

Note: Always use a firefox browser while installing items from 'package' or
'serialization' because Internet Explorer gets a time-out issue while installing a big
package.

Q36. Which are the options to move items from the master database
to the web database?
Ans: By the time you are reading this question, you may be knowing that in the real-
world there are two Sitecore environments.

1. Staging Environment which points to master database

2. Live/Production Environment which points to web database
In order to move Sitecore items from staging environment (master database) to live
environment (web database), there are two options available in Sitecore:

1. Publish (recommended) - you should always use the publish option if you want to
move item(s) from a staging environment (master database) to a production
environment (web database).

2. Transfer (rarely used in specific scenarios) - you should refrain from the transfer
option if you want to move item(s) from a staging environment (master database) to
a production environment (web database).

Q37. What is the difference between Publish and Transfer?

Ans: Whenever any item is published in Sitecore, there are a couple of tasks getting
executed in the background. One of these tasks is clearing cache. That means
whenever any item is published, Sitecore clears the cache of that item so that you
will not find any caching issue on the live website.

On the opposite side, there is no cache clear job performed while using the transfer
option. That means when you transfer any item(s), it will simply move item(s) from
the master database to the web database. So it's your responsibility to clear the
cache manually by using the cache clear tool.
Now let's talk about circumstances in which you can use the transfer option. If you
have published tons of items which will take hours of time to get complete and
suddenly you come across a situation where you want to publish a single/few items
(s) instantly. You cannot publish this item until the publishing queue completes the
current running publishing items (tons of items).

Even if you publish that urgently required item, it will be queued and will be published
last. In such a situation, you can take advantage of the transfer option to move
instantly required items from the stage environment (master database) to the live
environment (web database).

This will push your item to the live environment instantly although you need to clear
the cache manually by using the cache clear tool. If you don't know what a cache
clear tool is, then don't worry we will discuss Sitecore cache and cache clear tool in
upcoming questions.

Q38. What is the scheduler? How can you define the scheduler in
Sitecore?
Ans: As the name implies, the scheduler is a task that gets executed at some
interval. There are three ways to schedule a process in Sitecore CMS.

Configure agent in the [Link]. This is very straightforward and the most common
way to create a scheduler in Sitecore. Using this approach will restart the [Link]
worker process, as it requires changing the [Link] file.

Create schedule tasks in the Sitecore database In this option, you can define a
scheduler in Sitecore database under /sitecore/system/Tasks/Schedules. This option
is user-friendly as you can configure the scheduling options from the CMS directly.
This approach would not restart [Link] worker process as you don't require to
change the [Link] file.
3) Create a Window Task Scheduler (window service) to call web service in Sitecore.

You May Also Read - How To Become A Sitecore CMS Developer?

Q39. What is the publishing target?

Ans: Where can you define publishing targets in Sitecore? In order to move items
from the master database to the live (web) database, we use the publish option. If
you have got a chance to observe the publishing window, you may have seen the
publishing target section at the bottom of the window.
So, where are these checkbox values coming from? They are coming from
publishing target configuration.
As per the above screens “Internet” publishing target is pointing to “web” databases.
And the “web” database definition is configured in the [Link] file.

You can configure more than one publishing target database as per your need. It is
worth noting that the master database contains all versions items, while publishing
the target database (e.g. web) contains only a single latest version of each language
item. If you have multiple publishing targets, then you will see all of them in the
publishing window as checkbox items. In case you want to set any of these
publishing target databases as your default target database, then you can configure
it via the DefaultPublishingTargets setting in the [Link] file.
Q40. What is the workflow? How can you check the current workflow
status of an item?
Ans: Sitecore is famous for its flexible architecture. You can achieve many requirements without
doing any code and by doing some configuration only. One of its eye-catching features is its
workflow.

Workflow is a controllable way by which you can define a series of tasks to add,
review and publish content. In every CMS there are broadly three types of users:

1. Content Author/Editor - responsible for adding and updating content only. This type
of user should not be allowed to publish the content.
2. Content Reviewer - responsible for reviewing content that is submitted by the author.
This type of user should not be allowed to publish the content.
3. Content Publisher - responsible for publishing content approved by the reviewer.

In order to achieve the above series of tasks, you can take advantage of the Sitecore
Workflow feature. You can find workflow at /sitecore/system/Workflows in the
Sitecore content tree. The below figure shows an example of sample workflow.
Draft State: The draft state is the initial state and it will be assigned to the item
whenever the user creates or edits the content. Sitecore items cannot be published if
it is in draft state.
Awaiting Approval State: Once content editing is completed and the item is ready to
review, the user can submit that item to the reviewer. This submission action will
move the item from draft state to awaiting approval state. Sitecore items cannot be
published if they are awaiting approval.

Approved State: This is the last state of the item. There are two types of actions can
be executed under this state:

1. Approve: this action will move Sitecore item to the final state and the item can be
published now.
2. Reject: this action will move Sitecore item to draft state again.

At any point of the item if you want to know the current state of the item, you can
either check the workflow section fields of an item or by looking into the workbox.

Q41. Which are different tokens supported by Sitecore?

Ans: When you create an item, Sitecore replaces the token with the corresponding
value of that item.
For example: if you have specified the $name token at "Title" field in standard value,
then Sitecore will replace "Title" field with the item name that you provided while
creating the item.

Here is the list of tokens supported by Sitecore:

 $name: The name of the item

 $id: The ID of the item
 $parentid: The ID of the parent of the item
 $parentname: The name of the parent of the item
 $date: The system date (yyyyMMdd)
 $time: The system time (HHmmss)
 $now: The date and time (yyyyMMddTHHmmss)

Q42. How can you check if a particular item is referred to by which

other items in Sitecore?
Ans: In your day to day Sitecore work you may come across a situation where you
want to know how many items are referring to a particular item. For example, you are
working on a template item and you want to know how many items are created using
this template or how many items are using this template? Below screenshot will
guide you on how to get referrers list.

If you want to check this for multiple items then it will be a time-consuming job to
select every item and check links for all those items. For that, you can download the
"Sitecore Informatics" module from Sitecore Marketplace which will show you all your
site templates and items created using those templates.
Q43. How can you add help text for a particular field in Sitecore?
Ans: Many times you want to provide some help text to users to understand the
purpose of a particular field. You want to convey a message to the user what should
be the value of that field. This can be accomplished by configuring help text for that
field. Below screen-shots will help you to configure help text for any field.
Q44. What is the display name? Why should one use it?
Ans: Whenever you create an item in Sitecore, you want to give a user-friendly name
so that the content author can easily understand the purpose of that item. But do you
know there are few restrictions in the item name, you cannot add special characters
in the Sitecore item name.

For example - if you want to create an item "What we do?" Sitecore will not allow it
as it contains a special character "?"
So how can you achieve it? The answer is - use the Display Name field. Once you
create items by following item name criteria. You can then change the display field of
that item by including characters which are not allowed while creating the item.

Display name (e.g. "Who we are?") will be shown in CMS user interface such as
content tree in place of item name (e.g. "Who we are").

The advantages of using display name fields are:

  The display name can include characters not allowed in item names.
 Display names can vary by language while item names cannot.
It is worth to note that Sitecore constructs the default URL of an item based on its
name not based on the display name.

Q45. Which characters are not supported by default for item name in
Sitecore?
Ans:

By default, Sitecore allows alphanumeric, $ and - character in item name. You

cannot use any other special characters in item names. In case if you want to allow
some special character in item name, then you need to change ItemNameValidation
setting value in [Link] file.

Q46. How can you configure the log folder path of your Sitecore site?
Ans: Sitecore uses log4net API to log all the events and information. By default,
Sitecore creates date wise logs in the log folder.

You will find this logs folder under the data folder variable path. data folder is the
variable that defines exact path of your logs folder.
Q47. Where does Sitecore store all packages? How can you configure
this package folder path?
Ans: As we have seen earlier, Sitecore stores all the packages under dataFolder
variable path. . dataFolder is the variable that defines the exact path of your logs
folder.

Q48. Which are different types of caching in Sitecore?

Ans: Sitecore provides a number of caching layers. Each cache serves as a
key/value collection. These caching layers are:

1. HTML Cache: It caches actual HTML output generated from rendering and
sublayout. It can be configured from the caching section of rendering controls.
Each website can be configured to enable or disable HTML cache along with allowed
HTML cache size in [Link] file under section.

2. Item Cache: Sitecore items are cached under this cache layer. This cache
contains objects of the Sitecore class [Link], which are the one
you use in your code most of the time. Whenever any sitecore item is requested, it
will be served from item cache and if it is not there then it will be served from data
cache (next layer of cache) and will populate cache in item cache layer. So that
whenever the next request for the same item is made, it will be directly served from
the item cache.

3. Data Cache: Data cache contains items of the Sitecore class ItemInformation.
Whenever any request is made, data is pulled from the data cache. But if it is not
present there it will be pulled from prefetch cache and then will be put into data
cache. So that whenever the next request for the same item is made, it will be
directly served from the data cache. Data cache can be configured in [Link] file
under [Link] setting:

4. Prefetch Cache: There is a prefetch cache for each database. The cache
contains items of Sitecore class PrefetchData which is the same as data pulled from
the database. Prefetch cache loads the cache at Sitecore start-up as per specified in
App_Config/Prefetch folder. The below diagram illustrates how all these are actually
working.
'

Q49. Where can you add a new site in Sitecore?

Ans: Creating a new site in Sitecore instance (e.g. [Link]
involves three steps process:
Step-1: Configure your site hostname in Sitecore Instance.
There are two ways to add a new site in your Sitecore instance.
1. Add element under section in [Link] file
2. Add element under section in [Link] file
You will find [Link] file at \Website\App_Config\Include\ folder.
You should remove the .example extension in order to use it.
Now you may be wondering which one is a good option. Well, let me help you with
this. It is good to add a new site in [Link] file because it's always
advisable not to touch the default [Link] file and override your custom settings
in config files situated under the App_Config folder provided by Sitecore. After
adding a new site in the config file, there are two more steps that need to be
performed outside of Sitecore to access the newly added site.
Step2: Add your site hostname in IIS binding.

Step3: Add your site hostname in hosts file (under WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\

folder)
After completing these three steps your newly added Sitecore website is ready to
access.

Q50. How does Sitecore xDB collect and use data to enable
personalization?
Ans: Sitecore xDB is the heart of Sitecore's data collection that collects every
interaction a user has with your digital properties. This includes page views, clicks,
events and form submissions, associating them with a unique contact profile. This
raw data forms a rich behavioral history for each individual.

This collected data is then used by its personalization engine. Marketers define rules
based on xDB insights such as past behavior, demographics or current context.
Sitecore then dynamically delivers tailored content, offers or experiences to the user
in real-time, optimizing engagement and conversion.

Q51. Explain the benefits of adopting Sitecore Helix principles in a

large-scale project.
Answer: Sitecore Helix provides a modular, component-based architecture by
dividing solutions into Foundation, Feature and Project layers. This separation of
concerns significantly improves code maintainability. Developers can work on
isolated modules without impacting others, which simplifies debugging and updates.

Adopting Helix also enhances scalability and reusability. Features become

independent, testable units that can be reused across multiple sites or modified
without extensive refactoring. This standardized approach fosters better team
collaboration and accelerates development cycles for large, complex Sitecore
implementations.

[Link]

[Link]
sitecore-rules-engine/