Sitecore Interview Questions 2023

1. What Is a CMS?

A content management system (CMS) is software that helps users create, manage, and modify content on a website without the need for technical knowledge. 

2. What is Sitecore ?

Sitecore is a versatile and powerful digital experience platform used by businesses and organizations around the world to create, manage, and personalize their online presence. At its core, Sitecore offers a Content Management System (CMS) that allows users to easily create, edit, and organize digital content for websites, mobile apps, and other online platforms without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

However, Sitecore goes beyond traditional CMS capabilities. It's often referred to as a Customer 

Experience Platform (CXP) due to its ability to not only manage content but also provide tools for personalization, analytics, and marketing automation. This means that with Sitecore, businesses can tailor the online experiences they offer to individual users, gather insights into user behavior, and execute targeted marketing campaigns.

Sitecore's flagship product is the Sitecore Experience Platform (XP), which includes components like the Sitecore Experience Manager for content management, the Sitecore Experience Database (xDB) for data collection and analysis, and additional tools for e-commerce and digital marketing.

In simpler terms, Sitecore is a comprehensive tool that empowers businesses to create engaging websites, understand their audience better, and deliver personalized online experiences. It's like a digital toolkit that combines website building, content management, data analysis, and marketing automation into one platform.

3. What are the most important Sitecore features?

The top features of Sitecore CMS are as follows:

• With Sitecore XP, you can create unrivaled tailored client experiences.
• Conquer omni-channel distribution
• AI can help you personalize your experience faster.
• Get a better understanding of your customers.
• Make your cross-channel marketing more efficient by automating them.
• Personalize to entice your audience's interest.
• Options for rapid deployment

4. What is the latest version of Sitecore?

Sitecore 10.3, which was updated in 2023, is the most latest version available.

5. How many databases are associated with Sitecore?

There are three databased associated with Sitecore:

• Core Database
• Master Database
• Web Database

6. What is the core database?

Core database is a large configuration file for the Sitecore user interface that contains all settings or in other words it 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 ASP.NET membership tables that drive authentication and security.

7. What is the master database?

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.

8. What is a web database?

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 is optimized for size and speed.

9. What is CM, CD and PI in Sitecore?

• Content Management (CM) - CM stands for Content Management server and CM servers are meant for content editing by content authors. Hence, we call CM as Content Management.
• Content Delivery (CD) - CD stands for Content Delivery server and basically, it's the live website serving the pages and the contents to the visitors/users. Hence, we call CD as Content Delivery.
• Publishing Instance (PI) - Sitecore PI is nothing but a clone instance of Sitecore CM environment.
• On CM server, open \Website\App_Config\Include\Scalability.config file. Update Publish Instance Name as below,

<setting name="Publishing.PublishingInstance"> <patch:attribute name="value">PI-Sitecore</patch:attribute> </setting>

If the value is empty Sitecore will use the instance name by combining the machine name and the IIS Site name. So for the IIS Site Sitecore on the server PI the instance name would become PI-Sitecore. 

Just to remember, do not configure above setting on Publish Instance. 

Note: Sitecore allows to add only one publish instance name in this setting.

• Enable EventQueue on both CM and PublishInstance servers. To enable EventQueues, from web.config, find EnableEventQueues setting. Set its value to true. This setting can also be set from \App_Config\Include\ScalabilitySettings.config, which will be given more precedence over web.config settings.

<setting name="EnableEventQueues"> <patch:attribute name="value">true</patch:attribute> </setting>

• Disable any scheduled tasks or agents running if not required.

10. What is Publishing?

Publishing is a process that will help you to copy updated items from the master database to a web database.

11. What 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 for the first time. This is the 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 item changes and will publish only those item 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.

12. What is Item in Sitecore?

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 represents a single version of a piece of content in a single language. An item can be retrieved from a database using Items.

13. What are Media items in Sitecore?

A media item is a set of several fields and has a file attached to the Media field. A media item can be a document, audio, video, or image file. When you upload the media file to the Sitecore Media Library, the file is attached to the media item and then referred to as a media item.

14. What is Template in Sitecore?

 A template in Sitecore is an item that defines the structure and behavior of other items. Every item in Sitecore is an example of a template. It also defines the sections and fields which it breaks down into the content. Each section represents the sub-item under the template, and every field is a sub-item under the item of the related section. 

15. What are the different types of templates in Sitecore?

 There are three different types of templates in Sitecore:

1. Data Template: Data Template includes fields and can be specified by editors using the insert page. 
2. Branch Template: The Branch template enables you to determine the complete branch of templates by building an instance of the branch template to a whole item structure that appears, so the user does need to create them.
3. Command Template: The command template only deals with the command that is evoked when creating a specified template. It is used for the automatic creation of items with business logic.

16. What is Standard Template in Sitecore?

The Standard template is the Sitecore default base template shared by most other data templates. This is done either explicitly through inheritance, or implicitly if not specifically excluded from inheritance (by specifying the null GUID as a base template). If a template does not specify a base template, it inherits directly from the Sitecore standard template by default.

The Standard template defines sections such as security and workflow relevant to all types of items. It defines how Sitecore manages an item, such as when it is published, which workflow it is in, which users are allowed to access it, and so on.

17. What are Standard Fields?

Standard Fields refer to the fields that are present in the Standard Template within a content management system. These fields are typically common and consistent across various data templates. 

It also indicate how Sitecore should manage an item, such as when it should be published, which workflow it should be in, which users should be able to access it, and so on. When you pick an item in the Content Editor, the portions of its template appear in the right pane.

18. What is the difference between a Sitecore item and a Sitecore template?

A Sitecore item is an individual instance of content within a Sitecore database. It is a single instance of a template, and contains the actual content that is displayed on the website. A Sitecore template is a definition of the fields and structure of a Sitecore item. It is a blueprint for creating Sitecore items, and defines the fields, data types, and other settings for each item. A template can be used to create multiple items, and each item will have the same fields and structure as defined in the template.

19. What are tokens in Sitecore?

In Sitecore, tokens are placeholders that can be used to set fallback values in various contexts. By using tokens, you can easily customize content and ensure that the appropriate information is displayed based on different scenarios without having to manually update each instance.

20. What are the different tokens supported by Sitecore?

• $name: The name for the new item entered by the user

• $id: The ID of the new item

• $parentid: The ID of the parent of the new item

• $parentname: The name of the parent of the new item

• $date: The system date in yyyyMMdd format

• $time: The system time in HHmmss format

• $now: The system date and time in yyyyMMddTHHmmss format

21. What are the standard values in Sitecore?

Standard values were first acquainted in Sitecore 5.3 to overcome some of the issues experienced with the predecessors of standard values – “Masters”. In Sitecore 6 masters was totally evacuated and the idea of standard values assumed control.

Standard values are a method of having default or fallback values for fields in Sitecore, implying that when items are created, you can specify a field value that should be used by default. This does represent custom fields you work, as well as 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 which inherits from this template, it will by default use the values specified on the standard values.

22. What is Layout in Sitecore ?

Whenever user sends any request to Sitecore through a URL, Sitecore resolves that item by generating visual representation of that item. Layout provide the basic structure of this visual representation. Layout is container which contains different component of the page. Technically speaking, your .ASPX page is layout and .ASCX, .CS or .XSLT file is component (user control).

OR in other words

Layouts are the scaffolding for your web pages, and will usually include the <head> and <body> tags for the markup. They often pull in styling and JavaScript code but have little markup themselves, instead it have multiple placeholders in which one can plug component renderings.

All the layouts reside at /sitecore/layout/Layouts

23. What is SubLayout in Sitecore ?

SubLayout basically provide inner HTML structure to a component or structuring element of a page. or in other words,

Components are called as Sublayouts in ASP.NET web-forms context, and Renderings in ASP.NET MVC context. They are independent of the page items, so that they can be placed on any number of pages, any number of times.

In Sitecore tree, Sublayouts and Renderings reside under Layout/Sublayouts, and Layout/Renderings nodes respectively.

24. What is page in Sitecore?

A page in Sitecore consists of a page layout and renderings. The overall structure of the page is defined by the page layout. The page layout is created by a developer, and it may include placeholders for renderings. A rendering is a section of a page that is defined.

25. What is the difference between Packaging and Serialization in Sitecore?

Packaging: The maximum limit for package generation in Sitecore is 2GB. You can't make a bundle that's bigger than 2GB. If the package is more than 2GB, it must be split into numerous packages.

After you've deployed the Sitecore items to the target instance, you'll need to make some adjustments to most of them. You can no longer use the Package option to reverse the modifications made to certain of the items in Sitecore to the prior version (as they are when they are deployed). If you reinstall the package, you may lose the changes you made previously. As a result, using Packaging to restore selected products to a previous version is not an option.

Serialization: The maximum limit for package generation in Sitecore is 2GB. You can't make a bundle that's bigger than 2GB. If the package is more than 2GB, it must be split into numerous packages.

Serializing Sitecore items has no size restrictions.

We can achieve this flawlessly with Serialization. We can revert a single item or an entire item tree using the revert item' and ‘revert tree' options.

26. Which are different types of rendering in Sitecore?

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

• 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.
• Sublayout Rendering (mostly used) : This is developer’s favorite and most used rendering method. Sublayout is nothing but.ASCX user control.
• Web Control Rendering (average used) :  ASP.NET web controls are created to use this rendering. Create .CS file for this rendering.
• XSL Rendering (rarely used) : Very few programmers are using this rendering as writing XSLT program is bit difficult and it has limited features. Create .XSLT file to use XSL rendering.

27. What is the difference between the droplist and drop link field types?

Sitecore has two different types of drop-down lookup fields that are available: Droplist and Drop link. Both functions essentially the same way: they point to a Sitecore data item and list its children in a drop-down list for a content editor. 

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, if you use droplist, 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.

28. Which field includes item sort value?

The sort order field under the appearance section includes item sort value. In the Content tree, we can decrease the sort value to move up and increase the sort value to move down the items.

29. What is the difference between a Sitecore item and a Sitecore field?

A Sitecore item is a basic unit of content in the Sitecore platform. It is a hierarchical structure of data that is stored in the Sitecore database. Items are organized into folders and can contain other items, as well as fields.

A Sitecore field is a single piece of data that is associated with a Sitecore item. Fields can contain text, images, links, and other types of data. Fields are used to store the content that is displayed on a website. Fields can also be used to store metadata about an item, such as its author, date created, and other information.

30. What Is A Sitecore Workflow?

Sitecore workflows are a very powerful way to manage and review content so that the right content is approved by the right people before it’s published to the site. They’re a governance control mechanism that dictates the processes different items need to go through before they’re published.

31. What Makes Up A Workflow?

Workflows contain a number of predefined states that an item must go through before it’s published on your site. These states should represent the processes in your organization for creating and approving content.

Since every organization is different and has different needs for workflow and the website approval process, workflow is completely customizable in Sitecore. You can make workflows as simple or as complex as you need, and not all items need to move through all the workflow states that you define. You can apply some states to certain types of content, or make them optional.

All workflows however are made up of 3 elements:

1. States
2. Commands
3. Actions

States : States are the building blocks that make up the workflow and represent the different stages in the content creation process that an item might pass through before it’s published, e.g. Draft, Awaiting Approval & Approved.

Commands : Commands move content items from one workflow state to another.

When the command is executed the item is moved to the workflow state that is defined in the command item’s Next State field, e.g. Submit, Approve with test, Approve, Reject.

Actions : The actions or functionalities that are performed on the items when they’re in a specific workflow state or when a specific command is executed, e.g. Send email, auto-publish, create test.

Actions can also be created to fire any custom code and can be configured in two places: On a command - When a command is fired, the action is executed. E.g., a Reject command can send an email.

Or on a state - When an item moves into a state that has an action configured, the action is fired. E.g., an item that reaches the Published state might get auto-published.

32. How would you go about creating a custom Sitecore workflow?

Creating a custom Sitecore workflow involves several steps.

• First, you need to create a new workflow item in the Sitecore content tree. This item should be created under the /sitecore/system/Workflows folder. You can name the workflow item whatever you like.
• Next, you need to create the workflow states. These are the different stages that the workflow will go through. You can create these states by adding new items under the workflow item you created in the first step.
• After creating the workflow states, you need to create the workflow commands. These are the actions that will be performed when the workflow transitions from one state to another. You can create these commands by adding new items under the workflow item you created in the first step.
• Once you have created the workflow states and commands, you need to create the workflow actions. These are the tasks that will be performed when the workflow transitions from one state to another. You can create these actions by adding new items under the workflow item you created in the first step.
•  Finally, you need to create the workflow rules. These are the conditions that must be met for the workflow to transition from one state to another. You can create these rules by adding new items under the workflow item you created in the first step.

Once you have completed these steps, you will have a fully functional custom Sitecore workflow.

33. What is Scheduler in Sitecore?

The Sitecore Jobs Scheduler is a type of activity that automatically runs to perform a pre-defined task.

Scheduling the tasks allows you to predefine the actions that are to be executed automatically whenever a certain set of conditions are met or found to be true. For an example, we can schedule a backup activity in the SQL Server Management Studio at specific time intervals. This will ensure that it automatically starts the process of backup and take the latest backup of the database.

Similarly, the Sitecore Schedulers also do the same activities for conducting some specific operations.

We can also configure the scheduled tasks in Sitecore under the location /Sitecore/System/Tasks

Scheduling a task involves two main elements or two types of Sitecore items in the content tree and those are:

• Commands
• Schedules

Usually, creating or scheduling the tasks is a three-step process:

• Writing the code for execution
• Creating the command
• Creating the scheduler

34. How would you go about creating a custom Sitecore event handler?

Creating a custom Sitecore event handler involves several steps.

1.  Create a class that inherits from the Sitecore.Events.CustomEvent class. This class should contain the necessary logic to handle the event.
2.  Create a configuration file for the event handler. This file should contain the name of the event handler class, the event name, and any other necessary parameters.
3. Register the event handler in the Sitecore configuration. This can be done by adding the configuration file to the App_Config/Include folder.
4.  Create a custom pipeline processor to execute the event handler. This processor should be added to the appropriate pipeline in the Sitecore configuration.
5. Create a custom command to trigger the event. This command should be added to the Sitecore menu.
6. Test the event handler to ensure that it is working as expected.

By following these steps, a custom Sitecore event handler can be created.

35. What is the difference between a Sitecore layout and a Sitecore template?

A Sitecore layout is a presentation file that defines the structure of a page and how components are arranged on the page. It is a combination of HTML, CSS, and ASP.NET code that is used to render the page. A Sitecore template is a data definition file that defines the fields and data types that are used to store content in the Sitecore database. It is used to create items in the content tree and to define the structure of the content tree.

A Sitecore layout is used to define the visual structure of a page, while a Sitecore template is used to define the data structure of a page. The layout is used to render the page, while the template is used to store the content. The layout is used to define the structure of the page, while the template is used to define the structure of the content.

36. What are the different types of view modes in Sitecore?

There are three different types of view modes available in Sitecore, such as:

1. Wireframe - Theme Wireframe has been chosen during the export process when Creative Exchange displays a warning.
2. Grayscale - The site theme is chosen, and the styling is altered to remove all colors from the styles and photos. During the export process, Creative Exchange displays a warning.
3. Selected Theme - The site's theme has been chosen.

37. What is the significance of the watchtower image displayed after logging into Sitecore?

The presence of this image indicates that you are logged into the computer's developer tool rather than the Content Editor. To resolve this, you need to click the button labelled "Sitecore" located in the lower-left corner of the screen. Following this, press the "log out" button to be directed back to the login screen. From here, the login process is straightforward: opt for "Content Editor," input the username and password, and then click "Login." 

38. How can you add a new site in Sitecore ?

• Firstly, add the site name in either web.config file or SiteDefintion.config file.It is always recommended to add the site name in SiteDefintion.config file.
• Then add the site name in IIS binding.
• After that add the site name in hosts file.

39. How we can configure Multi-site solution in Sitecore.

In Sitecore, a single instance can manage multiple websites, each serving content delivery, content management, and various other functions. By default, there's a single published website that corresponds to the "<site name='website'.../>" definition in the 'Sitecore.Sites.config' file.

Sitecore offers a built-in multi-site feature that's useful when your client wants to manage multiple sites using a single Sitecore license. This approach streamlines configuration efforts. Here's how you can quickly set up multi-site in Sitecore using a single instance:

• Step 1: Create site definition nodes in a patch config file located at '\App_Config\Include\' for each website. Specify 'hostname' and 'targetHostName' attributes.
• Step 2: Add your site's hostname in IIS binding. Note that Sitecore 10 supports only 'https' bindings.
• Step 3: Include your site's hostname in the hosts file (located at WINDOWS\System32\drivers\etc\).
• Step 4: That's it! Your setup should work. If you encounter issues, like one site targeting all sites, add site definitions with 'name' and 'hostname' attributes for each site in the 'Sitecore.config' file below the site's definition node.

To avoid issues with cross-site links, keep the Rendering.SiteResolving setting at "true" for any multi-site solution. Restart the instance in IIS to see the changes.

This configuration ensures seamless multi-site management, enabling you to host multiple sites on a single Sitecore instance efficiently.

40. What purpose does XSL serve in Sitecore?

XSL can conveniently produce HTML forms, and Sitecore extensions can extract data sent via forms, integrating it into the page that the form is posted on. However, XSL does not offer functionalities to store this submitted data in a database or transmit it via email. 

41. What is Content Editor?

The Content Editor is where Sitecore users manage the content and appearance of each page hosted on Sitecore. You can create pages, edit pages, insert links, format text, display images, display iFrame media, and many more functions.

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.

42. What is Media Library in Sitecore?

Media Library is a digital folder in Sitecore where all the media items are stored. You can manage all your media items from the Media Library, such as images that you want to embed in a webpage or make available for download by visitors. The Media Library contains all your media items, such as images, documents, videos, and audio files.

In the Media Library you can:

• Keep all your media files in one place and organize them in a folder structure like the content tree.
• Navigate the content tree or use Sitecore’s search functionality to quickly find media items.
• Upload media files to the Media Library. You can use the upload buttons to browse your computer for images or simply use the Drag & Drop dialog box to add media files.
• Make every media content item and media file version able.
• 43. What are the steps to add a new command in Sitecore?
• Create a class that inherits from Shell.Framework.Commands.Command class
• Add your command either at /App_Config/Commands.config file or setup a patch file in/App_Config/Include.
• Add your command definition in core database.

44. How do you disable analytics in Sitecore?

You can disable the analytics in Sitecore by changing few things in Configurations.

Step 1: Disable analytics:

Go to /App_Config/Include/Sitecore.Analytics.config and set Analytics.Enabled to false:

<setting name=”Analytics.Enabled” value=”false” />

Step 2: Comment out analytics related connection strings:

Go to /App_Config/ConnectionStrings.config and comment out, or remove, the following connection strings:

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

<add name=”tracking.live” connectionString=”mongodb://localhost/tracking_live” />

<add name=”tracking.history” connectionString=”mongodb://localhost/tracking_history” />

<add name=”tracking.contact” connectionString=”mongodb://localhost/tracking_contact” />

<add name=”reporting” connectionString=”user id=user;password=password;Data Source=(server);Database=Sitecore_Analytics” />

45. What is Versioning in Sitecore?

In the Content Editor, you can add new versions of any item in Sitecore, and you can add as many versions as you want. There are two types of versions:

Language versions: Version of an item in various languages. 

For example, you can add additional versions of an item's images if you want to display the alternative text in both languages.

Numbered versions: Versions of an item in the same language. 

For example, you can add a second version of your products page to use during special promotions. 

46. What is meant by Helix and Habitat in Sitecore?

Helix in Sitecore is a collection of guidelines and design principles that control Sitecore site development. It generally describes the overall structure of the Sitecore solutions.

Habitat in Sitecore is the actual Sitecore project applied on the Sitecore Experience Platform through Helix. The Habitat project is an example that presents how Helix's guidelines and principles are applied. Also, it enables developers to experience a project based on these guidelines and regulations.

47. What is the staging Environment?

Ans: As the best Sitecore practice, there should be different Sitecore instances where all improvements should be made before they are moved to a live site. This instance of Sitecore is viewed as a staging area. A meaningful URL is given to the stage setting, such as http:/stag.yoursite.com 

Once the consumer is pleased with the improvements to the staging area, the deployment will be carried out to the production environment.

48. What is the production Environment?

As with the Sitecore instance staging, there should be different Sitecore instances for the development environment. The manufacturing environment is nothing but a live platform that is being used by the outside world. If this instance of Sitecore is down, that means your live website is down. Respective live URL of the above stage URL http:/stag.yoursite.com.

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

The different types of modes are :

1. preview mode
2. normal mode 
3. page editor mode

50. What is Pipeline in Sitecore?

Pipelines describe a sequence of processors that perform various functions, such as handling page requests, uploading data, and saving items via the UI. If you have a number of tasks that need to be performed to execute a mission, then a pipeline could be the way forward. Each processor in a pipeline includes a method called Process() that accepts a single argument and returns void. This method should be returned immediately if the processing background is not important to the processor. The processor can abort the pipeline, preventing Sitecore from invoking subsequent processors.

51. What is processor?

Each stage of the pipeline is called a 'processor.' The sequence of processors in the pipeline is specified in the web.config file. Each processor includes a specific operation, and all of these steps together create a pipeline. Define the device operation, such as initializing the Sitecore program, loading the content editor alert. Define UI processes such as copy object, 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.

52. Under which pipeline Sitecore context can be defined?

under configuration/sitecore/pipelines in web.config pipeline defines Sitecore context.

53. 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. 

54. How would you go about creating a custom Sitecore pipeline?

Creating a custom Sitecore pipeline involves several steps.

• Define the purpose of the pipeline. This includes understanding the business requirements and the desired outcome of the pipeline.
• Create the pipeline class. This involves creating a class that inherits from the Sitecore.Pipelines.Pipeline class. This class should contain the necessary methods and properties to define the pipeline.
• Create the processor class. This involves creating a class that inherits from the Sitecore.Pipelines.Processor class. This class should contain the necessary methods and properties to define the processor.
• Create the configuration file. This involves creating a configuration file that defines the pipeline and its processors. This file should be placed in the App_Config/Include folder.
• Register the pipeline. This involves registering the pipeline in the Sitecore.config file. This is done by adding a new node to the pipelines section of the Sitecore.config file.
• Test the pipeline. This involves testing the pipeline to ensure that it is working as expected. This can be done by creating a unit test or by manually testing the pipeline.
• Deploy the pipeline. This involves deploying the pipeline to the production environment. This can be done by using a deployment tool such as Octopus Deploy.

55. What do you mean by Role in Sitecore?

A collection of users is known as Role. Using the roles we can give access rights to a set of users. For instance, you can assign the access rights to an administrators group using a Role in Sitecore.

56. What are the different content Roles available in Sitecore:

Following are the different roles available in Sitecore:

• Sitecore Author Role
• Sitecore Designer Role
• Sitecore Developer Role
• Sitecore Client Account Managing Role
• Sitecore Client Authoring Role
• Sitecore Client Configuring Role
• Sitecore Client Designing Role
• Sitecore Client Developing Role
• Sitecore Client Maintaining Role
• Sitecore Client Publishing Role
• Sitecore Client Securing Role
• Sitecore Client Translating Role
• Sitecore Client Users Role
• Sitecore Limited Content Editor Role
• Sitecore Limited Page Editor Role
• Sitecore Local Administrators Role
• Sitecore Minimal Page Editor Role

57. 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.

58. How do I add SXA into Sitecore?

Sitecore Experience Platform must be deployed on your on-premises content management server before you can install Sitecore Experience Accelerator (SXA). From the Sitecore Downloads page, you must download the SXA installation package that corresponds to your Sitecore Experience Platform version.

59. In SXA, what is a rendering variant?

SXA includes several default renderings as well as rendering options. Rendering variants are adaptable versions of the default renderings that can be customized. Designers and front-end developers can also construct additional rendering options to enhance reusability. This allows authors to offer their content in a variety of ways.

60. What are the benefits of SXA?

• SXA's drag-and-drop capability allows you to easily develop/create pages.
• Select from a variety of built-in grid systems.
• Enable many workstreams to execute in parallel.
• Create sites with reusable and responsive renderings.
• Get your site up and running quickly with standard built-in features with minimum to no CMS work.
• Creative designer designs can be imported as Themes and switched out quickly.
• SXA Themes aid in the creation of brand consistency.

61. What are the elements of SXA in Sitecore?

Tenants and Sites

Multi-tenancy is supported by Sitecore SXA. Tenant Folder and Tenant functionality can be used to do this. We can use Tenant to create several sites within a single instance. Its advantage is that it eliminates the need for any additional configuration, which was previously required to create multi-tenancy in a standard Sitecore instance. As a result, we can enable or disable functionalities for each tenant.

Toolbox

The ‘Toolbox' has been added to Sitecore SXA, where you can access all reusable renderings. When utilizing the experience editor to create pages, makes things easier for the content editor.

Grid and column layout 

Sitecore SXA pages have a responsive grid layout built in. Pages are divided into equal columns by a grid. You can divide the available columns on your website using row and column splitters or by modifying the grid settings of the renderings on the page.

Themes

SXA Themes differentiating structure (HTML) from design (CSS), to make website design changes easier. 

Page and Partial Designs

Partial and Page Designs were introduced in Sitecore SXA. Partial Designs are sections of a layout that a site employs in various locations, while Page design is the presentation specification for a Page and comprises of one or more Partial Designs and renderings.

Creative Exchange 

One of the most useful aspects of SXA is Creative Exchange, which makes life easier for front-end developers. It enables front-end developers to work on static HTML, CSS, and JS files, allowing them to export static sites or pages and send them to independent creative designers to work on.

Asset Optimizer

CSS styles and JS scripts can be optimized to improve the SXA site. This is possible thanks to SXA's Asset Optimizer feature.

62. 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.

63. How does Sitecore Solr work?

When working with documents, Solr employs a defined schema. The Populate Solr Managed Schema tool allows you to change an existing schema. This tool populates Sitecore fields for you and ensures that you have all the fields you need.

64. How would you go about creating a custom Sitecore search index?

Creating a custom Sitecore search index involves several steps.

• First, you need to create a custom index configuration item in the Sitecore content tree. This item should contain the fields you want to index, the type of index, and the type of data you want to index. You can also specify the type of search you want to use, such as Lucene or Solr.
• Next, you need to create a custom index class that inherits from the Sitecore.ContentSearch.AbstractSearchIndex class. This class should contain the logic for indexing the data and should be configured to use the index configuration item you created.
• Once the index class is created, you need to create a custom search provider class that inherits from the Sitecore.ContentSearch.ContentSearchManager class. This class should be configured to use the custom index class you created.
• Finally, you need to create a custom search context class that inherits from the Sitecore.ContentSearch.SearchContext class. This class should be configured to use the custom search provider class you created.

Once all of these steps are completed, you should be able to use the custom search index in your Sitecore application.

65. What is the difference between a content editor and an experienced editor in Sitecore?

Content editor and experience editor are the two editing tools in Sitecore where you can create and edit your content on the website.

• The Content Editor – It’s intended for experienced content authors who are already familiar with Sitecore and its functionality.
• The Experience Editor – It’s intended for content editors who want to write and edit content directly on the page.

66. What do you know about Sitecore Experience Editor?

Sitecore Editor is one of the powerful features offered by the Sitecore platform and helps the users to build personalization rules. This feature simplifies the process to reach the targeted customers with the right content.

Following are the types of operations that you can perform using Sitecore Experience Editor:

• You can provide a specific offer to first-time visitors.
• Give free shipping offers in case of any return.
• Offer different discounts on specific social media channels.

67. What are the key features offered by Sitecore XC Business Tools?

• Catalog and sellable item Management
• Inventory Management
• Customer Management
• Order Management
• Promotion Management
• Pricing Management
• 68. What are the core product offerings of Sitecore?
• Sitecore consists of three major products:
• Sitecore Experience Manager (XM)
• Sitecore Experience Commerce (XC)
• Sitecore Experience Platform (XP)

69. What is Sitecore Experience Manager (XM) ?

Sitecore Experience Manager (XM) is also known as web content management (WCM) and an essential building block of the Sitecore platform. XM comes with a wide range of features to manage the tasks such as content creation, personalization, management, and publishing of content.

70. What is Sitecore Experience Platform (XP) ?

Sitecore Experience Platform (XP) comes with advanced capabilities to combine customer data, AI, analytics, and marketing automation to understand and deliver personalized and real-time content across multiple channels.

71. What is Sitecore Experience Commerce (XC)?

Sitecore Experience Commerce (XC) is a flexible, easy to manage, feature-rich commerce feature. It combines content management, with advanced commerce capabilities.

72. What are the key components of the Sitecore Experience Database (xDB)?

Following are the key architecture components of Sitecore experience DB:

• Content delivery server
• Content databases (SQL Server)
• Content management server
• Session state server
• Processing server
• Reporting service
• Reporting database
• Collection database

73. How would you go about debugging a Sitecore issue?

When debugging a Sitecore issue, the first step is to identify the source of the issue. This can be done by examining the Sitecore log files, which can provide information about any errors that have occurred. Additionally, it is important to review the configuration files to ensure that all settings are correct.

Once the source of the issue has been identified, the next step is to determine the cause of the issue. This can be done by examining the code and configuration files to identify any potential issues. Additionally, it is important to review the Sitecore documentation to ensure that the code is being used correctly.

Once the cause of the issue has been identified, the next step is to determine the best way to resolve the issue. This can be done by examining the code and configuration files to identify any potential solutions. Additionally, it is important to review the Sitecore documentation to ensure that the code is being used correctly.

Finally, once the solution has been identified, the next step is to implement the solution. This can be done by making the necessary changes to the code and configuration files. Additionally, it is important to test the solution to ensure that it resolves the issue.

By following these steps, a Sitecore developer can effectively debug a Sitecore issue.

74. Describe the process of creating a custom Sitecore module from scratch.

Creating a custom Sitecore module from scratch involves several steps.

• Define the purpose of the module: Before starting the development process, it is important to define the purpose of the module. This includes understanding the business requirements, the desired functionality, and the expected outcome.
• Design the module: Once the purpose of the module is defined, the next step is to design the module. This includes creating a detailed design document that outlines the architecture, components, and features of the module.
• Develop the module: After the design is complete, the next step is to develop the module. This includes writing the code, creating the user interface, and testing the module.
• Deploy the module: Once the module is developed, it needs to be deployed to the Sitecore instance. This includes creating the necessary configuration files, deploying the module to the Sitecore instance, and testing the module in the environment.
• Monitor and maintain the module: After the module is deployed, it is important to monitor and maintain the module. This includes monitoring the performance of the module, responding to any issues, and making any necessary updates or changes.

75. What are versioned fields?

Versioned fields: By default every field in Sitecore is a versioned field. These fields can have separate language versions and several numbered versions for each language version. To mark a field as versioned do not check Shared and Unversioned checkboxes while creating the template.

76. What are shared fields?

Shared fields : While creating the templates, we need to check the Shared checkbox to make a field 'Shared'. The data in the Shared fields are shared among all languages and all numbered versions. So if you make a change in one language version of an item it would reflect in other languages and their numbered versions. These type of fields are used mainly if there is some data whose value need not to b versioned at all. Like a profile image or something.

77. What are unversioned fields?

Unversioned fields : While creating the template, we need to check the Unversioned checkbox to make a field Unversioned. The data in the Unversioned fields are separate for each language version but all the numbered versions share the same data. Select this type of field if you need to maintain different data for different languages but do not need numbered versions. Like a product name field, as it could be different in different languages and you might have decided not to maintain numbered versions.

78. What is Item Bucket and how it’s useful?

Item buckets let you manage large numbers of items in the content tree. An item bucket is a container that you can use to hide innumerable items and still easily retrieve and work with these items. The only way to find bucket items is to use the Sitecore search engine.

You can convert any item into an item bucket, whether it is a new item or an existing item.

When you convert an item into an item bucket, the item bucket organizes and hides all its subitems if they are bucketable items or based on a template that is bucketable. When you convert an item that contains many subitems into an item bucket, it can take a long time to organize the items. A progress bar appears and displays a running tally of the items that are being processed. During bucketing, you can cancel the process before it is complete.

79. How to Convert an item into an item bucket? 

To convert an item into an item bucket:

1. In the Content Editor, click the item that you want to convert into an item bucket.
2. On the Home tab, click Edit to lock the item.
3. Click the Configure tab, and then in the Buckets group, click Bucket to convert the item into an item bucket.

80. How to Revert an item bucket into a regular item ? 

You can always revert the item bucket back into a regular item – even after you have added items to the item bucket.

To revert an item bucket into a regular item:

1. In the Content Editor, navigate to the item bucket that you want to revert into a regular item.
2. On the Configure tab, in the Buckets group, click Revert. If you have many subitems in the item bucket, this may take some time.
3. The item bucket reverts to a regular item, and all its subitems are displayed as regular items and they maintain the parent-child relationship with their ancestors and descendants.

81. Where we can see log files ?

Logs are written to the logs folder within your data folder.

82. How to Add a language to system settings in Sitecore?

To add a language to system settings:

1. In the Content Editor, go to /sitecore/System/Languages.
2. Right-click and then click Insert, Language.
3. In the Add a New Language dialog box, in the Choose a predefined language code field, select the language and country code you want to use.
4. Complete the remaining fields as required and click Next to step through the remaining pages of the wizard.
5. When you are finished, click Close.