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IS Sr Reporting Specialist at Community Health Network of Connecticut, Inc.
User
Easy to use, provides a self-service environment, and offers high performance
Pros and Cons
  • "From siloed reports, we went to a centralized knowledge hub, combining cross-functional data, and helping decision-makers see the data as a whole, therefore making more informed decisions."
  • "Ad-hoc reporting capabilities would be ideal."

What is our primary use case?

The primary solution was to provide a centralized way to access siloed cross-functional reports. 

By using Qlik Sense, we were able to combine data from our BI solution, ERP, and other systems, to provide daily reports, plus analytics capabilities with high performance. 

As Qlik Sense is an in-memory solution, the performance is fast and provides real-time insights. 

Also, with their ETL capability, we were able to perform ETL without a true data warehouse. It saved us a lot of money by being able to postpone the DW project and gave us time to think of other solutions, like data lakes.

How has it helped my organization?

From siloed reports, we went to a centralized knowledge hub, combining cross-functional data, and helping decision-makers see the data as a whole, therefore making more informed decisions. 

Also, the self-service capability allowed users to create their own reports on the fly. People from different departments were pulling their data from different sources and presenting their own truth. 

With Qlik Sense, and being able to provide a central data hub, we were able to recreate most of the siloed reports, present one truth on the data, and increase the trust of the organization in the data being presented, gaining leadership approval.

What is most valuable?

The ETL capability is great. It facilitated the integration of data from different sources without a true data warehouse. Being able to pull data directly from the ERP system and apply the business rules in Qlik, and combine it with the BI data, decreased the business process time. We had to send every request over to our overseas BI team. Being able to have at least one BI resource in-house who is an expert in Qlik, we decrease the development time and started delivering solutions in a much more timely manner. 

The ease of use, providing a self-service environment, and high performance when interacting with the dashboards and reports are all great.

What needs improvement?

Ad-hoc reporting capabilities would be ideal. Despite the solution being a self-service solution, many users still struggle to create their reports. With an easy drag-and-drop style report, it would make a huge difference. There are extensions for that, however, you have to pay them separately. 

Having a report publication feature is also very important, and it is not native to the on-prem version. However, Qlik has made huge advancements on the cloud version, and adding the hybrid capabilities, in which we can maintain the data in-house and just publish the dashboards to the cloud, will allow us to soon go to the cloud and have access to all those extra features we are missing on-prem. 

Buyer's Guide
Qlik Sense
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Qlik Sense. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is very stable. They release three to four updates every year. That way, if bugs come up, they are fixing them in a timely manner. They always listen to the user community and tend to develop what is being requested.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable, especially the cloud version. Their licensing agreement works really well for large organizations.

How are customer service and support?

The initial support has to come from the vendors, which is something I don't like much, as it can be costly. However, I believe they are starting to provide direct support in certain cases. The use of the Qlik Community is fantastic, as they have experts providing solutions and fixes in a timely manner as well.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

SAP Business Objects. They were very expensive and lacked the dashboard capability side of it. It was also very complex and needed more internal resources. Every request would take longer for it to be developed as well.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was very straightforward. The setup is done through 3rd-party vendors, so you just need to make sure you spend a little more and hire an experienced consulting company for the work.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it via a vendor. Having the knowledge of experienced consultants doing the work is worth it and can prevent huge delays and problems.

What was our ROI?

I am not really sure about the full ROI numbers, however, compared to what we would have spent with the DW development, and increased headcount, we would have spent a lot more money. As I said, their licensing plan makes it very simple and cost-effective when we need to add more users.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'd advise users to go to the cloud. If you can, go directly to the SaaS version. From a cost perspective, it was cheaper than other solutions - and better. Now it might seem more expensive, however, with all the features available, and being able to create a full data pipeline, it makes more sense using Qlik Sense.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also looked into Power BI and Tableau.

What other advice do I have?

Definitely go to the cloud. Use the SaaS solution as it offers more capabilities and you don't need to be concerned about the back-end management. If fully going to the cloud is not possible, think of a hybrid solution. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Ian Hume - PeerSpot reviewer
Junior Business Intelligence Developer at Energetics
Real User
Excellent for loading and transforming data with good compression
Pros and Cons
  • "Qlik has a powerful load script that uses an enhanced SQL language which is excellent for loading and transforming the data."
  • "Qlik application automation needs additional work and features."

What is our primary use case?

Qlik is being used as a Business Intelligence and Data Analytics solution. It currently extracts the data from our database and online sources via a Rest API connector. The data is then transformed in the load script and stored in a .qvd file format.

Once this has been completed, applications use a combination of the .qvd files depending on their functionality to allow reporting on areas of the business. Any area with data can be reported on with graphics tailored to the needs of the business. 

How has it helped my organization?

Qlik Sense has allowed us to compile and analyze our data in real-time, thanks to the various and specific applications that have been designed and built. This has allowed the organization to make data-informed decisions and has also removed the need for manual tasks, checks, and calculations.

In turn, this has allowed the organization to better utilize time and resources, improving business efficiency and productivity. However, it is worth noting that this is only as good as your data. You must ensure your organization has clean data!

What is most valuable?

Qlik has a powerful load script that uses an enhanced SQL language which is excellent for loading and transforming the data. 

Qlik can also store data out into a .qvd file format which is very highly compressed. This file format can then be ready by Qlik extremely quickly, allowing it to rapidly process thousands of rows of data. Qlik also has a range of useful visualizations and also allows for custom visualizations to be created and added as an extension. These can be found online or created by yourself.

What needs improvement?

Qlik application automation needs additional work and features. However, it is still a fairly new development. It appears it has been brought on to replace many of the Qlik management console's functionality for on-premise Qlik solutions. However, it lacks a lot of the same functionality. It is worth noting that it does have additional functionality in some areas compared to the Qlik Management Console.

An interesting development to Qlik Application Automation would be the addition of functionality that allows writing to .qvd files.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qlik sense for three years, however, I have only been using Qlik SaaS for the past year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is easily and effectively scalable.

How are customer service and support?

So far, we have not had an issue that required support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not previously use a different solution. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We handled the setup in-house.

What was our ROI?

ROI is hard to quantify, however, it has definitely earned its cost.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I'd advise users to negotiate directly with the sales team for the best deal.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The product was already in use at the organization.

What other advice do I have?

Qlik Sense on-prem may be a better solution currently. However, Qlik Sense SaaS will overtake this product soon.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Qlik Sense
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Qlik Sense. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,649 professionals have used our research since 2012.
PeerSpot user
BI Consultant at dolphin consulting
Real User
Easy to use with good self-service capabilities and flexible reporting
Pros and Cons
  • "It is simple to develop, which is good."
  • "They need to keep it as simple as possible but include as much advanced functionality as possible by positioning all the objects on the page, changing colors for all the objects, improving sheets actions, etc."

What is our primary use case?

We built a reporting platform across the organization. The business needed people with Qlik knowledge to develop the solution. As Qlik is Self-Service oriented, even business people can create their own quick solutions. We are using a proper QDF structure and versioning system, which gives us many benefits such as reusability, backup availability, control versioning, etc. We created best practices for development purposes. Our community is comprised of several hundreds of users, and it works like a charm!

How has it helped my organization?

There have been always requirements for reporting. At the very beginning, the only way we could report the data was via SQL and Excel. Now, there is a robust but flexible reporting platform that gives lots of opportunities to the end users, and the solutions are still integrated with other systems like Collibra, SageMaker, Airflow, etc. 

We would like to start with big data processing and shift it a bit ahead. We have discovered it is possible to have a data-driven organization as almost all decisions are based on data from this platform.

What is most valuable?

It is mainly easy to use. It is simple to develop, which is good. However, on the other hand, there is a lack of functionality. 

The self-service capability allows even less IT-oriented people to build their solution as quickly as possible for their next meeting in several hours. The ETL is another benefit of this tool as it is not the standard functionality of reporting tools. You can manipulate and clean the data directly in the tool without dependency on a DB team.

What needs improvement?

They need to keep it as simple as possible but include as much advanced functionality as possible by positioning all the objects on the page, changing colors for all the objects, improving sheets actions, etc. 

I really like the new UI, which is sadly similar to Power BI. Why is there a simple mode for something that is simple at the beginning? I would add more capabilities first into advanced mode. Pixel-perfect solutions are still required, yet not possible in Qlik right now.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for five years.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used QlikView, however, it was too old and unsupported.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We'd like it if they could provide a discount.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked into Spotfire, PowerBI, and Tableau.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Prashant Baste - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Solution Architect at Team Computers
Real User
Top 5
Complete end-to-end BI implementation for those working with large volumes of data
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are that Qlik has a very strong ATL available and the capacity to handle large volumes of data."
  • "Areas for improvement include user-friendliness, self-service, and some of the visualization options for generating reports."

How has it helped my organization?

We handle a large volume of data, and it is very challenging to get insight from it. By using Qlik and filling a dashboard on top of it, our ability to analyze and identify our strengths and weaknesses has improved.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are that Qlik has a very strong ATL available and the capacity to handle large volumes of data.

What needs improvement?

Areas for improvement include user-friendliness, self-service, and some of the visualization options for generating reports.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Qlik Sense for three to four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Qlik Sense's stability is good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good.

How are customer service and support?

Qlik's technical support is great.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, we used QlikView, but we upgraded to Qlik Sense based on an OEM suggestion that QlikView was about to shut down, so we should migrate in order to keep our support from the OEM and technical partners.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward - I would rate it five out of five. We used an agile methodology to implement, starting with one module and then adding multiple modules and enhancements later on.

What about the implementation team?

We used an in-house team for implementation.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We pay for our license on a one-year basis, and I would rate Qlik's pricing four out of five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Tableau and Power BI and chose Qlik Sense because it has an ETL capability.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend Qlik Sense for those dealing with large volumes of data. Qlik sense can give you complete end-to-end BI implementation. I would rate this solution as nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Manager - Enterprise Analytics & Business Intelligence at Meritor
Real User
Powerful data engine and insight advisor that promotes data-driven decision-making
Pros and Cons
  • "We can bring data from multiple sources and easily blend it in Qlik and create a data model (star schema)."
  • "Error handling is an area that needs to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Qlik Sense as a Corporate Analytical Tool. It is used by every functional group for creating their dashboards including but not limited to Supply Chain, Purchasing, Finance, Operations, Quality, Engineering, Warranty, Legal, etc.

We are using Qlik as a self-service analytics tool. We are using Qlik to implement some of the self-service processes, too.

We also use Qlik NPrinting to complement our Qlik Sense environment. This is mainly used for automated report bursting based on certain conditions. This takes away a lot of the manual process of creating Excel-based files on a recurring basis.

How has it helped my organization?

Qlik brought awareness to data-driven decision-making. More and more people in the organization are now motivated to use analytics (dashboards built-in to Qlik) for their data and reporting needs. We were able to eliminate lots of Excel files and lots of manual processes used for data acquisition and manipulation that were happening on a recurring basis.

The best impact was during COVID. We were very quickly able to create a COVID war room to keep a track of our customer and supplier operation and start our operation in a safe mode and then align it with customer and supplier Ops.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is Qlik's data engine, as it is so much better than other tools. We can bring data from multiple sources and easily blend it in Qlik and create a data model (star schema). 

The insight adviser is another high point because it makes it so much easier to communicate with your data. Users are able to create their own sheets and do their own analysis without worrying about data acquisition and data quality. The addition of natural language search has made this a lot more user-friendly and has opened up a lot of use cases.

What needs improvement?

Error handling is an area that needs to be improved. There is not much help on that and some of the error messaging is not very helpful. On many occasions, we have struggled to figure out what's wrong, as the error message did not help and we had to go through the hoops of going to a Qlik partner and then going to the support.

Provide some built-in functionality to migrate apps from one environment to another and make it easy for organizations that are pushing for self-service analytics.

I would like to see them make the Hub better in terms of usability, like adding personal preferences, favorites, etc.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qlik Sense for three years.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Yes, we used a different visualization tool before Qlik. At the time we made the switch, we did a comprehensive evaluation based on a list of our success criteria and Qlik scored more points compared to other tools. Some areas where Qlik scored more are data load, security and performance.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Power BI and Tableau.

What other advice do I have?

My advice is to just look for what your organization's needs are. Every org is different and may need different licensing and architecture.

Just go and use Qlik. You will never look back. Happy Dashboarding !!!

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Global Solutions and Data Innovation Manager at MAYBORN GROUP LIMITED
Real User
The efficiency gains of this have offset the adoption costs by a considerable amount
Pros and Cons
  • "The flexibility of Qlik Sense and the addition of 3rd party extensions allow us to extend the use of Qlik Sense beyond analytics and bring the platform to the core of our digital workplace, augmenting analytics with workflow, and team collaboration."
  • "There is a direction currently with feature releases within QLik Sense which are focused towards the SaaS or Cloud offerings of Qlik Sense. This leaves those who have invested heavily in on-premise enterprise deployments in a difficult position to gain the benefits of some powerful new features they have to look to reinvest further towards these SaaS or Cloud deployments or bring in a hybrid model. Qlik provides no real split between what features are available in each of the deployment options."

What is our primary use case?

We use Qlik Sense to deliver enterprise-wide analytics covering various business units, including Commercial Finance, demand planning, aftermarket performance, ICT, eCommerce, procurement, master data management, sales forecasting, and market share analysis. 

The flexibility of Qlik Sense and the addition of 3rd party extensions allow us to extend the use of Qlik Sense beyond analytics and bring the platform to the core of our digital workplace, augmenting analytics with workflow, and team collaboration.

How has it helped my organization?

The adoption of Qlik Sense has provided the business with a solid platform to build upon, moving from a silo approach to reporting through a multitude of large, static, cumbersome spreadsheets to an accessible, intuitive, powerful analytics platform capable to dealing with large volumes of data. For the first time, providing the business with a single version of the truth, the ability to see everything in one place. In itself, the efficiency gains of this have offset the adoption costs by a considerable amount.

What is most valuable?

The intuitive associative engine and powerful visualization capability within Qlik sense has provided a powerful platform that allows us to develop user engaging, intuitive, and agile data analytics tools that drive informed, timely, and impact business decision making. 

The flexibility of Qlik Sense and the addition of 3rd party extensions allow us to extend the use of Qlik Sense beyond analytics and bring the platform to the core of our digital workplace, augmenting analytics with workflow, and team collaboration.

What needs improvement?

There is a direction currently with feature releases within QLik Sense which are focused towards the SaaS or Cloud offerings of Qlik Sense. This leaves those who have invested heavily in on-premise enterprise deployments in a difficult position to gain the benefits of some powerful new features they have to look to reinvest further towards these SaaS or Cloud deployments or bring in a hybrid model. Qlik provides no real split between what features are available in each of the deployment options.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Qlik solutions for over eight years, Qlik Sense for around six. I spent five years as a BI consultant with a UK based Qlik Elite partner and the last two years as a Qlik customer.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability options for Qlik Sense are impressive, providing confidence in a truly scalable enterprise solution.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We adopted Qlik as a replacement to spreadsheet-based reporting and analytics.

How was the initial setup?

We performed the deployment ourselves, easy and quick.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Power BI was evaluated initially.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Manager, BI Strategy and Architecture at PayPal
Real User
Has proven to be flexible, powerful, and friendly to both developers and end users

What is our primary use case?

Provide DIY solutions to business users who are knowledgeable (or just like to tinker with their own reporting designs), based on standardized, aggregated data sets to support consistent analytics across the enterprise.

How has it helped my organization?

Still getting there, but the availability of KPI monitoring on demand has led to improvements in data visibility and understanding of the value of reliable data insights.

What is most valuable?

  • Access to multiple data sources
  • Ability to design modular solutions
  • Ability to implement a flexible data model that is accessible to knowledgeable users.
  • In addition, the new capabilities in Qlik Sense introduced in Spring 2018 have expanded its capabilities significantly.  And the "mash-up" capability with QlikView and Qlik Sense allows the best of both in a single solution.

What needs improvement?

Qlik's data handling could still use some strengthening, flexibility, and overall improvement. As a long-time data architect, I cannot overly stress how much the product could be improved by the addition of a more powerful data engine.

For how long have I used the solution?

Still implementing.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Occasionally, the software does behave somewhat erratically. However, I find this to be true of every platform. Qlik has done a good job of maintaining stability while supporting remarkable growth.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No, not in the software. Scalability issues have arisen only because we have more projects that could use this power than we have IT resources to support them.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Qlik has always shown excellent service, from the communities to its partners to Qlik itself. They obviously value their customers.

Technical Support:

While I have hit a few problems that seemed new to the tech support teams, I've had a habit of doing that with other platforms over the years. Their tech support is excellent.

When they cannot solve a problem immediately, they make sure to stay in touch with us and, honestly, relate both the issues and their status. I can be patient as long as the support team is open with me. Qlik is.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've used multiple solutions in BI. Qlik has proven to be flexible, powerful, and friendly to both developers and end users.

How was the initial setup?

Initial setup was very straightforward, and the online resources helped with any issues we encountered ramping up.

What about the implementation team?

This was an in-house implementation following a vendor-support QlikView implementation. The vendor was a Qlik partner and has been excellent.

What was our ROI?

Calculating ROI is always difficult in BI, and we have never agreed on a final formula or result.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pay close attention to your licensing needs, especially when determining your requirements for developers vs users. Qlik offers excellent options, but you have to know your own requirements for them to help you.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Multiple other options were and have been considered.

What other advice do I have?

Keep building and always turn to your colleagues in the Qlik community when you need assistance.

Qlik: Keep up the good work, but I mean what I say about your data engine. It could stand some enhancement. I would never recommend anyone away from your product because of it, but adding power would only increase your products' abilities and ultimate success.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Sr Data Analyst at a consultancy with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Offers robust scripting capabilities and highly stable solution
Pros and Cons
  • "It offers good control. Loading the logs is also a good thing."
  • "The current visualization features feel incomplete compared to what's available with scripting tools."

What is our primary use case?

The scripting in it is very strong. So, I use the Qlik Sense for scripting.

What is most valuable?

I like to develop steps in getting a solution for any application, and they have a lot of time, and the application is very efficient.

It offers good control. 

Loading the logs is also a good thing.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in some ways of increasing the power of visualization. The current visualization features feel incomplete compared to what's available with scripting tools.

The current visualizations feel limited. They lack the variety and richness needed for diverse applications. I'd appreciate more options for visually representing data.

More customization options would be very welcome.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for a year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale. 

How are customer service and support?

We use support from the community. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex. I didn't find it complex. There is Qlik Management Console (QMC) for managing.

What about the implementation team?

It's not complex, so it doesn't prevent anyone from starting to work with it. Just by being familiar with it, you can use it.

Two people take care of the deployment. It takes around two to three months to implement the solution. 

It is easy to control and maintain. 

What other advice do I have?

It is a good tool. Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. I would recommend using this solution. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Qlik Sense Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Qlik Sense Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.