Our primary use case is making dashboards, executive summaries, and creating an interactive analysis for several teams. Some of these teams are tech-savvy and thus are able to analyze the data themselves. For them, we also provide complex and relational analysis.
Works at a university with 10,001+ employees
Drag-and-drop dashboard building helps to easily create many types of visuals
Pros and Cons
- "The drag-and-drop dashboard builder is an intuitive interface for building dashboards from source reports."
- "This solution would be improved by adding some Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) components that are easier to interpret and design."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has definitely improved our organization. People are able to drill down information, see visual maps, and create a robust analysis. We provide teams with useful information and analysis to aid in decision-making. Using these dashboards, teams are able to make decisions faster than they otherwise could. Also, in some cases, we have overlapping applications.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the drag-and-drop dashboard building, with many types of visuals. Users are allowed to present multiple reports, side-by-side, using dashboard components on a single dashboard page layout. Dashboard components come in a variety of chart types, and we can customize how data is grouped, summarized, and displayed for each component. The drag-and-drop dashboard builder is an intuitive interface for building dashboards from source reports.
What needs improvement?
This solution would be improved by adding some Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) components that are easier to interpret and design. Maybe adding a module where we can drag and drop various models, test them in a sandbox, and test the outputs before putting them into production would be helpful.
Buyer's Guide
Qlik Sense
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Qlik Sense. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,636 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
Two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution seems very scalable in terms of data and sharing.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not use another solution prior to this one.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented this solution with an in-house team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I suggest talking to the Account managers, as they are very resourceful and responsive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not evaluate other solutions before choosing this one.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Managing Partner at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
User-friendly, ensures security and governance, and is accessible on multiple devices
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Qlik Sense are its speed and seamless development of web technologies."
- "I would like to see improvements in the Qlik Sense SaaS version, particularly in the front-end capabilities."
What is our primary use case?
My clients use Qlik for in-depth analytic analysis, creating touchboards for a variety of purposes. In our case, we prefer an on-premise solution over the cloud, especially for a banking client, to ensure data security and compliance with industry regulations.
How has it helped my organization?
One major benefit of having Qlik Sense in our organization is the ability to establish a strong KPI base. While various solutions offer similar capabilities, Qlik stands out for its remarkable speed, especially when compared to alternatives like Tableau. This speed advantage enhances overall efficiency in data analysis and decision-making processes.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Qlik Sense are its speed and seamless development of web technologies. It is pure HDMI, eliminating the need for cache servers or translation engines, making it one of the fastest solutions compared to others. The direct connection between ML and data adds to its efficiency. Additionally, one standout feature of Qlik is its QVD data model, allowing the creation of data maps that are directly stored in memory, offering fast and efficient data service to consumers. Qlik's ability to handle large datasets with millions of rows is a significant advantage, although there are some limitations.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements in the Qlik Sense SaaS version, particularly in the front-end capabilities. Currently, the visualization options are limited, allowing only basic actions like adding dimensions and measures with restrictions on the number. Compared to older products like QlikView, there is room for development in enhancing the features available on the front end for widgets and visualizations.
Enhancing the formatting options in the SaaS component and making it more visually appealing would be a nice enhancement. Additionally, expanding the library with more versatile widgets would be beneficial. While you can add components from a marketplace or develop your own, there is a need for Java front-end developers to handle this aspect of Qlik Sense.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Qlik Sense for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Overall, Qlik Sense is stable, but there can be challenges related to managing the QVD data models, especially when dealing with numerous versions for different periods. While it requires effort to maintain, the system itself is generally stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scaling Qlik Sense is possible by adding more servers, and it is generally smooth for load balancing and disaster recovery. However, making changes to the model can be time-consuming. Overall, it is scalable with effective load management and recovery mechanisms.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up Qlik Sense is easy, especially for default visuals, though coding may be required for more specialized charts. Converting from QlikView to Qlik Sense is seamless for data models. The deployment process involves using Qlik Desktop for model development and two subscription options: on-cloud, which is ready to use, and on-premise, requiring Qlik Sense servers. Maintenance is simplified with admin tools, making it accessible for a developer.
On average, for a consultant company creating reports and delivering a sales model with about five reports, the deployment of Qlik Sense can typically be handled within three months.
What was our ROI?
We have seen ROI with Qlik Sense.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Qlik Sense is pricier than other BI tools, with various licensing models, including potentially expensive token-based licenses. Organizations should carefully assess their budget and licensing requirements before choosing Qlik Sense.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Comparing it with other BI tools, Qlik Sense stands out by requiring a front-end developer for optimal project development. Unlike Power BI, which needs BI developers, or Tableau and SAP BusinessObjects that don't require Java developers, having a front-end developer enhances the project quality in Qlik Sense.
What other advice do I have?
Before implementing Qlik Sense, my advice is to carefully assess its development needs, as custom components may require coding. While the deployment phase is generally straightforward, take advantage of Qlik Sense's flexibility in data modeling, allowing developers to write scripts for more tailored solutions. It is crucial to document projects for better collaboration among developers. Overall, I would rate Qlik Sense as a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
Qlik Sense
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Qlik Sense. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,636 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Solutions Architect at Pekin Insurance Company
Gives our business users the ability to author their own sheets and share insights they have found
Pros and Cons
- "The number of visualizations that are present in Qlik is very useful for our developers to help our business partners tell stories with their data. Qlik continues to add to and enhance these visualizations with each release. We are also very excited to leverage the integration between Qlik Sense and Qlik Catalog as we roll that out soon."
- "I would like to see Qlik add more DevOps functionality to their product. Currently, we have to turn to 3rd party products to handle things like Source Control, Code Deployment through environments, etc."
What is our primary use case?
Over the last two years, we have worked to modernize our company's data platform using technologies such as Qlik Sense to help deliver insight to our business partners. Prior to Qlik, our users had to depend on data extracted from our mainframe and loaded into various excel spreadsheets and access databases. Today, we have the ability to not only replace those antiquated methods, we can help our users look at data from many different angles. We are currently using an on-prem solution but will be moving to AWS next year.
How has it helped my organization?
Our executives and business users are starting to see how having the ability to analyze data and not just view reports can help them make decisions to help improve the business. We have started on our journey to become a data-driven and data-literate company. Qlik has been partnering with us to help us along that journey. The only roadblock has been our underlying data warehouse. However, we are looking to move that to Snowflake this year. Qlik and Snowflake have a partnership that should pay off greatly for us.
What is most valuable?
Qlik Sense allows the ingestion of all of our various data source platforms. It also gives our business users the ability to author their own sheets and share insights they have found. The number of visualizations that are present in Qlik is very useful for our developers to help our business partners tell stories with their data. Qlik continues to add to and enhance these visualizations with each release. We are also very excited to leverage the integration between Qlik Sense and Qlik Catalog as we roll that out soon.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see Qlik add more DevOps functionality to their product. Currently, we have to turn to 3rd party products to handle things like Source Control, Code Deployment through environments, etc. This should align with the DataOps focus Qlik has been moving towards with all of their latest acquisitions, such as Attunity and Podium. Without 3rd party products, managing code, promoting it from one environment to the next, rolling back code, allowing shared development workspaces, all are very challenging and manual with the out of the box solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Qlik Sense for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Qlik has built in good fail-over mechanisms which help keep the platform stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe Qlik scales well, both on-prem as well as in the Cloud.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer support has been very helpful. Their support site has a vast wealth of support articles to help troubleshoot known issues.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty straightforward. We had a Qlik employee come onsite to help with the initial installation and setup.
What about the implementation team?
We used a Qlik employee to do our initial implementation. They were quite knowledgeable about the product.
What was our ROI?
I believe the ROI has been and will continue to be achieved by unlocking our data and providing new insights to our business to help drive decisions to improve our company's performance.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Corporate ERP Manager at BEA Europe
Easy to use with an intuitive interface and good performance
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the interface for the end-user."
- "We want the next version of this solution to be cloud-based so that each user can access it from anywhere in the world with their phone, tablet, or computer without a VPN connection."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary uses for Qlik Sense are sales statistics, order intake, invoicing during a period of 10 years, and customer statistics. Our statistics are grouped by segment, country, business unit, customer, and customer groups.
Statistics are used to compare costs considering sales price and margin.
We conduct a complete review of the sales statistics including KPI and Highlights, following all of the information available on the order, customer, and product.
We cover all requirement requests by the sales department and generate reports on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution allows us to use a simple drag-and-drop interface to create flexible, interactive data visualizations. We can explore data with smart visualizations that automatically adapt to the parameters we set. There is no need for developers, data scientists, or designers.
This has allowed us to turn our team into creators. They maximize their skills and experience by letting them focus on the things they are best at, instead of setting up data. By unifying data sources we gain a complete view of information, without gaps, and make it easier to discover hidden insights.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the interface for the end-user. Each end-user can create their own pages and customizations. This frees up IT resources to work on other problems.
Qlik Sense is intuitive and very easy to use.
The speed at which you get information is impressive. In one click, you have the answer to your question. That's important for the business but also for the user experience.
What needs improvement?
We want the next version of this solution to be cloud-based so that each user can access it from anywhere in the world with their phone, tablet, or computer without a VPN connection. This is very important for us because we have an initiative called 'Cloud first', and in five years, all software must be in the cloud and easy to access. Essentially, we want to stop using a physical server and avoid on-premises maintenance.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Qlik Sense for three years.
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.
BI Project manager at Fixit Gruppe
Good integration and predictive modeling for our clients
Pros and Cons
- "The integration with R & Python for predictive modeling, and possibly machine learning in the future, is very valuable."
- "As we are a very process-oriented company, we would like to see more extensions maintained from Qlik, because it's a huge budget problem to choose the right one."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for this solution is to provide a fast and accurate BI solution for all functional areas. We are building small and simple apps, but also very complex apps. During the time, our clients ware has grown with Qlik and they are asking for more optimized BI solutions to help them in their daily business.
How has it helped my organization?
First, we have changed our mindset from Excel thinking to associative thinking. Next, we've gathered deeper insight into our data. Now, using Apps in Qlik as a navigation tool, we are using hidden opportunities to open new markets and also to reduce costs.
What is most valuable?
Moving from table to graph was a rubicon. After the implementation of all needed extensions, we are receiving only positive feedback and guidelines as to what the next steps are.
The integration with R & Python for predictive modeling, and possibly machine learning in the future, is very valuable.
What needs improvement?
As we are a very process-oriented company, we would like to see more extensions maintained from Qlik, because it's a huge budget problem to choose the right one. Also, a small set of Qlikview features would be appreciated (such as a simple PDF report directly from Qlik Sense...)
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for almost six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have had no problems during the development and use of any Qlik product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Qlik Sense and its pricing model can follow any scalability.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Prior to this solution, we used Longview (Arcplan). Very hard to maintain, question-answer concept on the SQL Server basis. We needed an easy to deploy data visualization solution that was mobile-ready and had a strong analytical engine. Qlik Sense was the right one for us.
How was the initial setup?
Our setup was small, yet complex in the beginning. After a few "Wow's" we made some "internal friends" for support. Now we have a very complex deployment with several integrations.
What about the implementation team?
Our first implementation was through a vendor, but now we are a well-educated team that still has a vendor as a support and a coach.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You should make a very deep and detailed analysis of what you really need, analyze integration possibilities onto your current system, review internal knowledge, and build a picture of your future BI system in the next five years.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also evaluated Tableau before choosing this solution.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Works
Detects performance issues and suggests appropriate remedial action
Pros and Cons
- "The UI is very easy to use, with drag and drop self-service analytics."
- "Advanced graphs or visualizations must be in the built-in product, instead of building with open API extensions or mashups."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use this solution for tactical operations, engineering, logistics, and test engineering to improve throughput, delivery, machine performance, and machine availability.
Different departments use the Qlik platform for quick data analysis to improve business operations and assist with meeting customer demand.
How has it helped my organization?
The Qlik BI platform provides quick data analysis to the operations team, which drives them to meet the daily throughput target. It helps our engineers to quickly identify where the bottleneck machines are, and how to resolve the line-hold issues. It also suggests which tasks or actions we need to take in order to fix the problem or to meet our targets.
What is most valuable?
There are many valuable functions in this solution, including:
- The second generation in-memory association (QIX) engine
- Robust data curation and wrangling capabilities in the script
- The ability to load the data from a wide variety of data sources
- The UI is very easy to use, with drag and drop self-service analytics
- It has the highest level of data security at both the row and column levels
What needs improvement?
I would like to see real-time data feed into the dashboard, or report, without any limitations.
The new version upgrades should not contain bugs in the basic, required features.
Advanced graphs or visualizations must be in the built-in product, instead of building with open API extensions or mashups.
For how long have I used the solution?
QlikSense for four months, and QlikView for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
They have a very good and responsive UI design.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This product deployment works close to a micro-services architecture. So, we scale each service based on requirements and usage.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer service is good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
How was the initial setup?
Setup and installation of this solution are pretty straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We performed the implementation in-house with the Qlik team. Their expertise is exceptional.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
QlikSense offers a hybrid environment architecture, which is very cost effective based on where the enterprise data resides. The flexible licensing model is based on usage and architecture.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated several other BI products in the market.
What other advice do I have?
We have been using QlikSense for the past four months and chose to test out this product after using QlikView for the past eight years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Analyst at a construction company with 5,001-10,000 employees
It has an easy to use interface, a powerful extraction process, and a rich API and web integration capabilities, which are some of its most valuable features
Pros and Cons
- "Leveraging and reusability of already existing QlikView assets and knowledge."
- "Multi-server deployment: not just cloud, but on premise too, and hybrid. Needs lighter protocols to communicate between the different services and with the clients."
What is most valuable?
- Easy to use interface
- Leveraging and reusability of already existing QlikView assets and knowledge
- Powerful data extraction process
- Rich API and web integration capabilities
- Performance
How has it helped my organization?
Reducing the number of Excel spreadsheets in house, or at the very least, improving the accuracy of the numbers in those Excel spreadsheets (which come as exports from Qlik charts).
What needs improvement?
Multi-server deployment: not just cloud, but on premise too, and hybrid. Needs lighter protocols to communicate between the different services and with the clients.
Multi-server computing: the QIX engine is still "limited" to the power of one single computer. While this power increases with better CPUs and bigger and faster memories, data demands even faster handling, only achievable by leveraging on several computers to crunch the numbers.
Data sources connectivity, natively: Drivers tailored to how Qlik processes data and how the sources provide it.
Governance: On the reactive side, see how each node in my development is doing, on the proactive side the ability to spin up new instances for the different needs in different moments (extraction, or data handling in memory or report distribution). Have a unique, central library of apps, but also measures and dimensions which can be used across the different sets of apps. Natively built in tools to analyze who is accessing where, when, providing better insights on apps seldom used and those who are massively accessed, and allowing to provision resources and make these apps more accessible and improve the user experience.
Licensing: Review the named model and move towards a usage model (e.g., cores, memory, computers, API calls, etc.).
For how long have I used the solution?
More than three years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Yes, with initial versions.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Mentioned in the area for improvement: Large data sets and sources of data, large applications are limited to a single server (instance or virtual machine).
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Good.
Technical Support:Depends highly on the people attending the call, from excellent to poor.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I was not part of this process.
How was the initial setup?
Coming from QlikView, it took some time to get accustomed to new interfaces and functionalities, but all-in-all, quite straightforward. Anyway, Qlik Sense is not QlikView, and the architectural changes require some thought upfront, not just install the server and get it working.
What about the implementation team?
To implement, we used Qlik Consulting Services as well as in-house people, like me.
What was our ROI?
Cannot measure that.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Triple check with the Qlik Sales Department about your current needs, often smaller than the definitive ones, allowing you to scale the price. Chase them to provide the best solution to your needs, not just a discount, but the one that meets your company requirements (and eventually more).
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was not part of this process.
What other advice do I have?
I have to disclaim that I worked for Qlik in the past, although today I'm a Qlik customer and also a user of other BI technologies in the SAP ecosystem.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Solution Engineer - QlikView/Qlik Sense at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
It provides ETL and associative search functions. They should add more chart options. You have to use a lot of APIs to make up for the limitations.
Valuable Features
- Connect to multiple sources of data without needing ETL prior to load
- Ability to create complex data joins within the script
- ETL features
- Ability to do complex data representation (set analysis)
- Ease of opening documents and connecting to data sources
- Ease of creating dashboard objects
- Smart search
- Associative search
- Storyboarding
- Scalability
- Responsive design
Room for Improvement
It needs to allow for customization of the dashboard objects and tabs. They should add more chart options, which are still very limited. You have to use a lot of APIs to make up for the limitations. Also, I’d like to see live connections.
Use of Solution
I have been using it for six months.
Deployment Issues
Chart legends as well as the axis titles disappear when charts are not full size.
Customer Service and Technical Support
Customer service and technical support are very good.
Initial Setup
Initial setup simplicity or complexity depends on the project and the systems already in place. As for the tool itself, initial setup is straightforward.
Implementation Team
I have implemented it in-house and with a vendor team. Business needs need to be fully understood and documented. Most of the issues have always been data related. The development team and the business HAVE to get a full understanding of what the data is, where it is stored, and how it is stored. BUSINESS RULES and a DATA DICTIONARY are a must.
Other Solutions Considered
Among Tableau, QlikView, and Qlik Sense, I prefer QlikView, due to its higher customization capabilities, its associative nature, and its ETL features.
Other Advice
Standardization in design/development is crucial. FULL communication and documentation with EVERYONE is needed. I don’t know how much time has been lost or efforts duplicated because of a lack of all this.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: My company has an alliance with the vendor.
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Updated: November 2024
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