What is Qlik Sense Enterprise?

Qlik Sense is a modern data analytics and visualization platform that allows users to explore, analyze, and share data intuitively and interactively. The primary goal of Business Intelligence tools is to shift the focus from preparing reports (often requiring time-consuming exports from multiple systems, then combining and aggregating them, and finally preparing visualizations) to using this data for daily operations. This enables employees at all levels to make more accurate decisions based on current data rather than intuition.

Also read:

• Use data to make informed decisions. Understanding the Importance of Data-Driven Decision Making
• Self-service BI: What it is? Applications, Benefits, Risks, and Future with AI
• 5 of the most popular Business Intelligence tools

What is Qlik NPrinting?

In a standard Business Intelligence approach, users must log into the platform and open a specific dashboard to analyze the data contained therein.

Qlik NPrinting, however, enables automated reporting that goes beyond this – users do not need to check the dashboard themselves (though this is still an option for a broader context).

Understanding the basics of Qlik Sense NPrinting

Instead, users can receive a predefined report after each data reload or at a fixed time. This represents a further step in simplifying reporting and report distribution – from creating reports “manually” without BI tools, to a dashboard where data reloads cyclically but must be opened to view, to Qlik NPrinting, where the report is automatically distributed to a defined group of recipients, e.g., via email or the NewsStand portal. Qlik’s NewsStand platform serves to store up-to-date reports. This portal grants users the ability to preview and download reports and request automated updates.

Key features and functionalities of Qlik NPrinting

Qlik NPrinting is an add-on to Qlik Sense that allows the creation of a report template, which is then distributed to a defined group of recipients. This requires the following steps:

1. connecting to the application that will be the data source for the report,
2. preparing filters (if we want to send a report only from a specific region/data subset),
3. conditions (if we want the report to be sent only when a specific condition is met),
4. the report itself.

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Formats for Qlik NPrinting reports

Qlik NPrinting enables report generation in several formats:

• Excel
• HTML
• PowerPoint
• Qlik Entity
• Word
• Pixel Perfect

After loading the data and setting the scheduler, the created template is then attached to an email or placed on the NewsStand platform.

Benefits of Qlik NPrinting

Multiple formats

Qlik NPrinting offers a wide range of report formats, allowing for easy integration with other business tools tailoring reports to the specific needs of recipients. For example, financial reports can be generated in Excel for further analysis and data manipulation, while presentation reports can be created in PDF format for readability and a professional appearance.

Providing the right reports to the right people

Qlik NPrinting offers extensive report customization capabilities. Users can tailor reports to specific needs using templates and scripts. Personalization allows for the creation of reports that precisely meet the recipients’ requirements, containing only the information relevant to them. For instance, managers can receive reports summarizing key performance indicators (KPIs), while analysts can receive more detailed reports with raw data for further analysis.

Great-looking reports with NPrinting reporting capabilities

Qlik NPrinting enables users to create visually attractive reports based on Qlik data. Such appealing visualizations can be created and distributed effectively in an automated manner.

Not only can a user define an email message using the built-in editor, which allows the use of HTML tags, and add variables directly from Qlik (such as email addresses or a list of recipients that is dynamically updated with each data model refresh), but also, for example, attach an entire chart from the dashboard (as in the Supplier Performance Reporting paragraph). Additionally, they can format the attachment suitably – e.g., an .xlsx file – by appropriately coloring the columns:

Or by attaching a sheet with data to the output and an additional pivot table that will contain a summary of the data:

Of course, there is nothing to prevent formatting the data to meet the company’s internal standards regarding report layout (adding an image with the company logo, appropriate font and size, colors, etc.).

Qlik NPrinting – sample Business Intelligence use cases

Now that we know the basic capabilities in terms of reporting and distribution, it’s time to move on to specific applications made possible by the NPrinting engine.

Example 1: Automating sales reporting

Let’s imagine that every week we need to create a sales breakdown for individual salespeople and send such a report to each salesperson. Nothing could be simpler. Using Qlik NPrinting, we connect to the sales dashboard and configure the report with an attachment in the form of an Excel/PDF/HTML file containing the data snapshot. Additionally, we can fully customize the message, attach any graphics (or a chart directly from the dashboard), and also pull the current list of salespeople directly from Qlik using a variable.

The report can also be customized – salespeople from a given region can receive only the data relevant to them. Thus, Qlik NPrinting will generate as many messages as there are defined regions, the same number of attachments, schedule reports, and send them accordingly. It is as simple as that. This way, we eliminate the need for the manual preparation of weekly summaries and distribution to a specific group of recipients.

Example 2: Automatic notification system

Another interesting use case for Qlik NPrinting is an automatic notification system. Let’s now imagine that we have a dashboard collecting data on the current state of production, refreshed every hour. If the employee responsible for production metrics had to check it every hour, it would be inefficient and bear the risk of error. This is another excellent example of the application of Qlik NPrinting, saving time by creating a notification that will be generated only if a predefined metric drops below a certain level. In our example, the user responsible for monitoring the metrics will get an automatic notification as soon as one of the metrics falls below the set threshold.

Such a solution optimizes the employee’s time and, most importantly, shortens the time between the event, reading data from the dashboard, and taking action. It also reduces the risk of missing an event, as we are notified each time it occurs (and the recipient group can be broader than one person).

Example 3: Supplier performance reporting

Qlik NPrinting can also be used to distribute content outside the organization. Let’s say that as a manufacturing company, we evaluate our suppliers quarterly in an automated manner (based on data on delivery timeliness, quality, packaging errors, etc.). Without Qlik NPrinting, it would be necessary to manually export this data from the dashboard or have an external IT system that would pull it from the ERP system, calculate it, and send it to recipients. However, using the power of this Qlik Sense add-on, it is possible to quickly create a report, define filters, and automatically inform suppliers of their results each quarter.

Qlik Sense and QlikView NPrinting alternatives

Qlik NPrinting is not the only tool that extends the functionality of Qlik. One of the major advantages of the Qlik Sense environment is its ability to allow the community to create extensions and add-ons, making it possible to find alternatives for every solution – and this is no exception.

Mail & Deploy

One of the alternative solutions that can compete with Qlik NPrinting is Mail & Deploy, which was created by members of the Qlik community and later commercialized. This add-on has similar options to the product endorsed by Qlik, allowing for the creation of reports in various formats, sending notifications, and managing them in an administrative panel.

Qlik Cloud

When it comes to Qlik Cloud, the equivalent of Qlik NPrinting is Qlik Reporting. This tool is the successor to NPrinting. In the case of migration from an on-premises version to the cloud, it is possible to import reports from NPrinting, adapted to function in a cloud environment.Also read: Qlik Talend

Summary

Qlik NPrinting is a powerful tool that brings significant benefits to companies through advanced report generation capabilities, process automation, and flexible distribution options. Thanks to integration with the QlikView and Qlik Sense platforms, Qlik NPrinting enables the creation of accurate, personalized reports that support decision-making processes and increase operational efficiency.

GO TO:

1. 1. New Qlik every 10 weeks
2. 2. What is new in Qlik Sense 2022?
3. 3. Augmented analytics
4. 4. Custom tooltips for KPI
5. 5. Functions of Cephes library
6. 6. Chart-level scripts
7. 7. Better data visualization – style pane for bar and pie charts
8. 8. External and internal set expression in set analysis
9. 9. Formatted export to Excel
10. 10. Duplicating tasks in QMC
11. 11. Managing tasks at the hub level
12. 12. Hiding empty streams in the hub
13. 13. Qlik new functionalities
14. 14. Qlik Sense – do we still need external extensions?

New Qlik every 10 weeks

In a trend also observable with other Business Intelligence tool providers, Qlik has decided to regularly provide updates for its current flagship tool – Qlik Sense. The time between releases, often containing new, useful functionalities, is now even as short as 10 weeks. Thanks to these frequent updates, we can take delight in new functionalities that bring measurable benefits to users every few weeks. It also guarantees that the tool we use is constantly being improved and adapted to the latest standards. As for extensions, they are published by external providers and developers on the Qlik Branch portal.

In this article, we will try to answer a question that many users may already be asking themselves right now. Will it be possible to cope without third-party extensions thanks to the ongoing improvements provided by Qlik? Let’s take a look at recent changes in Qlik and the extensions available there. In particular, we would like to focus on the new functionalities in 2022.

What is new in Qlik Sense 2022?

Qlik Sense offers tools to visualize and model data, and collaborate in a team, allowing you to better understand data and make business decisions, thereby helping to increase operational efficiency. Last year, four major versions of Qlik Sense were released, namely:

• February 2022,
• May 2022,
• August 2022
• November 2022.

In recent years, Qlik has been developing the option of simultaneous use of QlikView and Qlik Sense. The provider is also increasingly focused on improving areas such as enhanced intelligence, Machine Learning, the multi-cloud engine, data management and Big Data analytics. The novelties that appeared in 2022 concern both the frontend side, important for the developers and end user, as well as the backend, important from the administrators perspective. Below we have prepared a summary of the most important, in our opinion, novelties introduced in 2022.

Migration from QlikView to Qlik Sense

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Augmented analytics

Insight Advisor is a quick and easy way to ask questions and discover interesting insights using natural language. In the new version, when users select or search for appropriate fields, it provides more detailed periodic analysis in the form of entire dashboards. In other words, instead of a simple chart, the user receives one or more charts and KPIs along with a filtering panel that allows them to select the data of their interest.

Custom tooltips for KPI

App developers can add custom tooltips to KPIs. Previously, tooltips could not be added to objects without dimensions. Currently, we can create a custom tooltip in the form of a cloud, adding more information to the visualization. The tooltip will appear when you hover over the visualization. Such tooltips are available for several types of charts: pie, bar, KPI, line, combo or map view.

Functions of Cephes library

Statistical distribution functions provide information about the probability of different results for a particular input variable. In 2022, features from the Cephes library were added that allow for more advanced statistical analysis of the simulation.

Chart-level scripts

Chart-level scripts are an advanced feature that allows you to modify a dynamic dataset on a chart using a subset of the Qlik scripting language. It uses techniques such as variables and loops. You can now add or modify rows and columns that were not in the original dataset.

Better data visualization – style pane for bar and pie charts

App creators can now style the font used in titles, captions, and footnotes on bar and pie charts. This means more options for customizing visualization. The new “General” tab contains options for changing the font type, size, color and highlighting. The Chart card allows you to style bars on the bar chart and slices on pie charts.

External and internal set expression in set analysis

Analysis of sets is a useful feature that can be used to compare your current selection with a specific value (for example, last year’s value or market share). In 2022, the option to use set expression for master measures was added, e.g.: {} [Master measure].

Qlik Web Connectors included in Qlik Sense Enterprise Client-Managed

The Qlik Web Connectors package is a web service that facilitates the downloading of data from social media and Internet sources using the API. Just specify the type and amount of data you want to download, and Qlik Web Connectors will generate the appropriate scripts. Previously, it was necessary to install QWC on Windows. Currently, the following connectors are available in Qlik Sense Enterprise on Windows without the need to install them separately:

• Facebook Insights,
• Google Ads
• Google Calendar
• Google Search Console
• Outlook 365,
• Mailbox IMAP,
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM V2,
• OData
• Qualtrics,
• SMTP
• SurveyMonkey,
• YouTube Analytics,
• GitHub, Google Analytics,
• Jira
• Twitter
• Amazon S3
• Azure Storage,
• Dropbox
• Google Cloud Storage
• Google Drive
• Office 365 SharePoint,
• OneDrive

Favorites apps in a hub

Hub is a place where all the applications you have access to and permissions to are located.

To make it easier to access apps in the hub, a feature has been added to mark private or published apps as favorites. Such apps are marked with a star icon and displayed in the new “Favorites” section.

Note – This section will only be visible if at least one app is marked with a star.

Visualization Enhancements – New Grid Graph Appearance

Enhancements to the grid chart allow labels to be displayed for each data point on the chart. Labels identify the measure value for the data point. As part of preparations to the Heatmap object discontinuation in the current version, the grid chart now contains two layouts: the standard and the new Heatmap option.

Formatted export to Excel

Formatting options are now supported when exporting simple tables to Excel. Exported tables contain summaries and styles as they appear in Qlik Sense.

Duplicating tasks in QMC

This is an option for administrators, which was added in November 2022 at the the request of one of the members of the Qlik Sense community, who advised that it would be as useful as the option to copy the application. Qlik listens to ideas and needs reported on the forum eagerly and now QMC users with appropriate permissions can duplicate tasks.

Bars with messages in hub

Administrators can now publish bars with information, e.g. about ongoing development work or errors. There are four different color types:

• Standard
• Info
• Warning
• Error

You can set the text and duration of the message display.

Overwriting extensions in QMC

Another novelty is an option to replace the existing extension with a new one with the same name in QMC. Existing files are overwritten by new ones, without affecting the GUID of the extension or related items, such as non-standard security rules.

Read also:

• Exploring the power of Qlik NPrinting 
• QlikView and NPrinting Support Services

Managing tasks at the hub level

Users with the appropriate permissions can now easily create, run, stop, and view tasks from the hub. This feature is disabled by default.

Hiding empty streams in the hub

In the hub, streams without any applications – either empty streams or those that do not show applications due to existing user safety rules – will not be displayed. When you publish or move an application from another stream or delete an application, the stream list is updated dynamically and will be visible or hidden depending on whether the stream contains an application. Changes outside the hub, such as in QMC, will not cause updating the list of streams in the hub.

Qlik new functionalities

In our view, these are the most important changes to the Qlik analytical platform. A list of all changes can be found on the official Qlik Sense help page. Thanks to the new functionalities, the provider meets the expectations of customers who want to explore and visualize data from various systems themselves, but as many examples show – is also open to the ideas of developers and administrators.

You can contact our experts if you want to know more about Inetum’s BI solutions offer. We are happy to help if you are interested in implementing Qlik Sense, training, competence development or just want to talk about data analysis opportunities in your company or share insights.

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Qlik Sense – do we still need external extensions?

Do we still need extensions of external providers for Qlik Sense due to constant improvements and recent updates? The best answer would be: it depends. Each implementation of Business Intelligence is unique, tailored to the specific client’s needs. Companies like Vizlib provide plenty of possibilities in their library facilities. However, it cannot be denied that many functionalities previously available only in external extensions are now available to the user in the basic version provided by Qlik. Given the interval at which new versions of Qlik Sense appear, we predict that over time the tool will become even better. We hope that in the future it will allow users to opt out of external extensions.

Summary

Analyzing even the last few versions of Qlik Sense, we can see how Qlik has improved its product. At this point, it addresses even more of the current needs of users, who often report them directly to the provider. The development of Qlik Sense is also in line with the latest trends in the development of Business Intelligence tools, providing new functionalities in short periods of time. We hope that this review will help current users make optimal use of the new functionalities of the Qlik Sense tool.

Authors

• Szymon Serwin, Senior Business Intelligence Specialist / Technical Leader,
• Michał Ogonowski, Principal Qlik Leader

Business Intelligence in the SaaS model – ready to get started

Qlik is known for analytics, continuous improvement and upgrading its products. It similarly adjusts the delivery models of its flagship Business Intelligence tool, Qlik Sense, on an ongoing basis.

It is available in the following management models:

• Managed by a client – installed locally (Kubernetes or Windows).
• Managed by a provider – the SaaS model.

• For users, the SaaS model means the seamless use of a more consistent environment, so that they don’t have to deal with updates or hardware issues. Each of the two editions of Qlik Sense in the SaaS model is based on a scalable native architecture.
  
  Also read:
• Cloud trends
• MongoDB – a perfect database system for e-commerce

The biggest advantages of Qlik Cloud apps

• You benefit from a secure Qlik cloud platform,
• Your data in Qlik Sense Cloud is available from any device,
• You can create interactive analytical applications using the “drag and drop data” functionality,
• You can enrich your presentations and turn your data into an interesting story using data storytelling in the cloud,
• You can share your applications and visualizations with other users,
• In the Business model, you can additionally share content and work on it with your team as well as schedule an automatic data refresh. 

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Qlik Sense Business vs Qlik Sense Enterprise edition

In the Qlik Sense SaaS model, customer can choose between two services: Qlik Sense Business and Qlik Sense Enterprise

Both versions of the system are available in the SaaS model, which means they are hosted and managed by the provider in Qlik Cloud Services in a highly scalable cloud infrastructure.

How are they different?

Qlik Sense Enterprise SaaS

This is the full implementation option and is a good option for companies that, along with the cloud model, want to gain greater control over user access and use increased capacities for individual applications (2.5 GB with the possibility of more). This solution can be implemented independently or as part of a Multi-Cloud implementation, and this version gives a wider choice of the type of license:

• Analyzer – a license that allows you to analyse created applications and access to the Self-Service functionality.

• Analyzer Capacity – this is a type of license based on the use of a time unit; when it comes to the available functions, it is the same as the Analyzer license. One license of this type means 1000 minutes of available usage time.

• Professional – a license for developers that allows for both creating applications and managing the environment.

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Qlik Saas pricing and implementation

Free 30-day trial

You can test Qlik Sense Business free of charge for 30 days. To take advantage of this option, simply create an account via https://www.qlik.com/us/trial/qlik-sense-business. You can log into all Qlik services and portals using one account.

Consultation with a Qlik partner

If you want to take advantage of the full implementation option and Qlik Sense in the SaaS model, arrange free consultations with a Qlik partner. The implementation partner will explain what the additional capabilities of Qlik Sense are and select a licensing model tailored to your needs. Are you interested in Qlik solutions? Let us help and get in touch with our Qlik expert team! 

Qlik Analytics Platform – the summary

Analytical tools not only mean a wider range of functionalities but are also increasingly convenient for user implementation and licensing models. Qlik cloud services meet the needs of companies which are keen to start using Business Intelligence tools quickly without the need to install applications locally, as well as those that need fully-fledged development tools. In every situation, it is worth contacting experienced Business Intelligence consultants who will help you to choose the optimal solution for your company.  

You do not need any programming knowledge to test them, and you can develop a simple application yourself, using a free account. In the article, I will guide you step by step how to do this.

Hobby: data collection

The example of Michał Rogalski proves that bottom-up initiatives can turn into large-scale projects. Michał is a young data analysis specialist and enthusiast who has created a database on the coronavirus pandemic, based on publicly available sources and available to everyone. Today, everyone, even if they are not as passionate about data as Michał, can conduct an analysis for their own purposes using widely available Business Intelligence tools.

Qlik Sense Cloud – the perfect BI tool?

Nowadays the range of Business Intelligence tools on offer is huge. The most well-known of these tools are:

• Microsoft Power BI
• Qlik Sense
• Qlik View
• Tableau

Today I would like to focus mainly on the cloud version of Qlik Sense, because it is a good choice if you want to test the tool’s capabilities for your own purposes. I will show you how to easily create an analytical application that can initiate the implementation of Qlik Sense throughout the entire organization. You can try the cloud version of Qlik Sense for free for 30 days. To access the tool, you just need to create an account on the Qlik website:

An advantage of the cloud version is that you can use it on any device – Windows PC, Mac, tablet or smartphone, regardless of whether it’s an Android or iOS device.

The first Business Intelligence application – where to start?

The first step is the hardest to take. And how to take it in the world of data analysis? Once we have access to Qlik Sense in the cloud version, a simple Excel sheet is enough to start with. We will develop an application based on this – don’t worry, no programming knowledge is required here. I will also use publicly available sources to show how to easily build an application that analyzes data on the coronavirus pandemic.

1. We download Excel with publicly available data:

2. You do not need to know any programming languages or SQL scripting skills to build your first application. In Qlik Sense, many basic operations can be performed using the “Drag & Drop” option.

After dragging the Excel sheet with the data, the script will be generated automatically, based on which you can build a data model. Now we just need to create the visualizations that we are interested in. In this case, we will base them on simple aggregation functions that have equivalents in Excel.Based on Excel, our application will contain 2 reports which will analyze the number of cases and tests. We will build the application based on one scheme, which will include:

• A panel of the most important filters
• A line chart for analysis over time
• A KPI type object with the number of cases
• A pie chart showing data by location
• A map with marked-out areas, colored according to the number of cases

3. We start with the filter panel.In the report editing mode, on the left, select Charts and drag the Filter Panel object onto the report.

Then we add the dimensions that interest us (in this case: the year). The search tool for fields previously loaded into the model makes it easier.

We can change the name displayed on the report by filling in the Title field. For example: Year

4. We create a bar chart objectWe drag the object in the same way as the filter panel.For the dimension, we select the Year-Month field (automatically generated earlier by the Qlik engine based on the date field in Excel). We add a measure analogically  – we choose the field on which the measure will be based, as in the case of dimensions. In our case, the new cases.  After confirming, we select the aggregate function – in this case, the sum.

5. Finally, in the Appearance section, we can go to Presentation and select the display type as an area.

The final result will look like this:

6. We create a KPI object.
The KPI object will use a similar measure. We drag it onto the report and add the measure in the same way as we did in the line chart. You can add a label to enhance the look, just as with the filters panel.

7. We create a pie chart
Similarly, we create a pie chart object. In the dimension section, however, we select the location field to present the number of cases in a given location. The final result looks like this:

8. We create a mapThe map object is the last thing to be created. After dragging the map object, we click the add layer option and select the area layer. We choose location again as the source dimension.  This is when we can take care of the colors of our visualization. To color the areas, go to the colors option. We choose custom settings and the option “According to measures”. As a measure, we enter the sum of new cases known to us.

9. Below, we choose Divergent Gradient as the Color Scheme and check the Invert Colors option.

The final result is as follows:

And the report looks like this:

Due to the fact that subsequent reports will be created according to the same scheme, we can copy the entire report and replace the measures with those that analyze daily test increments (new_tests) in subsequent copies. To copy a given report, just go to Application Overview, select the report, right-click on it and select Duplicate.

This way you have just developed your first data analysis application without coding.

After replacing the measures with those calculating the number of tests, the report looks like this:

Implementation of Qlik Sense in the organization

At the beginning I mentioned implementations in organizations inspired by bottom-up initiatives. Let’s imagine that you have tested the tool’s capabilities, and data analysis painted such a picture that you have managed to reach the CEO and convince him to implement the Business Intelligence system at your company.

What now?

In the case of commercial implementations, it is worth having the support of a technology partner. All you need to do is reach out to a company with Business Intelligence implementations in their portfolio. At JCommerce, we implement both Qlik Sense and the aforementioned Microsoft Power BI solutions. As part of the project, Business Intelligence specialists will:

• collect requirements,
• configure the server,
• prepare data that will feed the applications,
• build a package of basic analyzes that users can freely modify and extend later on in self-service mode,
• take care of support and maintenance of the environment and develop the tool if necessary,
• conduct training for users and assist them.

Summary

Low-code, no code solutions and Data Democracy are becoming increasingly important. As you can see, thanks to their combined forces, creating your own analyses based on simple data is a piece of cake, and the results may surprise you. Even larger and more complex data sets can be analyzed in a similar way, provided that they are properly prepared during the initial implementation.

As a result, business users who are unfamiliar with complicated programming languages can create their own reports using the “Drag and Drop” option and taking advantage of simple aggregation functions. If you are interested in this subject, please contact us to discuss how your company can take advantage of the possibilities created by analytical tools.

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