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.

Buyer's Guide
Qlik Sense
March 2024
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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
IS Application Programming Manager at COMMUNITY HEALTH NETWORK OF CONNECTICUT INC
MSP
High-performance, modern visuals, and provides ability to retrieve and manipulate data from anywhere
Pros and Cons
  • "My organization now has data from disparate systems at their fingertips in a way that lets them get the answers they need when they want it."
  • "The augmented intelligence features don't work well for the analytical user."

What is our primary use case?

We use Qlik Sense as an on-premise enterprise self-service BI solution with a single physical Windows server.

We also have value-added products to support our solution including Qlik GeoAnalytics and Qlik Nprinting. We have dual-use licenses with QlikView for all of our users. All licensing is based on individual user names and access, which allows for unlimited use per user.

The end-users range from senior-level executive management to individual contributors such as data and business analysts.  All development is performed via web browser and no desktop client is necessary.

How has it helped my organization?

My organization now has data from disparate systems at their fingertips in a way that lets them get the answers they need when they want it. We previously relied on manually intensive legacy reports that provided static data and information.

Customers would need to constantly request updates to their analysis to answer additional questions and turnaround times were often days to weeks. Now, insights are gained within seconds, which has reduced reporting requests significantly from all areas of the organization.

What is most valuable?

QlikView was a framework for rapid application and dashboard development. Qlik Sense takes that rapid development to a whole new modern level.

I can stand up new dashboards and data discovery tools often within one to two days.

The speed of execution, modern visuals, and the power to get and manipulate data from anywhere are why you should choose this product.

Qlik's performance is among the fastest in the industry due to its in-memory architecture, which allows data to be loaded and cached in RAM for maximum efficiency.

What needs improvement?

The augmented intelligence features don't work well for the analytical user. They are difficult to set up correctly and often don't generate anything insightful.

The SaaS options often include these extra features and they are rolled out sooner and automatically.  Unfortunately, this is not an option for my organization at this time. There have been updates that include some new chart times but it's still lacking some common modern ones.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Qlik Sense for about two years and have been using QlikView for about 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Have had no issues with stability or downtime since implementation

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Performance is industry leading and scales directly with hardware as you would expect

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?

Setup was significantly more complex than QlikView and some of the competition but allows for more modern and robust administration.

What about the implementation team?

Our in-house team was responsible for the initial setup.

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

For on-premise enterprise users, a number of additional features come at a premium cost.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated both Tableau and Power BI.

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
Qlik Sense
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about Qlik Sense. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
767,847 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Franz Grubmüller - PeerSpot reviewer
Finance Manager at ELIN GmbH
Real User
A valuable solution for producing individual reports and linking reports, but needs better Excel integration
Pros and Cons
  • "Some of the valuable areas of this solution include producing individual reports and closing the gap."
  • "Right now, it is complex and you have to understand the data model prior to analyzing it, so basically I would like to see an integration with Excel in the future."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for standard reporting for cost and finance accounting. It creates VAT reports, balance sheets reports, and a lot of cost reports. You can split the company into departments and produce individual reports to deduct or extract, for example, German projects, which have to be brought for tax collection for Germany. Since ELIN is an Austrian company, we have to take out the part that has to be allocated to the German tax authorities.

From what I understand, we have data tables in proALPHA and then we have a kind of intermediate bridge, which is the Microsoft environment where this data is copied, and then from that database it is brought into Qlik Sense.

What is most valuable?

Some of the valuable areas of this solution include producing individual reports and closing the gap. Within proALPHA, it is not possible to implement a link of information from separate parts. This link can be done by Qlik Sense.

What needs improvement?

What would help is an Excel sheet that is linked directly to Qlik Sense so that instead of having to produce an Excel file, you would already have an Excel file that is connected to Qlik Sense. I don't know why it is not already set up this way because it would be more convenient. Right now, it is complex and you have to understand the data model prior to analyzing it, so basically I would like to see an integration with Excel in the future.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is easy to scale and about 20 people work with it in my company.
The rollout should be for the full user amount, which is roughly 200% from 20 to 200. But one main report is missing, and it doesn't make sense to roll it out because if they desperately need this one report and if it is not included or not completely correct in this new tool, then we would have understandable complaints from the users.

How was the initial setup?

Integration was my colleague's responsibility. It wasn't easy, and altogether it took about one year. My colleague used some consultants for support because it wasn't easy to understand, collect, and integrate the data in the correct way, but the rest he did himself. 

As far as I understand, there is a very low level of maintenance because he does as much as possible by himself.

What other advice do I have?

Some reports are not fully translated from the old QlikView version into the modern Qlik Sense, including some basic reports in the construction business. One main report is missing because if it was completely deployed in the new Qlik Sense system, QlikView could be closed forever because QlikView's so old.

QlikView only produces aggregated amounts, so you can never trim down in it. In Qlik Sense, it's the opposite. The results are produced by collecting the specific entries, so you always have to trim down, which is obviously the better approach.

Qlik Sense is a good tool for BI in order to connect in normal circumstances, but not for integrated data tables in big ERP systems. I would rate this solution as a seven out of ten.

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.
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PeerSpot user
Business Intelligence Developer at Bonduelle SAS
Real User
Set analysis is great for its power user capabilities but the QMC needs more work
Pros and Cons
  • "Set analysis is great for its power user capabilities such as performing an IF on an aggregated column. The ability to create custom coloring expressions based on values is also a good idea although not as easy as I wished it was."
  • "The QMC needs more work. Some of the features should be available directly from the hub. Too many duplicates/publish. Intelli-sense when loading a stored qvd would help so much with remembering column names. The pop-up windows are too small when working in the QMC."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case of Qlik Sense is as a dashboard. It replaces some Excel grids we used to provide to people. We are currently serving only a few business units but are working on expanding to all other BU over time. We normally use this tool by loading data from our data warehouse into a QDF (Qlik deployment framework). This allows for better reusability at the cost of duplicate apps. We have also recently begun using Qlik Sense to load data from other sources, such as excel to help other business units that previously had no BI at all.

How has it helped my organization?

Qlik Sense did not improve our organization. Its use was forced by our parent company. We already have Cognos installed with dashboarding capabilities. The tool is good but we already have a clean data warehouse which means a lot of redundant work to load qvd files. It feels like Qlik was invented with a quick create report/throwaway when done mindset. We are not a company built around this so it makes reusing code very difficult. I must say the setup is easy and the user token is very flexible.

What is most valuable?

Set analysis is great for its power user capabilities such as performing an IF on an aggregated column. The ability to create custom coloring expressions based on values is also a good idea although not as easy as I wished it was. Its new trellis feature is great for not having to redo a lot of small charts multiple times and scales well over time. The ability to create presentations in the tool itself is good for users. This prevents having to copy/paste lots of images in an external document.

What needs improvement?

The QMC needs more work. Some of the features should be available directly from the hub. Too many duplicates/publish. Intelli-sense when loading a stored qvd would help so much with remembering column names. The pop-up windows are too small when working in the QMC. There is no reason why all the front-end is responsive but the publish windows are too small for most app titles to show up completely. I wish you could work directly in a published app instead of having to duplicate it to your content then publish it again when done. I also wish you could create folders in your own content to make sorting your apps easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Qlik Sense for almost 2 years.

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

We still use IBM Cognos but only for it's Excel grid features.

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

I was not part of the evaluation team.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was not part of the evaluation team.

What other advice do I have?

Good software but not for us at the moment.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Safety Data Analyst at Novo Nordisk
Real User
Good visibility on a single pane of glass, and one-click reporting saves us time
Pros and Cons
  • "The drag and drop functionality provides an easy and fast development approach."
  • "We have faced some issues with NPrinting, so I feel there is some improvement needed such that it would allow the use of variables and calculative fields from Qlik."

What is our primary use case?

We are in the Pharma industry and we get a lot of patient-related data for our products. This data contains post-marketing cases and clinical cases that my organization conducts, and we use Qlik to analyze the data.

We also use Qlik in some of the reporting we do with health authorities with different affiliates. We track the information sent to affiliates, whether the reporting was done on time or not.

We use the GxP setup, so it is very controlled and split by three different environments: Dev, Val, and Production. 

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved the amount of time it takes to get information out to the business in a few ways. It gives a detailed and high-level overview on one single page. We can generate reports with a single click, which saves a lot of time.

It has also helped by providing cleansed data to analysts so that they can create their own analysis. It also created an associate model that connects different data and combines them into one single view. We have a complex setup for our patient-related data and Qlik has fixed it.

What is most valuable?

On one click, it filters out most of the information, which gives an opportunity to drill down into the data. The drag and drop functionality provides an easy and fast development approach.

The associative searching and filtering capability is a unique feature among other BI tools, and one does not need to deeply understand the underlying data.

The powerful data handling and preparation ability to transform data is very helpful.

The associative model that connects the relevant column by looking at the same column names is a good feature.

      What needs improvement?

      We have faced some issues with NPrinting, so I feel there is some improvement needed such that it would allow the use of variables and calculative fields from Qlik.

      The reload error could be explained a bit more in detail, and if they can also include a debug mode in the load script while writing code, that could also advance the performance and minimize the effort.

      Lastly, if the Qlik Continuous Classroom could be available for free for trained users, that would be great.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      We have been using Qlik Sense for approximately the past five years.

      What other advice do I have?

      Overall, the product is very good so far.

      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?

      Microsoft Azure
      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: March 2024
      Buyer's Guide
      Download our free Qlik Sense Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.