Strengths and weaknesses of Qlik, the visualiosation tool for true explorers.
In this 2nd part of our 5-part series on data analytics front-end tools, we look at Qlik, the veteran among the tools for business intelligence analysis.
Its main strengths in a nutshell: 30 years of market exposure and superb data exploration.
The power of maturity
Before the Swedish company Qlik was founded in 1993, people had used Excel and static report generators to analyse data. Then came QuickView (now called QlikView), a groundbreaking interactive tool for data visualisation. Its adoption began slowly, due to an intransparent market, but its steep rise began towards the 2000s.
Today, the legacy on-premise version QlikView offers data exploration guided by finished applications. Its cloud-based brother Qlik Sense allows users to create their own apps and visualisations for freer data analysis. Both tools show great maturity after 30 years of development – while some competitors still suffer from occasional teething problems.
Creative digging in data
Qlik’s most distinguishing feature is its approach to data modelling. Most competing tools use relational data models. They rely on pre-defined relations between fields to quickly answer predictable questions, such as: How much turnover do different products generate?
Qlik, in contrast, uses associative data modelling. Here, connections between tables are based on content rather than relation. These connections are either independently recognised and suggested by Qlik or creatively explored by the user. That aspect is helpful when exploring data either to gain a first overview or to uncover hidden patterns.
A second strength of Qlik is its data integration, especially in real-time. The automation and low-code environment allow easy use and speedy development.
Furthermore, Qlik’s users can also flexibly change the labelling of data during runtime, which is not possible with most other tools. For instance, they can set up multilingual dashboards where the language can be switched during runtime.
Designed in darkness
Despite all these strengths, there is one downside, jokingly described by a Qlik trainer: “You can tell the software was developed in long Swedish winters, where people don’t mind looking for certain functions for a bit longer.“
Qlik’s wealth of functionalities is indeed fantastic for ambitious users and for complex calculations. But it can make certain options more difficult to find.“
Summary: Made for explorers
After 30 years of development, Qlik offers a well-rounded, mature product. Its associative data engine not only helps to automatically recognize relationships among data sets. It also facilitates creative exploration to gain new insights.
Its plethora of options might make certain features less accessible, but also a great resource for advanced users.
