YES, Qlikview works with any relational DB in the world, use ODBC DSN.

[#1]

My management was pushing me towards QLV usage.

I looked each time at QLV help file and started reading:

"Open Flat File/Excel file as a data source".

"Looks like this product does not work with databases at all" -  that was my immediate reaction.

Only when I went into Qlv groups, I found out:

YES, Qlikview works against any relational Database in the world, via ODBC DSN.

This (process of connection) is simple, robust and easy in QLV.

I WISH that marketing of the QLV as a product would start any help file and any QLV tutorial with this simple statement:

"QLV works with relational databases".

1) Create new QVW document.

2) CNTRL+E (or menu File, Edit script)

3) ODBC=> Connect.

Look at the list of DSNs (click "Show User DSNs").

4) Select DSN.

Note: you may have to click on "Force 32 bit".

Note: you may have to specify username and password, if this is not a Win Authentication.

Click on "Test Connection".

Observe the line: (where "UserDSN" is the name of the DSN), this line is written into the script for you:

ODBC CONNECT TO UserDSN;

5) Put any SQL for the data that you need, example on AdventureWorks2008R2:

SELECT * from [AdventureWorks2008R2].[Person].[vStateProvinceCountryRegion];

6) Click "RELOAD".

QLV extracts data, after that it closes the script, and shows the list of columns

ready for display.

Your QLV data extraction and first report is ready!

If I would ran into such article, I would have started with QLV several months sooner.

Qlikview is THE tool for work with data in the relational databases.

I do not know why QLV marketing concentrates 100% on graphics and extraction of data from flat files.

See QlikView Tutorial.pdf.

It contains an example of loading data via OLE DB. This example is on page 168

Why not on page 1?

Qlikview is THE tool for Data Discovery, Data Association, data comparison (missing/redundant/updated rows), finding data gaps, visualizing any operational process.

I have used QV for ETL validation- comparison of ETL Source(s) with ETL Targets.

Also for Operational processes(!) and for validation of the complicated structures (like NLookup tables).

In other words, QV can be used for things, not related with nice graphics at all, not customer facing, but requiring data comparisons between Data sources, snapshots, data gaps identification, visualization of operational processes, comparison of hierarchical (NLookup) structures.

I found an excellent source: a DBA is using QV for for similar purposes: working with DB scripts and structures:

One Qlik at a Time: In Statements in Qlikview - Match()

If there will be an interest, I will show how to compare different (near identical sources data, like Pre-Producton vs. Production), how to visualize Data Gaps.

thank you,

Alexei Akimov

[#2]

Hello Alexei Akimov,

thank you for sharing. I am interested in viewing how you used QlikView to validate ETL and visualize Data Gaps.

Regards,

Daniel Tschick Tomaz

[#3]

Hello Alexie,

Thanks for you insight.

Can you share me on how you have used Qlikview for similar data coming from different sources.

Regards,

Teja