Qlik Data Analytics Product Release - February 2020

[QlikSenseUpdates]

We are excited to welcome the first release of 2020 which provides greater value through enhanced capabilities across our data analytics platform.   

[QlikSenseUpdates]

As part of our drive to lead in the cloud, the February release adds the ability to use third-party visualization extensions in our SaaS offerings. The ability to include extensions from Trusted Extension Developers and the wider development community, now greatly increases the ability to customize analytics in our SaaS products.  We have also added 4 new data connectors, the ability to export to pdf and have made numerous improvements to the management of tenants, all of which drive improved insight to action in the cloud.

Another key focus area for us in 2020 is strengthening our strategic technology partnerships and the value of our integrated offerings. With the February 2020 release, we are introducing Dynamic Views (video) which gives Qlik Sense users the ability to refresh data within one or more charts in an on-demand fashion. This allows users to maximize system performance by enabling precision data source access while empowering users to be in control of when data is refreshed in an app.  This provides flexibility in how customers manage data and the associated costs, while also enriching our partnership with cloud data platforms like Snowflake.

The value of our end-to-end data and analytics platform is a key part of differentiation for Qlik, and in 2020 we aim to strengthen the integration between our platforms, creating an unrivaled value proposition for customers.  A key step in this process is the introduction of an integrated Qlik Data Catalyst QVD Catalog in Qlik Sense. Qlik Sense users can now browse and select QVD based data sources from directly within the Qlik Sense user interface. (Qlik Data Catalyst for QVDS - video)

We continue to respond to customer and partner feedback, and as such, we are pleased to announce that this release adds over 10 new data visualization features and styling options to Qlik Sense, allowing users to create more advanced and customized analytics. We have added trendlines, indicators in tables, moving average and difference modifiers, custom tooltips, and a duplicate function for measures.  New styling options include dimension, header and cell options for pivot tables, a new action button with improved styling, line options for the line chart, custom sorting in the funnel chart, and font family support in custom themes.  And we have made improvements to mapping functionality and presentation.  With these features, we continue to expand the quality and power of the visualization and dashboarding capabilities in Qlik Sense.

We also continue to enrich our leadership position in augmented and conversational analytics by making several improvements to our visual insight generation capabilities in Qlik Sense, driven by the Qlik Cognitive Engine.  We have added support for Radar Charts, allowing our cognitive engine to automatically generate this type of visualization.   And we have improved pattern detection for natural language processing (NLP), as well as made natural language search available in Qlik Sense on Windows.  These capabilities help improve the quality and relevance of AI-generated insight suggestions in Qlik Sense. 

The release also includes improvements to several value-added products.  For Qlik Insight Bot, we have added new capabilities and reduced back-end dependencies for seamless installation and operation.  This includes the ability to use bookmarks in conversational interaction, manage with multiple administrators, and synchronize users between Qlik Sense and Qlik Insight Bot.  And for Qlik NPrinting, we have delivered improved licensing operations and a streamlined approach for report authoring allowing quick reports to be created from charts and sheets.  Also, this release makes it easier to manage situations where the Qlik Sense app ID is changing due to publish/replace and movement between environments.

With all of this, plus back end improvements around performance and security measures, The February 2020 release continues to drive our innovation agenda around accelerating business value through data and analytics and helps get 2020 off to a fast start.

Check out the What's New demo App, and be sure to register for the Qlik Insider to hear from our team of experts on this release.  

• Feature Demonstration Video
•  help.qlik.com
• Qlik Data Catalyst for QVDs
• Dynamic Views
• Third-party visualization extensions in cloud-based editions

[stevedark]

Wow! There's a lot to take in from this feature list. Looking forward to being able to copy and paste measures - that is going to be a huge time saver.

[Michael_Tarallo]

Hey Steve - yeah something so simple and I have been using it a ton! Thanks for your comment. 🙂

[AndrewMcIlwrick]

Agreed. So much to explore and try out. Looks like Qlik R&D have been working 24x7 since before Christmas !

[robert99]

@Michael_Tarallo

A great release. But disappointed with the Pivot Table changes. The PT is good (or VG). It could be made great.

I've been waiting for header coloring for tables for a long time. This is disappointing. Straight tables still can't be done (hopefully this will happen soon). And the Pivot table values can't be colored (only dimensions). Is this a bug or an oversight. I'm not asking for every measure to have a header coloring option (although this is an option. Include Background header color etc under Text color expression). Just one for all measures. It strange that the dimension has this drop down option but the Value column button doesn't.

Also I recommended this years back. But what about the maximum width option for columns. As the table can look odd when a user drills down and 12 columns say are reduced to one or 2,

And maybe the option to remove the top buttons. Then it could be used as a expanded report. Like the P+L PT (but able to do more) or the PBI matrix table.

[robert99]

And a question on dynamic views

At times I have to enter the same data in more than one App. As the user wants everything in one App not spread over 3-4 Apps (although sometimes I haven't done this as an destination App was already getting too complex).

I understand that if the data needs to be linked (by say date) this can't be done. But at times its doesn't need to be. For example the user might want to see a debtor sheet that stands along on a separate sheet from the other sheets.

Is there a plan (or can it be done now) to allow a master chart from one App (and the filters) to be pulled into another App. Just from the latest refresh of the source App

Thanks

[Michael_Tarallo]

Hi Robert - I have forwarded your questions to the products team. Hope to have some answers shortly.

[Patric_Nordstrom]

@robert99 @Michael_Tarallo 

Thanks for the feedback. Fyi, you may recognize many of recent styling options origins from theme properties: a shortcut to deliver more with less. More theme properties may come as app properties in future releases.

Table header coloring

Do you mean header bg color? Header font size and color in the straight table was added in Feb2019. Header background may come later, meanwhile it is possible to tweak using a custom theme, css:

/* Straight table header bg color */
.qv-st-header-cell:not(.qv-st-total-cell) {
background-color: lightblue;
}

Pivot table values coloring

Pivot values has cell text and background color. Value header may come later. Again could be tweaked with custom theme and css:

/* Pivot table all header bg color */
.qv-pt .cell.header.top {
background-color: lightyellow;
}
/* Pivot table first column bg color */
.qv-pt .cell.header.left {
background-color: lightgreen;
}
/* Pivot table top header bg color */
th.cell.header.top[colspan]:not([colspan="1"]) {
background-color: greenyellow;
}

Width option for columns

Right now the dimension column is adjustable and the other columns have auto width. An option to set column width like the straight table may come later.

Remove the top buttons

Sure, that may come later. Meanwhile it is possible to tweak using a custom theme, css:
/* Hide pivot buttons */
.qv-pt .meta *{
display:none;
}

Note, any css can be added in custom theme, however some care needs to be taken as the base css can be changed from version to version.

Thanks,
Patric

[Ian_Crosland]

On the dynamic views question you can have totally independent dynamic view charts on the same sheet,  each one would need to be refreshed independently and would not inherit any filters if thats the desired behaviour

Thanks

Ian

[robert99]

@Patric_Nordstrom 

Thanks for the above information

I'll probably wait until its added to the product. I have already changed a lot of the tables using 'styling' but was hoping to have the option of changing the background color for the header.

Questions.

With the above tweaks. I like the 'Sense Breeze' colors scheme. I really don't want to lose this. But is it possible to add background colors to tables say via 'styling' but retain the 'Breeze colors' otherwise. So there would be an option of 'Header Background color' along with 'Header Font Size' and 'header font color'. 

Likewise with Remove the top buttons. I assume it all without or all with. Or can this be applied on a chart by chart basis in some way

In some ways I'm reluctant to move too far from the standard product. But minor tweak changes would be great

Thanks

[Or]

Regarding Dynamic Views-

It seems to be really the same thing as the existing ODAG except you don't generate an app. This makes it a little easier to use, but also more confusing for the users as now different objects within the same app react differently to selections (the DV objects won't respond to your selections at all, and they will respond only to specific selections based on ODAG parameters when refreshed, and the master app objects won't respond to selections made within the DV objects). Additionally, Professional users will not be able to duplicate/modify these objects (something they can do within an ODAG-generated app). Lastly, there's no indicator within the DV objects that selections made in the main app are no longer in sync with the DV objects, so the user will wind up having no idea they are looking at two disparate sets of data.

I was kind of hoping for something that would actually dynamically update an object based on an app by using some mix of the old Dynamic Update functionality, document-chaining rules (same field name = apply selections on both sides), etc. Perhaps in a future version...