OBIEE Vs QlikView

[Anonymous]

Hi to everyone

I'm new with this tool and i'd like to ask you a couple of informations and understand the right approach of this tool on some points. I'm using OBIEE (more then 6 years) and i'm trying (it is not a task from my company; i'm just testing myself) to replicate Dashboard that i made in OBIEE into Qlikview (as similar as possibile).

I recently finished a course on QlikView but, as often happen, real day-by-day developing is different and for that reason i decided to make same question to the teacher. He answered me something like: "...big questions and I will politely decline to answer"

Anyway

This is my scenario and apparently seems very simple:

I have a tab with filters selection and when some of those are selected, report can be launched (this part i saw that is possible in QV).

(1.png)

First issue/question:

As you can see on the first image (filters), there are some that are required (*) like Anno(Progr/Mensile)  that is a simple Year field but it is calculated:

(2.png)

Inside the object, there is an sql expression (Union of years) and, most important thing, whatever value selected, it will be passed into a presentation variable. that in this case is called "anno" (and will be used with @{anno} syntax).

Is it possibile in QlikView to select one value from a list box (for example) and that value passed into a variable?

Why should i need to do this kind of thing? because a lot of measure are calculated on these variables; for example:

(3.png)

as you can see, variables (@{anno} is just one) are inside of each measure (conditional calculation).

All this crazy expression, leave aside the reason of that coding, how could i apply in QlikView? in Data Model Script?

Second issue/question:

case when statement exist in QlikView syntax? Example:

case when Month = 01 then 'January' end

or

case Month when 01 then 'January' when 02 then 'February' end

Third issue/question:

Here i have 6 different union queries (even here leave aside the reasons), and each of them has some static filters setted:

(4.png)

All this part, should i to put into a Data Modelling script? How could i replicate all these filters in QlikView?

Last question:
How can i create a temporal date range and allow the user to select these dates with the between option? for example :

YearMonth between 201701 and 201705

I know that there are a lot of questions in this post, and if you could please answered me, would be amazing.

Thanks in advance if someone could answer even at just 1 of my questions

Cordially

Simone Bartoloni

[jwjackso]

I can answer one of your questions.  A member selected in a list box can be stored in a variable and used in a calculation.

I have an "on select" trigger setup for a field.  When 1 item is selected in the list box, the trigger copies the selection to a variable.  I then use that variable in defining the dimension of a chart as well as used in calculation for the chart.

[Qrishna]

1.Yes.

2.yes you can select a value from list box and store them in variables.

3. usually we write PICK(Match()) or if statements in UI or other techiniques like using SQL Case,PICK(),IF(),For Loop etc in script.

case when Month = 01 then 'January' end

case Month when 01 then 'January' when 02 then 'February' end

This can be written as  Pick(match(MOnth,01,02),'January','February').If() can also be used.

Like i said there are multiple ways to write you expression depending on the complexity of the scenario.

4. Date range on tables would done(usually) in script. date range for aggregations at the UI level,meaning if you want impose a date range in a table or a chart then  something called 'SET ANALYSIS' can used to make life simpler.

5.How can i create a temporal date range and allow the user to select these dates with the between option?

We create a master calendar in the script, and use the date ranges or allow the user to select the dates or ranges at the UI level.again there are lot of ways achieving this.

Hope this makes some sense to you.

krishna

[Anonymous]

First of all i'd like to thanks you for your answers  i really appreciate it!!!!

QlikView seems very smart as tool... but the only thing that i don't like so much (surely because i don't know how to use it) is about join tables througth same fields name. Seems too automatic procedure... but of course i'm wrong.

In next days i'll try at home to "play" with this interesting tool

Thanks again and of course i'll write you again hahahahha

[sebastiandperei]

Hi Simone! (sorry for my english)

I guess you haven't understanded the main advantage of Qlikview front the rest. I will try to do it.

Seeing the queries yo have used in OBIEE, you are calculating "every time" questions like: If month number is 1, then show January. In Qlikview, you can have a calendar table, and just list the MonthName field. With this field, you can filter and all the related data will be available for calculating the expressions.

So, for example, if you select "January" value in the field, if you have a simple text box with Sum(Sales), it will take only Sales field values that are related with January. You don't need variables, you just need to think on how your data is related, and create the right data model.

You need to change your mind. SQL in Qlikview is only needed to create your data model.

I recommend you to contact a local partner (are you in Italy, right? I'm in Argentina, I would like to assist you, but i think that is better to you to make it locally) to assist you to create your first projects, so it will help you to understand the Qlik Concept.

[Anonymous]

Ciao Sebastian and thanks for your answer 

My english is definelly worse than yours so...don't worry about it!!

Is a too long story to try to explain reasons of all that f...k code inside a single object... we have more then one date table but we can't use them! For this reason i specified up there "leave aside the code..."

Probably you know better then me that each project has their crazy thing and our role is to find workaround for everything.

I worked with some BI tool like Business Objects,Crystal report, Xcelsius, Penthao,Cognos,OBIEE and now i'm try to learn something on QV....

more or less all tool are the same i mean a part to create Universe/Physical model/Data model for tables, another for deploy Universe/RPD in Enterprise manager and the last one for the analysis (Dashboard/Charts and so forth) of course syntaxs change to achieve target; but more or less we are there.

Anyway i'll keep in mind your answer

Thanks again!!!

[sebastiandperei]

Forza Italia!! (Im from Argentina, 80% of people here has Italian descent!)

I understand you see all BI tools are similar, because all of you have named are similar: all of those needs one ETL tool, and defines the expresions in the end layer. But Qlikview (as you should know) doesn't need ETL, because you can Extract, Transform and Load all the data, since plain tables or bases. And... in the end layer, you have asociative model -exclusivity of qlik-, the major advantage from the rest of the tools.

This is because, most of the times, the only way you can take advantage of these points (the reasons your company have decided to pay for Qlik licenses), is to understand data and how will be the best way the user will have the better experience when using the app. For this, is necesary to broke the standards of static and fixed BI tools.

For example. I'm seeing that a great part of your expressions is dedicated to show a month name when a the actual month is GENN, FEBR... Then, you make a filter with these data. In Qlik, you only need to create a table with the date of data, and the rest of fields related to them. Then, in application, the user has the capacity of see all data for GEN or FEB, or OCT, of this year or last year, of one day or three months... is DYNAMIC. The expression would be, just Sum(Sales), and the user DECIDES WHAT TO SEE.

Obviously, you develop your expressions to be configured with variables, but every expression needs to be developed. In Qlik, you must only develop the relation of the data, and the expressions are naturally defined. It's logic: if you have filtered one customer, you are focusing on this customer, and in Qlik you don't need to tell him in every expression, Qlik knows it through the data model.

The next level of aknowledgement in Qlik will give you capabilities of make an expression take particular filters, or independent selections universes.

As we all did it when Excel has changed our minds and make us redefine all business logic from paper to digital spreadsheets, now it's time to do it again with Qlik, from Excel or static BI to Business discovery, or Data literacy.

I like it will be useful for you!