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Environment
- Qlik Gold Client
Transcript
Hello and welcome. My name is Steve George and I'm glad that you're watching today. This video is the first in a two-part series about using Gold Client to perform master data delta refreshes. What this use case does is help keep the master data fresh in your lower environments by periodically copying newly created data and/or updated data from your production system. This video series includes how to copy the data and how to fully automate the process so that your team is ideally receiving maximum value from Gold Client.
I will begin by providing an overview of the data copy process and share some details about its scope and assumptions. The rest of the content will focus on the important task of how to create the various Scenarios. The rest of the process will be covered in the second video.
The process flow for this use case is visible in the graphic on this slide. The steps in orange are the one-time setup tasks, and the steps in blue are the reoccurring steps that are executed programmatically.
The process will run as a periodic background job where the Scenarios' date ranges are adjusted first using 'today' as the end date and looking back 'x' number of days, followed by the data export, then followed by the data import which is executed via RFC. Because the first two steps are executed via periodic background job, and the import runs automatically using Gold Client's auto-import solution, the end-to-end copy process is fully automated.
To determine the scope, each team must decide which master data objects to include in the copy process; materials, customers, equipment, and assets are just a few examples. The team must also decide whether they want to copy only new data or updated data or both.
These two decisions are important because they define what Scenarios must be created.
Keep in mind that you could deploy an initial scope to prove out that the process works and then expand the scope as needed. For example, perhaps 3-4 data objects are included initially, and then additional objects can be added later.
This use case contains one important assumption which is that the team has already used Gold Client to perform an initial mass load of master data into the target environment. If this activity has not occurred, Qlik strongly advises that it be done first before deploying this data copy process.
There are three different iterations when it comes to creating Scenarios. The first one is for copying new data which means using the data object's Created-On date.
The second one is for copying updated data which means using the data object's Changed-On date.
And the third one is also for copying updated data but having to use Change Documents instead. The reason for this is because some data objects simply do not contain a Changed-On date; a few examples are customers, vendors, and GL accounts. For holistic reasons, this video covers all three iterations described here.
Also, be advised that Qlik recommends using Data Wave to execute this use case, so that is the function used in this video.
To reach the Gold Client solution, use t-code /n/HTG/ZGOLD; then select the Data Wave function
Click the 'Create' button to create a new Data Wave ID and then input a useful description; next, click on the Data Wave ID
On the next screen, click the 'Add Data Type' button and select 'Intelligent Slice' from the dropdown
On the next screen, input the respective date range and select the 'Execute' button
In the next window, select which Master Data Types to include and select the 'Ok' button. Close the subsequent messages which appear.
When done, the user will be returned to the Data Wave screen and the respective Scenarios will be present
I will now go to the Changed-On iteration where we will use the same Data Wave ID and simply append these new Scenarios to it.
Click on the Data Wave ID created previously
On the next screen, click the 'Add Data Type' button and select 'Data Snap' from the dropdown
On the next screen, search for the Data Type you wish to use. I am going to input the term 'equipment' and then select CA - EQUIPMENT DATA.
On the next screen, input the relevant date range as well as any other required inputs
Select the 'Save As Scenario' button and then 'Online' in the pop-up window; close any subsequent messages
The system responds with a Scenario number, and returns the user to the Data Wave screen where the new Scenario will be present
Repeat these steps for other Data Types that need to be included in this refresh
After I repeated this process for business partners and materials, my Data Wave ID now looks like this where five Scenarios exist for Created-On dates and three more exist using Changed-On dates
I will now go to the final iteration where Change Documents are used. We will use the same Data Wave ID and append these new Scenarios to it.
Click on the Data Wave ID created previously
On the next screen, click the 'Add Data Type' button and select 'Data Snap' from the dropdown
On the next screen, search for the Data Type named CA - CHANGE DOCS FOR MD REFRESH
If this Data Type does not exist, then this config will need to be added first; reference the How to Copy Master Data Using a Delta Refresh Process PDF located on Qlik's Help website for instructions.
On the next screen, input the relevant date range as well as the Change Document objects
In this example, I'm inputting two values, one that represents customers and one for vendors. Adding specific Change Document objects is important because this input helps constrain the data copy to just these data objects.
Select the 'Save As Scenario' button and then 'Online' in the pop-up window; close the subsequent messages
The system responds with a Scenario number, and returns the user to the Data Wave screen where the new Scenario will be present
At this point, Scenarios representing all three iterations have been defined and added to the Data Wave ID. These data sets are now ready to be copied.
The majority of this setup work is now complete. Please watch the next video to learn about the remaining steps in this refresh use case as well as what other support resources are available.