A Roadmap for Beginners in Qlik Cloud

A Roadmap for Beginners in Qlik Cloud

by | Dec 8, 2025 | Qlik

If you are new to Qlik, it can be hard to know what to do first. You may have access to a Qlik Cloud tenant, or you might be thinking about starting a trial, but you are not sure how to turn that into real progress.

This short beginner roadmap gives you a simple plan for your first week with Qlik. You do not need to learn every feature. You just need a clear place to start, a safe environment to click around in, and a few basic wins to build confidence.

If you want to follow along with a video version, you can pair this guide with our Qlik Beginner Roadmap video as you go.

You can also explore how we support Qlik on our Qlik Consulting and Support page and our broader Qlik and Talend Cloud services.

Who This Qlik Cloud Beginner Roadmap Is For

This roadmap is for you if:

  • You have heard of Qlik but have not built anything yet.
  • Your organization is starting to use Qlik Cloud and you want to get up to speed.
  • You work in healthcare, government, education, or another industry and need a simple, non-technical way to begin.

In your first week, your goals are small and clear:

  • Get access to a Qlik environment.
  • Learn the basic layout and navigation.
  • Load a simple Excel file.
  • Build your first bar chart.
  • Understand how spaces, apps, data, and users fit together.

If you want more background on what Qlik is and why teams use it, you can read our post on What Is Qlik and Why Do Companies Use It? or our guide on How To Get Started With Qlik in 2026.

Step 1: Get a Working Qlik Cloud Environment

Before you can learn Qlik, you need a place to practice. This can be a trial, a company tenant, or a sandbox provided by a partner. The key is to have somewhere you can safely build and test without worrying about breaking production reports.

Here are common options:

OptionWhat It IsBest For
Qlik Cloud free trialA 30-day trial of Qlik Cloud AnalyticsIndividuals and small teams who want to try Qlik
Company Qlik Cloud tenantYour organization’s existing Qlik Cloud environmentEmployees joining an existing analytics program
Partner sandboxA Qlik environment set up and managed by a consulting partnerTeams that want structure, guardrails, and guidance

You can start a free 30-day Qlik Cloud Analytics trial here:
Free 30-day trial for Qlik Cloud Analytics

If your team needs help choosing between Qlik Cloud options or setting up tenants and spaces, you can explore our Qlik Consulting Services and Qlik Support.

Step 2: Join the Right Learning Resources

Learning Qlik is easier when you are not doing it alone. Good resources give you examples, answers, and a place to ask questions when you get stuck.

In your first week, try to:

These resources will be your support system as you move beyond your first week and into more advanced topics.

Step 3: Get Comfortable With the Qlik Cloud Interface

Once you have access to Qlik Cloud, spend 30 to 60 minutes just exploring the interface. You do not need to build anything complex on day one. The goal is to feel comfortable clicking around.

Here are a few things to look for:

  • Where you see spaces or streams that hold content.
  • Where apps are listed and how to open them.
  • Where to add or upload data, such as an Excel file.
  • Where sheets and visualizations live inside an app.

Think of this like walking around a new office building. You are not trying to memorize every room. You just want to know where the main areas are and how to get back to the front door.

If your organization uses both Qlik Sense and Qlik Cloud, you can read our comparison guide Qlik Sense vs Qlik Cloud: Maximize Your ROI for more context.

Step 4: Load Sample Data from Excel

Your next goal is to get real data into Qlik, even if it is small and simple. An Excel file is a great place to start because it is familiar and easy to control.

You can use a basic file with columns like:

  • Date
  • Product
  • Region
  • Sales Amount

At a high level, your steps will look like this:

  1. Open Qlik Cloud and go to the space where you are allowed to build.
  2. Create a new app or open an empty starter app.
  3. Choose the option to add data or upload a file.
  4. Select your Excel file and let Qlik read the fields.
  5. Confirm that Qlik shows a simple preview of the table with your columns.

You are not building a full data model or complex transformations here. You are just taking the first step of seeing your own data inside Qlik.

If your data comes from more complex systems, such as ERP, CRM, or clinical platforms, you can learn more about integration options in our Data Integration Services and Qlik Talend Data Fabric pages.

Step 5: Create Your First Bar Chart in Qlik Cloud

Once your data is loaded, you are ready for a simple win. Building a basic bar chart helps you see the full path from data to visual insight.

A simple first chart might be:

  • Total Sales Amount by Product
  • Total Visits by Department
  • Total Claims by Region

The high-level flow looks like this:

  1. Open your app and go to a sheet.
  2. Add a new visualization and choose a bar chart.
  3. Pick a dimension (such as Product or Region).
  4. Pick a measure (such as Sum of Sales Amount).
  5. Apply and see the chart appear.

From there, you can try small changes:

  • Sort the bars by value.
  • Change the color palette.
  • Add a simple filter, like a date range.

You do not have to worry about designing a perfect dashboard. The goal is to see one chart working with your own data so you can build from there.

If you want help building more polished dashboards or adding visuals like icons, you might enjoy our guide on Adding Tabler Icons to Qlik Dashboards or learn how our Arc Analytics Toolkit speeds up Qlik development.

Step 6: Understand How Everything Fits Together

As you get more comfortable, it helps to understand the main pieces inside Qlik Cloud. You do not need every detail, but a simple mental model will make things easier when you work with your team or talk with admins.

Here are four core concepts in plain language:

ConceptSimple DescriptionBeginner Tip
Spaces / StreamsAreas that hold apps and content for groups of usersAsk which space is safe for your testing and practice
AppsContainers that hold data, sheets, and visualizationsStart with one app for your first Excel file and charts
Data ConnectionsSaved links to data sources such as files, databases, or APIsBegin with a single file before adding more sources
Users and SecurityRules that control who can see and change contentConfirm your role and permissions with your admin

In many organizations, these pieces are part of a broader data strategy that includes integration, governance, and reporting. If you want to see how Qlik fits into that bigger picture, you can explore our Data Strategy Consulting services or industry pages for Healthcare, Government, and Education.

Beginner Checklist: Your First Week With Qlik Cloud

To keep things simple, here is a quick checklist you can use to track your first week. You do not need to do everything in one day. Spread it out and give yourself time to explore.

In your first week:

  • Join Arc Academy for Qlik on Skool.
  • Follow Qlik and Arc Analytics on LinkedIn.
  • Get access to a Qlik environment:
    • Qlik Cloud trial
    • Company tenant
    • Partner sandbox
  • Log in and explore the Qlik Cloud interface for 30 to 60 minutes.
  • Load one Excel file as sample data into a new or existing app.
  • Build one simple bar chart using that data.
  • Learn where your spaces, apps, data connections, and user settings are managed.

If you can check all these boxes, you are officially started with Qlik. You may not feel like an expert yet, but you have done the most important part: moving from “someday” to hands-on practice.

What Comes Next in Qlik Cloud

After your first week, you can start to:

  • Add more data sources beyond Excel.
  • Build multiple sheets and more complex visualizations.
  • Learn about data modeling and transformations.
  • Work with IT or a partner on governance, security, and performance.

You can find more next-step ideas in our posts on How Qlik Cloud Improves Public Safety Outcomes and Signs Your Organization Needs a Data Consultant Now.

If you want a guided roadmap, training for your team, or help avoiding common mistakes, you can:

Your first week with Qlik does not need to be perfect. It just needs to move you closer to clear, useful insight from your data. In our next guide and video, we will walk through the most common mistakes beginners make with Qlik and how you can avoid them.

What is Qlik and Why Do Companies Use It?

What is Qlik and Why Do Companies Use It?

by | Dec 2, 2025 | Qlik

If you have heard the name Qlik but are not sure what it does or whether it fits your needs, this guide will help. Qlik is a business intelligence tool that helps people see and understand their data. It is used by companies in many industries to make better decisions faster.

This post will explain what Qlik is, what it does, and who uses it. By the end, you will have a clearer picture of whether Qlik might be a good fit for your team.

If you want to explore Qlik yourself, you can start a free 30-day Qlik Cloud Analytics trial here:
Free 30-day trial for Qlik Cloud Analytics

You can also join the Arc Academy for Qlik community to learn with others:
Arc Academy for Qlik on Skool

What Is Qlik?

Qlik is a software platform that turns raw data into visual dashboards and reports. Instead of looking at rows and columns in a spreadsheet, you can see charts, graphs, and maps that show patterns and trends.

The main goal of Qlik is to help people answer questions about their business. Questions like:

  • Which products are selling the most?
  • Where are we losing customers?
  • How long does it take to complete a process?
  • What is our revenue this quarter compared to last year?

Qlik pulls data from different sources, such as databases, spreadsheets, and cloud apps. It then organizes that data so you can explore it, filter it, and share it with others. You do not need to be a data scientist to use Qlik. If you know what questions you want to answer, Qlik can help you find the answers.

For a broader look at how analytics tools fit into your strategy, you can explore our Data Analytics Services or read more from Gartner on data and analytics.

What Does Qlik Do?

Qlik does three main things: it connects to your data, it helps you explore that data, and it lets you share what you find.

1. Connect to Your Data

Qlik can pull data from many places. This includes databases like SQL Server, cloud tools like Salesforce, spreadsheets like Excel, and even web APIs. Once connected, Qlik brings all that data into one place so you can see the full picture.

2. Explore and Analyze

Qlik uses something called associative analytics. This means you can click on any part of a chart or table, and Qlik will show you how that selection relates to everything else. For example, if you click on a region, you can instantly see sales, customers, and products for that region. You do not have to build a new report every time you have a new question.

3. Share Insights

Once you build a dashboard or report, you can share it with your team. People can view it on their computer, tablet, or phone. They can also interact with it, filtering and exploring on their own. This makes it easier for everyone to stay on the same page.

If you want help setting up Qlik or building your first dashboards, you can learn more at Arc Qlik Consulting Services or Arc Qlik Support.

Who Uses Qlik?

Qlik is used by people in many different roles and industries. Here are some of the most common groups:

Business Leaders and Executives

Leaders use Qlik to see high-level metrics in one place. They can track revenue, costs, customer satisfaction, and other key numbers without waiting for a monthly report. Qlik helps them make faster, more informed decisions.

Managers and Department Heads

Managers use Qlik to monitor team performance, spot problems, and plan ahead. For example, a sales manager might use Qlik to see which reps are hitting their targets and which products are lagging. An operations manager might use it to track delivery times or inventory levels.

Analysts and Data Teams

Analysts use Qlik to dig deeper into data and find insights. They build dashboards, run reports, and answer questions from other teams. Qlik gives them a flexible tool to explore data without writing complex code.

Frontline Staff

Frontline workers use Qlik to see simple, focused views that guide their daily work. For example, a nurse might use a Qlik dashboard to see patient wait times, or a warehouse worker might use it to see order status.

Which Industries Use Qlik?

Qlik is used across many industries. Here are a few examples:

IndustryCommon Use Cases
HealthcareTrack patient outcomes, monitor wait times, manage resources
GovernmentAnalyze budgets, track program performance, improve services
EducationMonitor student progress, manage enrollment, track funding
RetailTrack sales, manage inventory, understand customer behavior
ManufacturingMonitor production, track quality, manage supply chains
FinanceAnalyze risk, track performance, monitor compliance

You can learn more about how Qlik is used in specific industries here:

Why Do Companies Choose Qlik?

There are many business intelligence tools available. Here are a few reasons why companies choose Qlik:

  • Associative analytics: Qlik lets you explore data freely without being locked into a fixed path.
  • Fast performance: Qlik can handle large amounts of data and still respond quickly.
  • Cloud and on-premise options: You can run Qlik in the cloud or on your own servers.
  • Strong community: Qlik has a large user community, lots of training resources, and many partners who can help.

If you are comparing Qlik to other tools, it helps to think about your specific needs. What questions do you want to answer? Who will use the tool? How much data do you have? These questions will guide your choice.

For help thinking through your options, you can explore our Data Strategy Consulting services or reach out through Contact Us.

How to Get Started with Qlik

If you are ready to try Qlik, here are a few simple steps:

  1. Start a free trial: Sign up for a 30-day Qlik Cloud Analytics trial to explore the tool without a big commitment.
    Free 30-day trial for Qlik Cloud Analytics
  2. Join a community: Connect with other Qlik users to ask questions and learn from their experience.
    Arc Academy for Qlik on Skool
  3. Get support: If you need help with setup, training, or building dashboards, reach out to a Qlik partner.
    Arc Qlik Consulting Services
  4. Start small: Pick one or two questions you want to answer. Build a simple dashboard. Learn as you go.

You do not need to master everything on day one. The most important thing is to start exploring and see how Qlik can help your team make better decisions.For more guidance, you can also check out our post on How To Get Started With Qlik in 2026.

How To Get Started With Qlik in 2026

How To Get Started With Qlik in 2026

by | Nov 26, 2025 | Qlik

If you are new to Qlik, it can be hard to know where to begin. There are many tools and many features, but you do not need to learn them all on day one. This short guide will give you a few simple things to think about as you get started.

You can follow along with the video series on our YouTube channel. As you go, you can also try Qlik for yourself and learn with others:

You can also see how we support Qlik here: Qlik and Talend Solutions and Arc Qlik Consulting Services.

What Is Qlik?

Qlik is a tool that helps you turn data into clear pictures and simple stories. Instead of digging through long spreadsheets, you can look at charts and dashboards that show what is going on in your business.

You do not have to be a data expert to use Qlik. The most important thing is to know what you care about. For example, you might want to see which products are selling best, how long customers wait, or where your team is falling behind. Qlik helps you see these answers in one place so you can make better choices.

If you want a bigger view of how analytics tools like Qlik fit into your strategy, you can explore our Data Analytics Services or industry guidance like Gartner on data and analytics.

Qlik Sense vs Qlik Cloud

You may hear two names: Qlik Sense and Qlik Cloud. Here is the simple way to think about them.

Qlik Sense is the name many people know from the last few years. It has been used to build dashboards and apps in many companies. Qlik Cloud is the newer, cloud-based home for Qlik. It runs in the cloud, so your team does not have to manage as much hardware or do as many updates.

If you are just starting now, Qlik Cloud is usually the best place to begin. It is easier to reach from anywhere, it gets new features faster, and it is what we focus on in our guides and videos. If you already use Qlik Sense or are not sure which one fits your plans, we can help you think it through at Arc Qlik Consulting Services or Arc Qlik Support.

What Is Qlik In 2026?

Qlik is changing. When you start now, you are not just learning today’s tool. You are getting ready for where Qlik is going.

By 2026, more work with Qlik will happen in the cloud. It will be easier to see numbers close to real time instead of waiting for a monthly report. Qlik will also be more connected to other tools you already use, so data can flow more smoothly across your systems.

Most of all, Qlik will be more than just “nice dashboards.” It will help you see what happened, what is happening right now, and what might happen next. When you plan your Qlik journey, try to think about the next few years, not just the next few weeks. If you want a partner to plan that path, you can explore Qlik Talend Data Fabric and Cloud Services.

Who Uses Qlik?

People in many roles and industries use Qlik every day. Business leaders use it to see key numbers in one place. Managers use it to track performance and spot problems. Analysts use it to dig deeper into data and share insights. Frontline staff use it to see simple views that guide their daily work.

Qlik is also common in healthcare, government, and education. You can see some of those use cases here:

As you get started, it helps to ask a few questions. Who needs to see the numbers? Who will own the main questions you want to answer? Who can help build and support Qlik over time? You do not need perfect answers, but even a simple picture of “who” will guide better choices

Getting Access

To get started, you need two things: a place to work and people to help you.

A free 30-day Qlik Cloud Analytics trial gives you a safe place to explore. You can log in, click around, and see if the tool fits your style without a big commitment. You can start that here:
Free 30-day trial for Qlik Cloud Analytics

Support matters too. Joining Arc Academy for Qlik lets you learn with others, ask questions, and get guidance:
Arc Academy for Qlik on Skool

You can also reach out to our team for help with training and setup through Training and Contact Us.

As you begin, write down one or two questions you want Qlik to answer. Start your trial, join the community, and follow along with the first video. Your first steps do not have to be perfect. They just need to move you closer to clear, useful insight from your data.

Qlik Sense vs Qlik Cloud: Maximize Your ROI

Qlik Sense vs Qlik Cloud: Maximize Your ROI

by | Sep 16, 2025 | Data Strategy, Qlik

In today’s data-driven economy, analytics platforms aren’t just about dashboards — they’re about enabling smarter, faster decisions that fuel real business growth with ROI. Choosing between Qlik Sense (on-premise) and Qlik Cloud (cloud-native) isn’t simply a technical debate — it’s about how your organization can maximize ROI from data.

At Arc Analytics, we help businesses navigate these decisions daily. This guide breaks down the strengths of both Qlik options, showcases where Qlik Cloud creates new opportunities, and explains how a hybrid approach might unlock the best of both worlds.

The Core Difference: On-Premise Control vs. Cloud Agility

  • Qlik Sense (On-Premise):
     Best suited for organizations with strict security, compliance, or legacy systems. You retain full control over infrastructure while enjoying Qlik’s powerful associative data engine.
  • Qlik Cloud (Cloud-Native):
     A flexible, continuously evolving platform that delivers scalability, accessibility, and advanced analytics. Updates roll out automatically, reducing IT overhead and giving teams instant access to new features.

This core choice — control vs agility — frames today’s analytics strategies.

Why Businesses are Moving to Qlik Cloud

Qlik Cloud isn’t just Qlik Sense in the cloud. It’s a next-generation platform designed to enhance ROI and reduce friction in just about every phase of analytics.

🚨 Proactive Insights with Qlik Alerting

Set real-time, data-driven alerts to act the moment thresholds are crossed or anomalies appear.

📊 Advanced Qlik Reporting Suite

Automated, polished, and customizable reports that ensure insights are delivered to the right people, exactly when they need them.

🔄 Drag-and-Drop Data Flows

Reduce IT bottlenecks with visual data preparation for analysts and business users — no heavy scripting required.

👥 Seamless Collaboration

Enable true real-time co-authoring and dashboard sharing across teams, locations, and devices.

📈 Elastic Scalability

Scale instantly to meet spikes in data volume or user demand. No more waiting on hardware expansions.

🔒 Enterprise-Grade Security

Far from being a risk, Qlik Cloud meets rigorous security standards, often exceeding what smaller enterprise IT setups can provide.

🤖 AI + Machine Learning Insights

Go beyond dashboards with AI-powered predictions and ML-driven insights.

🌍 Broad Data Connectivity

Unify cloud and on-premise sources into one analytics environment.

Unlocking ROI with Automation, Qlik Answers, and Qlik Predict

One of the most transformative ROI drivers in Qlik Cloud is the ability to automate and modernize how users interact with data:

  • Qlik Automation connects processes, apps, and triggers, removing manual tasks from your team’s workload.
  • Qlik Answers lets users ask questions in natural language and get instant, contextual insights — expanding analytics adoption to the entire workforce.
  • Qlik Predict leverages machine learning to forecast trends and give businesses predictive power, not just reactive dashboards.

These SaaS-native tools go far beyond cost savings — they unlock entirely new value streams, driving adoption, speeding decisions, and creating competitive differentiation.

Internal Linking: Our Specialized Migration Services

Migrating from Qlik Sense to Qlik Cloud can be daunting without the right expertise. This is where Arc Analytics’ Qlik Migration Services give you a competitive edge.

We specialize in:

  • Ensuring zero downtime migration.
  • Rebuilding complex Qlik apps in the cloud for performance gains.
  • Training teams for success in Qlik Cloud environments.

Notably, Qlik itself recently launched the Qlik Sense to Qlik Cloud Migration Tool (May 2025), giving organizations an official, streamlined path to migrate apps, data connections, and user roles. We combine this tool with our strategic approach for the smoothest possible transition.

Hybrid Approaches: Best of Both Worlds

For many enterprises, the smartest path isn’t choosing one — it’s choosing both.

  • Keep sensitive workloads in Qlik Sense on-premise for compliance.
  • Use Qlik Cloud for innovation, new projects, or global accessibility.
  • Minimize costs with licensing options that allow a hybrid setup at only ~30% additional cost.

This approach unlocks incremental ROI without forcing a “rip-and-replace” investment.

High-Level Licensing & ROI Comparison

Feature/ModelQlik Sense (On-Premise)Qlik Cloud (SaaS)
Licensing ModelCore-based (per CPU/core)Capacity-based (data volume & users)
Infrastructure CostsRequires hardware, maintenance, IT resourcesIncluded in subscription (no infrastructure overhead)
ScalabilityLimited to available cores & hardwareElastic, scales on-demand
Updates & UpgradesManual patching & downtimeContinuous updates built-in
Security & ComplianceControlled on-prem, internal governanceEnterprise-grade, built-in compliance frameworks
Total Cost of OwnershipHigh upfront + ongoing infra costsPredictable subscription, pay for usage
ROI FocusInfrastructure investment heavyData-driven outcomes & business agility

Takeaway: With Qlik Sense, ROI is partly consumed by infrastructure cost and IT overhead. With Qlik Cloud, that same investment is redirected toward automation, innovation, and user adoption — where business ROI is truly measured.

The ROI Equation

Migrating to Qlik Cloud doesn’t replace your past Qlik investment — it amplifies it.
 By combining proactive alerts, advanced reporting, Qlik Automation workflows, Qlik Answers for natural language analysis, and Qlik Predict for machine learning insights, companies can:

  • Improve decision-making speed.
  • Reduce IT overhead and manual reporting.
  • Empower every department with data-driven culture.
  • Stay future-ready as Qlik continues innovating.

Ready to Maximize Your Qlik ROI?

Whether full migration or hybrid, Arc Analytics is your partner in unlocking more value from Qlik.

✅ Explore our Qlik Cloud Consulting Services
✅ Learn about our Data Analytics Strategy Offerings
✅ Schedule a migration readiness assessment with our expert team.

Your data is powerful — Qlik Cloud makes it unstoppable.

Connecting to Qlik Sense with Python

Connecting to Qlik Sense with Python

by | Feb 29, 2024 | Qlik

While the Qlik platform has maintained and supported libraries developer libraries in JavaScript and .NET/C# for several years, they have more recently released a library for interacting with Qlik in Python. They call it the Platform SDK, which is also available as a TypeScript library.

The Python library is essentially a set of Python classes and methods that mirror the structures and functions of the Qlik QRS and Engine APIs, also providing some conveniences around authentication and WebSocket connections. The library is open for anyone to download and use thanks to its permissive MIT license.

The use cases for the Qlik Python SDK include being able to write automation scripts for repetitive admin tasks, load app and object data into a Pandas dataframe, and even creating reports built off of app or log data.

Installing the library is very simple — just make sure you are using at least Python 3.8:

python3 -m pip install --upgrade qlik-sdk

Let’s look at some examples of how we can use the library. Below, we import a few classes from the qlik_sdk library and then create some variables to hold our Qlik Cloud tenant URL and API key. We’ll use the API key to authenticate with a bearer token but an OAuth2.0 implementation is also available. Learn how to generate an API key here. The tenant URL and API key are then used to create an Apps object, which provides some high-level methods for interacting with app documents in Qlik Cloud.

from qlik_sdk import Apps, AuthType, Config

# connect to Qlik engine

base_url = "https://your-tenant.us.qlikcloud.com/"
api_key = "xxxxxx"
apps = Apps(Config(host=base_url, auth_type=AuthType.APIKey, api_key=api_key))

Now that we’ve got our authentication situated, let’s add some code to interact with a Qlik app and its contents. First, let’s import a new class, NxPage, which describes a hypercube page (more about Qlik hypercubes here). Then let’s create a new function, get_qlik_obj_data(), to define the steps for getting data from a Qlik object, like a table or bar chart. In this function, we can take an app parameter and an obj_id parameter to open an WebSocket connection to the specified app, get the app layout, get the size of the object’s hypercube, and then fetch the data for that hypercube:

from qlik_sdk.apis.Qix import NxPage

app = apps.get("xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx")

def get_qlik_obj_data(app: NxApp, obj_id: str) -> list:
    """Get data from an object in a Qlik app."""

    # opens a websocket connection against the Engine API and gets the app hypercube

    with app.open():
        tbl_obj = app.get_object(obj_id)
        tbl_layout = tbl_obj.get_layout()
        tbl_size = tbl_layout.qHyperCube.qSize
        tbl_hc = tbl_obj.get_hyper_cube_data(
            "/qHyperCubeDef",
            [NxPage(qHeight=tbl_size.qcy, qWidth=tbl_size.qcx, qLeft=0, qTop=0)],
        )
    
    return tbl_hc


obj_data = get_qlik_obj_data(app=app, obj_id="xxxxxx")

This code would end up returning a list of data pages, something like this:

[NxDataPage(qArea=Rect(qHeight=50, qLeft=0, qTop=0, qWidth=10), qIsReduced=None, qMatrix=[NxCellRows(), NxCellRows(), NxCellRows(), ...]

And if then then peek into one of the NxCellRows contained in the qMatrix property, we’d see an object like this:

NxCell(qAttrDims=None, qAttrExps=None, qElemNumber=29, qFrequency=None, qHighlightRanges=None, qInExtRow=None, qIsEmpty=None, qIsNull=None, qIsOtherCell=None, qIsTotalCell=None, qMiniChart=None, qNum=282, qState='O', qText='282')

The cell value is shown as 282 in the qText property. We may note, though, that we can’t readily identify the field that this value represents.

Let’s add some code to make the resulting dataset include the fields for each cell value. We can do that by adding a get_ordered_cols_qlik_hc() function to get the ordered list of columns in each of these NxCellRows items.

This function will ultimately take a straight hypercube as an argument and do the following:

  • Get the list of dimensions and measures and then combine them into one list.
  • Reorder that list to match the correct column order as defined in the hypercube’s qColumnOrder property.
  • Return that ordered column list.

Then in our get_qlik_obj_data() function, we use our new get_ordered_cols_qlik_hc() function to get our columns. From there we iterate through each row of each data page in the hypercube and create a new dictionary object for each cell and then adding those dictionaries to a list for each row.

New and updated code shown in bold:

from qlik_sdk.apis.Qix import NxPage, HyperCube

    
def get_ordered_cols_qlik_hc(hc: HyperCube) -> list:
    """get ordered columns from Qlik hypercube."""

    # get object columns

    dim_names = [d.qFallbackTitle for d in hc.qDimensionInfo]
    meas_names = [m.qFallbackTitle for m in hc.qMeasureInfo]
    obj_cols = dim_names.copy()
    obj_cols.extend(meas_names)

    # order column array to match hypercube column order

    new_cols = []
    new_col_order = hc.qColumnOrder
    for c in new_col_order:
        new_cols.append(obj_cols[c])
    
    return new_cols



def get_qlik_obj_data(app: NxApp, obj_id: str) -> list:
    """"""

    # opens a websocket connection against the Engine API and gets the app hypercube

    with app.open():
        tbl_obj = app.get_object(obj_id)
        tbl_layout = tbl_obj.get_layout()
        tbl_size = tbl_layout.qHyperCube.qSize
        tbl_hc = tbl_obj.get_hyper_cube_data(
            "/qHyperCubeDef",
            [NxPage(qHeight=tbl_size.qcy, qWidth=tbl_size.qcx, qLeft=0, qTop=0)],
        )


    hc_cols = get_ordered_cols_qlik_hc(tbl_layout.qHyperCube)

    # traverse data pages and store dict for each row

    hc_cols_count = len(hc_cols)
    tbl_data = []

    for data_page in tbl_hc:
        for rows in data_page.qMatrix:
            row = {hc_cols[i]: rows[i].qText for i in range(hc_cols_count)}
            tbl_data.append(row)
    
    return tbl_data


obj_data = get_qlik_obj_data(app=app, obj_id="xxxxxx")

This will get us the desired field: value format that will allow us to better analyze the output, like so:

[
    {'FID': '282', 'Summary Metric': '47', 'Name': 'Sweetwater', ...},
    {'FID': '285', 'Summary Metric': '48', 'Name': 'Sweetwater', ...},
    {'FID': '198', 'Summary Metric': '47', 'Name': 'Vision Drive', ...},
]
Interpreting Formats in a Field When Several Are Possible

Interpreting Formats in a Field When Several Are Possible

by | Apr 19, 2023 | Qlik

One of the toughest aspects of dealing with freeform data is that the input layer may not have proper data validation processes to ensure data cleanliness. This can result in very ugly records, including non-text fields that are riddled with incorrectly formatted values.

Take this example dataset:

[Test Data] table
RecordIDDurationField
100:24:00
200:22:56
300:54
40:30
501
64
72:44
85 MINUTES
96/19

Those values in the [DurationField] column are all different! How would we be able to consistently interpret this field as having a Interval data type?

One of the ways you might be inclined to handle something like this is to use If() statements. Let’s see an example of that now.

[New Data]:
Load
    [DurationField]
  , Interval( If(IsNum( Interval#([DurationField], 'hh:mm:ss') )
      , Interval#([DurationField], 'hh:mm:ss')
      , If(IsNum( Interval#([DurationField], 'mm:ss') )
          , Interval#([DurationField], 'mm:ss')
          , If(IsNum( Interval#([DurationField], 'mm') )
              , Interval#([DurationField], 'mm')
              , If(IsNum( Interval#(Left([DurationField], Index([DurationField], 'MIN')-2), 'm') )
                  , Interval#(Left([DurationField], Index([DurationField], 'MIN')-2), 'm')
                  , If(IsNum( Interval#(Replace([DurationField], '/', ':'), 'm:s') )
                      , Interval#(Replace([DurationField], '/', ':'), 'm:s')
                      , Null()
      ))))), 'hh:mm:ss')  as [New DurationField]
;
Load
    Upper(Trim([DurationField])) as [DurationField]
Resident [Test Data];

It’s a mess! Qlik has to evaluate each Interval#() function twice in order to, first, check to see if the value was properly interpreted as a duration (“interval”) value, and then, second, to actually return the interpreted duration value itself.

One of the nice alternative ways of handling this is to use a different conditional function, like Alt(). This function achieves the same thing as using the If() and IsNum() functions in conjunction. You can use:

Alt(arg1, arg2, arg3)

…Instead of:

If(IsNum(arg1), arg1, If(IsNum(arg2), arg2, If(IsNum(arg3, arg3))))

Let’s see how that may look using our previous example data:

[New Data]:
Load
    [DurationField]
  , Interval(Alt(
        Interval#([DurationField], 'hh:mm:ss')
      , Interval#([DurationField], 'mm:ss')
      , Interval#([DurationField], 'mm')
      , Interval#(Left([DurationField], Index([DurationField], 'MIN')-2), 'm')
      , Interval#(Replace([DurationField], '/', ':'), 'm:s')
      , Null()
    ), 'hh:mm:ss') as [New DurationField]
;
Load
    Upper(Trim([DurationField])) as [DurationField]
Resident [Test Data];

Basically what’s happening there is:

  • The preceding load happening at the bottom of that script is there to do some basic standardization of the [DurationField] field so that it’s easier to pattern-match.
  • In the rest of the script, we’re using the Alt() function (Qlik Help page) to check whether its arguments are numeric type of not. Each of its arguments are Interval#() functions, which are trying to interpret the values of the [DurationField] field as the provided format, like 'hh:mm:ss' or 'm:s'.
  • So it’s basically saying:

If Interval#([DurationField], 'hh:mm:ss') returns a value interpreted as an Interval, then return that value (for example, 00:24:00). But if a value couldn’t be interpreted as an Interval (like 5 mins for example, where the Interval#() function would return a text type), we go to the next Interval#() function. If Interval#([DurationField], 'mm:ss') returns a value…

This should all result in a table that looks like this:

Success! 🎉