What is Qlik?
Qlik is a business intelligence tool and analytics platform that’s used for data analytics and integration, and the process of transforming raw data into valuable knowledge. It was founded in 1993 in Sweden but now operates out of Pennsylvania. This complete data analytics platform includes an associative analytics engine, a high-performing cloud platform, and cutting-edge AI capabilities. It allows users to transform raw data into actionable outcomes so that organizations can make better business decisions. In addition, Qlik’s ad hoc query tools provide quick decision-making options based on easily accessible information.
Qlik has many helpful features, such as:
- Largely automated data association
- Fast speed of operation and implementation
- Data compression capabilities
- Secure workspace
- Consistent reporting
- Multiple kinds of data representations
Qlik Products
There are several Qlik products currently available:
- QlikView is a classic analytics solution with an associative engine that has transformed the way businesses manage data. It incorporates intuitive visual discovery so that more people can have access to business intelligence insights.
- Qlik Sense optimizes associative technology, which helps users to perform lightning-fast calculations, which are in context, at scale.
- Qlik Replicate (formerly Attunity Replicate) provides businesses with a way to speed up the data replication process. It allows users to securely, efficiently, and easily move data while causing minimal operating impact.
Qlik Applications for Data Analytics
The following are some of Qlik’s main uses for data analytics:
- Reporting: Qlik helps users to make and share their own effective, visual reports based on data and analytics gathered in Qlik Sense and QlikView.
- Embedding: Once Qlik users create custom apps and visualizations, they can embed analytics into any operational app.
- Alerting: Qlik Sense provides users with data-driven alerts so that they can be aware of any issues and take action in a timely manner.
- Mobility: When working with Qlik, users can provide complete, interactive online or offline analytics for iOS and Android. Integrated alerting provides users with alerts so that immediate action can be taken.
- GeoSpatial analysis capabilities: Qlik’s spatial analytics and map visualization options provide users with the means to make more informed location-driven decisions, and to present them in an easy-to-understand manner.
Benefits & Drawbacks of Using Qlik for Data Analytics
There are a variety of benefits, as well as several drawbacks, to using Qlik for data analytics:
Benefits
- Because Qlik Sense is centrally managed, business logic solutions can be reused. When creating their own dashboards, users are able to draw from governed data and secure libraries.
- QlikView is easy to implement. The software doesn’t require a lot of technical supervision or maintenance.
- QlikView optimizes an in-memory system that is efficient enough to cater to as many clients as needed without slowing down.
- Those using QlikView are assured that their data is safe and will not be a part of a security breach.
- New source tables can be easily added to tasks in Qlik Replicate.
- Qlik Replicate is considered to be very stable; it does not suffer from many failures or alerts that require troubleshooting to solve.
Drawbacks
- Because Qlik lacks some basic charts, it has limited visualization capabilities.
- Qlik Sense’s capability to extract data is inflexible.
- When working with extremely large datasets, data solutions can be sluggish.
- The pricing model in Qlik Sense involves tokens, and some users find this complicated.
- Working in the analysis mode of Qlik requires more memory space than is usual, which can slow down operations and cause the app to malfunction.
- Because QlikView has a distinct appearance, integrating or embedding it with other software may prove to be difficult.
What is Tableau?
Tableau is the fastest-growing platform for visual analytics on the market. It allows users to simplify raw data into a format that’s easy to access and understand by those working at any level of an organization. Even non-technical Tableau users can create customized dashboards and worksheets with the help of this versatile tool. It’s relied on by teachers, students, Data Scientists, Analysts, executives, and business owners for their end-to-end analytics needs. This is why Tableau is considered to be the leading analytics platform for business intelligence.
Some of Tableau’s most remarkable features include its capacity for data blending, real-time analysis, and data collaboration. Because Tableau does not require programming skills or technical expertise to operate, users of all backgrounds can easily work with this software. It can be installed directly onto one’s hardware from a web download and be operational in just twenty minutes.
Tableau Applications for Data Analytics
Here are just a few of the uses for Tableau in the field of data analytics:
- Extracting data from multiple sources: Tableau makes it easy to pull data from various sources. It can be connected to a variety of sources of data, as well as different types of data. It is also able to depict all these types of data in one place by using data visualizations.
- Preparing data: Tableau Prep enables users to collate data from various types of files and sources. It also provides a means to combine files with the same column names into a single data source, which eliminates the time wasted copying and pasting.
- Processing data quickly: The longer a business operates, the more data it will collect. Businesses have a perpetual need for data analytic tools that can handle large amounts of data. Tableau can process millions of data rows quickly, and generate different visualizations that depict this data without sacrificing dashboard performance. It can also establish live connections to data sources, which leads to real-time changes in visualizations, depending on the data that is being accessed.
- Exploring data: Tableau’s intuitive interface offers drag-and-drop capabilities, which provide additional flexibility for users.
- Performing calculations: Tableau is equipped with a calculation language that simplifies the act of executing difficult calculations and complex statistical functions. Tableau’s intuitive interface can handle a range of mathematical tasks, from aggregations to covariance and correlation.
- Analyzing data: One of the best ways to gain insights from data is to visualize it through various perspectives. Tableau allows users to create “if” scenarios, which provides a means for visualizing hypothetical outcomes. Moreover, dynamic components can be added when analyzing or comparing different scenarios. This allows users to work with real-time data in order to review correlations between various pieces of data.
- Visualizing data: The Show Me feature on Tableau is a powerful tool designed to help users quickly create visualizations. It provides options for a variety of chart types and eliminates the need to reformat or realign data based on the type of chart selected.
- Interacting with others: Those using Tableau’s dashboards are able to access dashboards that were designed by Data Analysts and even customize them to meet their own needs.
- Customizing data reports: One of the most important aspects of the data analytics process is reporting on data. Better reporting options allow for better data representations. Tableau provides users with many options for data report customizations so that data can be represented in a way that best suits the needs of customers, clients, or managers. This subsequently leads to more helpful conclusions.
- Connecting with a larger community: Tableau Public provides a vibrant community in which Data Analysts and other users can learn from each other and collaborate on various endeavors. Tableau also provides patches, new products, and upgrades based on community feedback, which ensures its products are as up-to-date as possible.
Benefits & Drawbacks of Using Tableau for Data Analytics
Most Tableau users have a very positive and productive experience using Tableau. However, with the growing popularity of other data visualization tools, some users cite drawbacks to this particular suite of software.
Benefits
- Performs well on mobile devices
- Can handle large amounts of data
- Is able to connect to multiple data sources
- Works with multiple scripting languages
- Minimal hardware requirements/no need for a dedicated server
- Reduces network traffic
- Has a growing community and forum of dedicated users
Drawbacks
- Cost/inflexible pricing
- Security issues
- Lack of post-sale support
- Limited BI capabilities
Which Comes Out Ahead?
While both Qlik and Tableau offer many similar data analytic features, deciding which one is the best option for your business may require a deeper look at some of the particular options available on each platform.
In terms of data connectors, both Tableau and Qlik support many of the same data connectors, yet vary in how they sort data. Qlik’s associative engine can point to insights that are often overlooked with the human eye, Tableau incorporates a query-based approach to displaying data, in which the individual searches for answers to their own questions. Both Qlik Sense and Tableau Desktop provide customizable dashboard and report options. However, Tableau Desktop tends to favor quick and accessible data visualizations over more complex, ornate ones. Therefore, in terms of data visualization capability, Tableau visualizations tend to be simpler than those in Qlik.
With regard to security, Qlik Sense allows an organization to choose from a variety of software as a service (SaaS), private cloud, or on-premise software deployment. Tableau also is available as an on-premise, desktop, or cloud-based solution. This means that for large businesses that need to host software on their own servers, either Tableau or Qlik is a good option. Finally, since both Qlik and Tableau support multiple users with role-based permissions, security measures on both platforms are in place to ensure that access to data is only granted to those who should be able to see it.
Hands-On Data Analytics & Tableau Classes
A variety of live online Tableau courses are available from top training providers. These interactive classes are taught in real-time and provide all learners with access to an instructor who is live and ready to provide feedback and answer questions. Courses range from seven hours to five days in duration and cost $299- $2,199. Many come with the option of a free retake of course material to help students revisit course material.
There’s also a Classes Near Me tool that’s designed to help locate Tableau classes in your area. This makes it simple to locate and read about more than three dozen of the best Tableau classes currently offered in the in-person and live online formats so that prospective students can find the course that works best for them.
Are you interested in learning more about data analytics? If so, Noble Desktop’s data analytics classes are a great starting point. Courses are currently available in topics such as Excel, Python, and data analytics, among others skills necessary for analyzing data. In addition, more than 130 live online data analytics courses are also available from top providers. Courses range from three hours to nine months and cost from $219 to $60,229.