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QlikView goes deep into QuickBooks data -- a little training takes you a long way
Updated May 24, 2016

QlikView goes deep into QuickBooks data -- a little training takes you a long way

David Worrell | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

QlikView Desktop (Free)

Overall Satisfaction with QlikView

My clients use QlikView (or I should say that I use QlikView for my clients!) to build reporting and "dashboards" based on accounting and operations data. Primarily, we use the version bundled inside of QuickBooks 2015 Enterprise (called "Advance Reporting"), and have created very nice -- and quite complex -- reports based on the QlikView engine / modules. Specifically, we report on sales commissions earned by sales person, on a per-item, per customer basis -- great detail that is simply not possible without QlikView.
  • QV's #1 strength is the drag and drop visualization tools -- with just a bit of training, you can make some really nice looking charts
  • QV's #2 strength is the simplicity of the filtering. Other SQL languages might call this "linking" or database structure ... which can be a pain.... but QV makes this easy. Further, once the data is inside QV, the ability to FILTER the data using check boxes is completely intuitive and simple.
  • QV's #3 strength is its ability to work across platforms and integrate multiple data sources and multiple types of data. QuickBooks data is just one example of something that it can chew up with ease.
  • Like a lot of software, QV starts with a blank page. If you are like me, you dive in without reading the instruction manual. Big mistake. There is a rigid stepwise process that you must follow to make it work....
  • I've never used anything quite as powerful as QV, so I cannot compare this to many other packages. ... but with 30 minutes of training and an hour of practice, you can be pretty proficient.
I was forced into QV by QuickBooks -- I did not have the opportunity to evaluate it specifically against other packages.
I have, however, seen Microsoft BI and BIRST --- both of which seem much more expensive (and perhaps complex) than QlikView. But I'm conjecturing a bit here.
QlikView is well suited for QuickBooks uses -- particularly if you are running 2015 Enterprise or later. It's not perfect for those organizations that are trying to push data analytics down to the staff/user level ... I think it is still best suited for a knowledgable IT or SQL geek on the startup process. But if you can get a geek (like me) to design your reports, then any staff person can use the reports and even make simple updates (like sorting on a new date range, or selecting different filters).

QlikView Feature Ratings

BI Platform ()
Not Rated
Supported Data Sources ()
Not Rated
9.0
Pixel Perfect reports
10
Customizable dashboards
10
Report Formatting Templates
7
8.7
Drill-down analysis
9
Formatting capabilities
7
Integration with R or other statistical packages
Not Rated
Report sharing and collaboration
10
10.0
Publish to Web
Not Rated
Publish to PDF
10
Report Versioning
10
Report Delivery Scheduling
Not Rated
8.0
Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)
8
Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization
Not Rated
9.0
Multi-User Support (named login)
9
Role-Based Security Model
Not Rated
Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)
Not Rated
Not Rated
Responsive Design for Web Access
Not Rated
Mobile Application
Not Rated
Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile
Not Rated
Application Program Interfaces (APIs) / Embedding ()
Not Rated

Using QlikView

2 - CFO (me) and bookkeeper / accountant (staff user).
I have created the reports and checked their veracity. The staff user is able to run the reports, change the dates, alter other filters as needed, and print the final results. She actually EXPORTS the report data to XL, where she formats it a bit further and then prints it out onto multiple pages.
Unknown..... We have never had a true "support" question. I have used the company's email support service -- with good results.
  • Sorting marketing lists or databases
  • Evaluating sales metrics
  • Analyzing production results from machinery -- any data file.
  • Financial Dashboards
  • Sales commissions calculations
  • SQL tasks on large spreadsheets
  • None... sorry!

QlikView Implementation

"Implementation" can mean a few things... so I'm not sure that this is the answer you want.... but here it goes:
To me, implementation means: "Is the user interface intuitive and can I produce meaningful reports with ease?"
On that score, I'd say YES. The amount of training required was minimal and the results were powerful.
The desktop implementation is a simple, "blank" interface just waiting for your creativity. The pre-populated templates give you a reasonable start to any project -- and a good set of objects to "play around with" if you're just getting started.
Finally, note that the "implementation" I used was baked into QuickBooks 2016 Enterprise -- called "Advanced Reporting"..... That integration makes it ultra useful and simple.