What is Qlik Sense?

Qlik Sense is a comprehensive data analytics tool designed for business intelligence (BI). It facilitates data visualization, allowing users to create interactive dashboards and reports. As an augmented analytics tool, it integrates AI-powered insights and predictions to enhance decision-making processes.

Associative Analytics Engine

The core of Qlik Sense is its associative analytics engine which enables deep data exploration and uncovers hidden insights. This engine differentiates Qlik Sense by revealing associations within data that traditional query-based BI tools might overlook.

Data Integration and Preparation

Qlik Sense acts as a data integration tool, merging data from multiple sources for cohesive analysis. Its capabilities as a data preparation tool streamline the process of transforming raw data into a ready-to-analyze state.

Application Automation and Collaboration

With features that support application automation, Qlik Sense enhances productivity by automating repetitive tasks and processes. Additionally, it is designed to foster collaboration among teams, allowing for shared insights and collective decision-making.

What is Qlik Sense?

Qlik Sense is a data analytics platform that integrates AI and ML to provide AI-powered insights and predictions. It features an associative analytics engine for deep data exploration and uncovering insights. Qlik Sense is known for its highly interactive visualizations and dashboards, allowing users to interact with data in a self-service manner.

Analytics and Predictions

With built-in AI and ML capabilities, Qlik Sense facilitates augmented analytics and predictive analytics. Its AI-assisted tools help in automated insight generation and data preparation, supporting decision-making with immediate, intelligent action.

Associative Analytics Engine

The unique associative analytics engine of Qlik Sense enables users to make selections freely, perform instant calculations, and make discoveries in their data, providing a comprehensive analytics experience.

Data Integration and Automation

Qlik Sense offers robust data integration, preparation, and application automation capabilities. It supports a wide range of data sources, including apps, databases, and cloud services, ensuring fast data connectivity.

Collaboration and Customization

The platform facilitates collaboration with features like notes and discussion threads. It is fully customizable with APIs, allowing creation of custom apps, visualizations, and extensions, catering to specific analytical needs.

Accessibility and Governance

Qlik Sense is accessible on mobile devices and on-premises, with cloud analytics options available. It emphasizes centralized management and governance, featuring high performance scalability and powerful data integration.

Qlik Sense vs Google Looker

Data Source Connectivity

Qlik Sense excels in connecting to various data sources, while Looker is primarily based on API connectivity. Qlik Sense's broader reach in data integration offers an advantage for businesses with diverse data environments.

ETL and Data Modeling

With a more powerful ETL capability, Qlik Sense outperforms Looker in data transformation and preparation. Looker uses LookML for data modeling, which is effective for API data sources but less versatile compared to Qlik Sense's ETL functionalities.

Visualization and Extensions

Qlik Sense provides a wider variety of charts and more 3rd party extensions, offering users greater flexibility in data visualization and customization. Looker's visualization capabilities, while robust, are more limited in comparison.

Analytics Engine

The QIX engine in Qlik Sense is considered superior, facilitating better creation of measures and enabling an associative analytics model. Looker's engine is efficient but lacks the associative capabilities found in Qlik Sense.

Cost Structure

Looker charges for each query, which could lead to higher operational costs, while Qlik Sense does not charge per query, offering a more predictable cost model.

Tutorial Content and Community Support

Qlik Sense benefits from more extensive free tutorial content available online, making it easier for users to learn and leverage the platform. Looker offers less tutorial content, which may contribute to a steeper learning curve.

Deployment and Cloud Services

Looker is a cloud-based tool, which may appeal to businesses looking for cloud solutions. Qlik Sense, while offering cloud analytics, also supports on-premises deployment, providing flexibility for different IT infrastructures.

Augmented Analytics and AI

Both platforms incorporate AI and ML capabilities, but Qlik Sense emphasizes AI-powered insights and predictions, leveraging its AutoML for a code-free experience in machine learning model creation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better at connecting to data sources, Qlik Sense or Google Looker?

Qlik Sense is better at connecting to data sources than Google Looker.

How do Qlik Sense and Google Looker compare in terms of ETL capabilities?

Qlik Sense's ETL is more powerful than Looker's, with the ability to solve more complex use cases and create missing or unavailable data.

Which tool offers a greater variety of charts and visualization options?

Qlik Sense has more chart variety than Looker and also supports 3rd party extensions.

Are there differences in the way Qlik Sense and Google Looker handle API connectivity?

Both Qlik Sense and Looker connect to data sources using an API; however, Looker's API connectivity is considered complex and requires SSL and SSH.

Which platform provides more educational resources for free?

Qlik Sense has more tutorial content available for free on the internet than Looker.

Why Choose Sourcetable as an Alternative to Qlik Sense and Google Looker

When comparing data analytics tools, Sourcetable emerges as a compelling alternative to both Qlik Sense and Google Looker. Sourcetable's simplicity in aggregating data from various sources mirrors Qlik Sense's strength in connectivity but with the added benefit of a familiar spreadsheet interface. This ensures that users can access and manipulate their data seamlessly without the complexity of specialized ETL processes.

Unlike Looker, which utilizes API connections and SQL for data modeling, Sourcetable allows for real-time data queries within a spreadsheet environment. This approach reduces the need for complex setup procedures, making data manipulation more accessible and less time-consuming. Sourcetable's intuitive design is advantageous for those seeking efficiency without sacrificing the depth of data interaction.

For organizations that prioritize data visualization, Sourcetable serves as a versatile platform. It can complement Qlik Sense's extensive chart options by providing a straightforward way to visualize data through spreadsheet-based graphs and pivot tables. The ability to quickly pivot and chart data in Sourcetable caters to users who need immediate visual insights.

While Looker offers a robust semantic layer with Look ML and extensive modeling capabilities, Sourcetable's streamlined spreadsheet format is ideal for users who prefer a more hands-on and direct approach to data analysis. It facilitates on-the-fly calculations and data manipulation without the need for advanced programming knowledge.

Sourcetable's unified data platform addresses the needs of users who value the flexibility of Looker's API data source integration and the powerful tutorial content of Qlik Sense. It is a solution that balances ease of use with the capability to handle diverse data sources effectively, catering to a wide range of analytical requirements.