Business intelligence (BI) solutions are notoriously difficult to implement, and few meet user and organisational expectations. According to an ITWeb survey, only 19% of respondents at the 2010 BI conference, held earlier this year, viewed their BI solutions as a success. That’s what makes QlikView a notable exception. IT research and advisory firm Gartner calls QlikView “disruptive technology” and “the best performing BI platform in the market.”
In this year’s BI Survey 9 – the world’s largest independent survey of BI and performance management users, conducted by the Business Application Research Centre – QlikView ranked first in customer loyalty, query performance (least complaints), and inclination to purchase more licences, continuing to outpace larger rivals like SAP (Business Objects), Oracle (Hyperion) and IBM (Cognos).
Intelligent Business. Business Intelligence software improves business insight and decision-making, says Davide Hanan, MD QlikView South Africa.
Top Performance
QlikView ranked high in other key categories, including:
- Ease of use for end-users was cited as one of the most important factors influencing the purchase decision (38% of respondents)
- Query performance was rated highest by QlikView customers
- Speed of implementation – QlikView was among leaders in implementation within three months and had 85% of customers implemented within six months
- Intention to buy more licences – QlikView had the highest number of customers intending to buy more licences
How Does it Work?
QlikView lets users search intuitively across databases and quickly displays information in charts and graphs that are easy to understand. It lets you decide which data you want to collect rather than forcing you to sort through an information hierarchy.
Typical questions include: What did we sell most of on Heritage Day? Where did we sell it? Who sold the most? It’s a “new generation” software tool that combines reporting, BI and web query into one product.
“It enables you to answer any question about your business,” says Davide Hanan, MD QlikView South Africa, “You can consolidate, search, visualise, and analyse your data sources for in-depth business insight and quick, smart decisions.”
In addition to unifying multiple data sources it easily integrates with existing systems – including traditional BI software such as Cognos, Hyperion and Business Objects.
QlikView enables users to make ad hoc queries in a non-hierarchical data structure. This is made possible by AQL – associative query logic – which automatically associates values in the internal QlikView database.
“The automatic associations of QlikView create endless possibilities for making ad hoc queries without requiring defined structures and hierarchies,” says Hanan. “QlikView promotes unrestricted analysis of application data, helping users make time-saving and accurate decisions.”
This associative technology works the way the mind does. It provides one-click access to visually rich, interactive dashboards anyone can build quickly and modify easily. The system is simple to use and learn. There are no complex interfaces, confusing screens or unfathomable commands and queries.
Consider Using a BI Solution If:
- You’re battling to answer basic questions about your business
- You spend more time collecting data than analysing it
- You’re drowning in reports
- You have problems with the quality of the information you use
- You’re forced to make decisions with insufficient information
- You have problems combining data across different systems
- You’re frustrated with the complexities of OLAP
Easy Deployment, True Mobility
It’s a single product that can be deployed internally or rolled out by implementation partners. QlikView also offers mobile, cloud, laptop, and on-premise accessibility. QlikView provides interactive access whenever and wherever you need it. For mobile professionals who need access to comprehensive, real-time information, QlikView is available as a mobile app that delivers an interactive experience by providing anywhere, anytime access, while taking advantage of the functionality of the mobile devices on which it runs.
All major mobile platforms are supported by QlikView, including iPhone and BlackBerry. QlikView for iPhone fully leverages the iPhone’s multi-touch interface and GPS.
Cloud Availability
QlikView can be deployed in the cloud to further speed implementation, scale capacity and give your company the benefit of lower upfront costs. Companies running QlikView in the cloud enjoy scalability, platform neutrality and zero infrastructure costs.
From Small to Large
It’s suitable for any size business, from SMEs to multinationals. Large companies with billions of records use QlikView to provide data and analysis across multiple departments. Workgroups use it for comprehensive insight into their unit-specific needs.
Hanan says that QlikView empowers users to create and drive their own applications with minimal IT involvement. “Its unique architecture automatically optimises performance to ensure a consistent, highly-responsive user experience – freeing IT to focus on other activities.”
Case Study
QlikView enhances SAB’s performance management culture. Integrated reporting and analysis tool delivers outstanding ROI.
The Company
SAB is the second-largest listed company on the JSE Securities Exchange, South Africa’s leading producer-distributor of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and one of the nation’s largest manufacturing firms. The group runs SAP across its operations to manage sales, finance, marketing and supply chain functions, producing high data volumes across multiple systems in a complex IT structure.
In this milieu, SAB struggled to measure and manage output and perform data analysis. Business users employed various reporting tools to extract and analyse data, but these solutions proved complex and ineffective.
The company set out 18 months ago to find a solution that would allow it to combine and analyse multiple data sets across different systems. The solution had to be easy to use, fast and insightful in SAB’s ongoing quest to measure and improve operational efficiency. It also had to handle vast amounts of data.
The Solution
SAB evaluated QlikView and SAB’s operations department did a proof of concept (PoC) against the requirements and found that the solution outperformed the corporate IT alternative in terms of fit for purpose. After the PoC demonstrations, test users indicated their satisfaction with QlikView on all counts. SAB purchased 500 licences together with the QlikView SAP Connector and proceeded to roll it out countrywide.
User Reaction
Users were impressed with the speed of implementation, saying the tool facilitated fast and accurate decisions and enabled root cause analyses on business issues. QlikView proved to be an excellent complement to SAB’s performance management culture and empowered users to develop and grow in their respective business areas by giving them a better understanding of their information.
“We suddenly had reporting and analysis at the click of a button,” says business analyst Sonja Deyzel. “I now use QlikView for all my reporting and analysis. It associates all the information and lets us get into the key issues very quickly.”
Payback
Within a year, SAB reported an exceptionally high return on investment, due to users’ improved ability to control and manage information and provide their own reporting and analysis. “Our intention when purchasing QlikView was to provide superior customer service and productivity in the business,” says operations excellence manager Sean Milne. “We have achieved that as well as an exceptional ROI through superior execution.”
Beyond Operations
QlikView has been accepted enterprise-wide in SAB, with various other units leveraging the experience of operations to launch their own BI projects. A random sample of depot managers responded as follows to the new tool: “It has allowed us immediate access to data and analysis of our processes. Accountability is now much more defined.”
“It gives us more in-depth analysis on a daily basis, and it is easier to trend KPIs and detect potential problems early on.”
“QlikView has been a massive time saver, allowing us to be more responsive, flexible and strategic in our operation. It has levelled the playing field by applying a single methodology across the business.”
The Future
Through progressive planning and a vision on where they wanted their business to be, SAB was able to use the unique and powerful technology that exists within QlikView to give their users actionable intelligence. QlikView has found a quick adoption in other functional areas including planning and sales.
