Last month I wrote about error handling changes in Qlikview SR11. Today I want to relate my experience in using the new “SilentErrorInChart” switch during development.

Let’s start with an excerpt from the SR11 Release Notes:

As a result of fixing bug 69228 “Syntax checker not working”, syntax error messages in object expressions are now returned to objects instead of returned as NULL. This may result in an object which rendered in SR10 or earlier, displaying an error message in SR11 (”Error in expression”).

This feature changes what you see — if a chart column has an error. Prior to QV11,  the chart would render, but values in the error column would display a null (“-“):

With SR11, the default behavior is to not render the chart and instead display a chart level error message:

This is useful. It clearly raises the flag that one of this chart’s expressions is returning an error. But which expression? You will need to go through the expressions one by one, and if there is more than one column in error, you will repeat the exercise.

Can I return to the pre-SR11 behavior? Where the chart renders what columns it can, so I can identify what columns are returning errors? Yes! There is a setting for that.

The setting is not (yet) configurable through the User Preferences Dialog. So we need to use the backdoor “easter egg” to modify the setting. To reach the easter egg settings dialog, select “Help. About QlikView”  and then Right-Click on the QV bullseye logo in the lower left of the dialog box.

 

In the Settings list, scroll down and select (left click) “SilentErrorInChart” to display or modify the current setting.

A Value of “0” for this setting means to use the new SR11 behavior. That is, any column in error will cause the entire chart to not render.

A Value of “1” will return to the pre-SR11 behavior. QV will render what columns it can, and display “-” for those columns with errors.

To modify the setting, overtype the Value, press the Set button followed by the Close button. There is no need to exit QV to recognize a change for this setting. However, the chart must be “re-rendered” to utilize the setting. Easiest method I have found is to edit and save (“OK”) the chart Properties.

I’m finding that during most development, I set “SilentErrorInChart” to “1”. I want to identify columns in error as I create them.

In my final pre-production check, I’m finding that changing “SilentErrorInChart” to “0” is a useful quality control check to dramatically surface any chart expression problems.

-Rob