Category Archives: QlikView

Qlik Sense, QlikView, Scripting

LET, SET, Quotes

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Summary: In Qlik script SET is often a better choice than LET, even when the value contains quotes. 

I sometimes see the LET script statement used when SET would be syntactically  easier and more readable.

A brief review:  SET assigns the given parameter as-is to the variable,  LET treats the parameter as an expression and assigns the evaluated result to the variable.

SET x = 1+3;  // x is "1+3"

LET x = 1+3; // x is "4"

I frequently see a variable assignment like this:

LET eSales='sum(Sales)';

eSales stores an expression that will be used later in charts.  It could also be written (simpler in my estimation) as:

SET eSales=sum(Sales);

So far just a matter of style, but the difference becomes clear when we have quotes as part of the string, for example, “Region={‘US’}”.   As LET requires a quoted string,  embedded quotes require some sort of escaping.  In QV10 and earlier, a common way to write this with LET would be:

LET x = 'Region={' & chr(39) & 'US' & '}';

Not real pretty. Many people carry over this style even though QV11 introduced two single quotes to represent an embedded single quote.

LET x = 'Region={''US''}';

Easier to read for sure.  But I think it’s even easier with SET.

SET x = Region={'US'};

That’s it. No special escaping required, just type it as it should be.  What about those quotes? Shouldn’t SET strings be enclosed in quotes?

I find the documentation on SET to be thin, but here is the rule as I understand it.

Single or Double quotes in a SET statement require no special treatment as long as they are balanced (even number of quotes).

SET x = Region={'US'},Product={'Shoe'};  // Valid

SET x = Region={"U*"},Product={'Shoe'}; // Valid

SET x = I won't go;   // Invalid

If the quotes are unbalanced (odd number), then the entire string needs to be enclosed in quotes or brackets.  Use double quotes if we are enclosing single quotes.

SET x = "I won't go";

SET x = [I won't go];

I always favor SET over LET unless I truly want an evaluation.  An exception to this is the string “$(” which will trigger an Dollar Sign Expansion, even in SET.

-Rob

For more on character escaping in Qlik from HIC see https://community.qlik.com/blogs/qlikviewdesignblog/2015/06/08/escape-sequences

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Productivity, QlikView, Tools

Mass Editing of QVW Script

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Summary: In this post I describe a process using freely available tools to apply changes to all scripts in a set of QVW files.

So you have a lot of QVWs. And now you are asked to identify and make updates to all scripts to support changes such as:

  • A change in QVD or other file naming.
  • Changes in file paths due to a server move or directory restructuring.
  • Updating file paths to use variables.

If you are super cool, all those items are represented by variables, changes are handled by updating a single include file and you can relax and stop  reading this post. For the rest of us, read on.

You can scan and search all your script using my Script Repository tool.  That will allow to identify where changes are required, but do you have time to edit every QVW and make the changes?  Easy enough for a few, but what about when you have dozens?

QlikView Desktop has a useful facility we can leverage for mass changes; the “-prj” folder.  If a folder named qvwname-prj  (case sensitive) exists in the same folder as the QVW, when the QVW is saved, QV Desktop will write a set of text files representing the structure of the QVW to the -prj folder.  One of those files is “LoadScript.txt” which contains the load script.

When QV Desktop opens a file, it checks for the existence of a companion -prj.  If found, it populates the QVW with the contents of the files in the -prj.  If we change one of those files, for example “LoadScript.txt”,  that change will be inherited by the QVW.

Let’s walk thorough a scenario where we can utilize this feature to update the scripts of an entire set of QVWs.  I’ll utilize free tools that will make the process easier.

My sample problem is this: I have inconsistent QVD naming conventions. We’ve decided that “DimCustomer.qvd” shall henceforth be known simply as “Customer.qvd”. I’ll need to update the script that generates the QVD as well as all readers of the QVD.

I will accomplish this update in four steps:

  1. Create -prj folders for all QVWs.
  2. In the “LoadScript.txt” files replace “DimCustomer.qvd” with “Customer.qvd”.
  3. Rebuild the QVWs with the updated -prj.
  4. (Optional) Delete the -prj files.

The sample I’ll use for this post is relatively small to keep the demo simple.  But I’ve used this technique to process hundreds of QVWs at a time incorporating several different script edits.

I have a directory of QVWs that looks like this:

 

 

In the SubFolder “Loaders”, there are additional QVWs.

 

 

I’ll need a -prj folder for each QVW. I  can create the -prj manually, but this is where I can leverage the PrjTool to make life easier.  You can download the PrjTool from the Tools section of this site.  (Note: If you received a copy of PrjTool from the Masters Summit, please download this newer version as it contains important updates.)

PrjTool requires a Directory as input and the selection of one of  three functions:

  • BuildPrj: For all QVW files found in the specified Directory, create a -prj folder.  This includes opening and saving the QVW to populate the -prj.
  • CreateFromPrj: For all -prj folders found in the specified Directory, open and save the QVW to update the QVW with contents of the -prj.  If no QVW exists, a new one will be created.
  • DeletePrj: Delete all -prj folders found in the  specified Directory.

I’ll start by specifying the Directory that holds our QVWs and selecting the BuildPrj function.  Press the Execute button and the script will launch. The execution may take some time as each QVW has to be opened and saved. Good time to go for a coffee.

When the execution completes the log window will be filled with messages listing the -prj folders created by the tool.

 

If we examine the directory again we will see the new -prj folders.

 

Our next task is to edit the LoadScript.txt files. We can use any editor capable of searching and replacing across multiple files.  For this demo I will use the free NotePad++ editor.   From the NotePad++ menu, launch “Search” , “Find in File”.  In the search dialog I specify the Directory  and  the search and replace strings. I’ll also limit the search to the LoadScript.txt files.

 

After pressing “Find All”,  I’ll get a list of search results.  I can double click any of the results to open the file for further examination.

 

When I’m satisfied that I’m going to make the correct updates, I again launch “Find in Files” and press “Replace in Files”  to perform the update.

Now I’ll use the PrjTool again to update the QVWs with the updated -prj files.  I run the tool again, this time selecting the “CreateFromPrj” function.  Again, if you have a lot of large QVWs, be patient while the tool runs.  The resulting log messages will inform me of the updates.

We’re done!  All QVWs now contain the updated load script.  Optionally we can run the tool again with the “DeletePrj” function to delete the generated -prj folders.

You should always perform this kind of mass update activity on copies of QVWs and audit the results.  Also, never use -prj folders in production.  Server reloads do not recognize -prj folders.

-Rob

 

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QlikView, Visualization

QV12 Variables with Alt State Fixed

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Summary:  QV11 contained an inconsistency in how variables with equal signs were evaluated when using Alternate States.  This has been fixed in QV12.10.  Read on if you want the details. 

QlikView V12.10 includes an important fix to variable evaluation when using alternate states. A quote from the Release Notes:

In QV11.20 the variable was expanded in the first state encountered and this resulted in a random behavior when more than one alternate state was being used. Whereas in version 12 and up, the variable always belongs to a specific alternate state and this results in different behavior.

The random behavior described in QV11.20 has generated several interesting posts to QlikCommunity with responses of “I can reproduce” / “I can’t reproduce” and few clear answers.

I find the problem confusing and interesting enough to warrant an explanation and example beyond the Release Note.

What I am describing in this post only affects variables with a leading “=” in the definition, e.g. “=Sum(Sales)”.  These variables are calculated once in the context of the entire document. They are not calculated per row in a chart.

Let’s consider a variable named “vSumX” with a definition of “=Sum(X)”.  The expression simply sums all selected values of X.   Suppose we have two States in our document — “Default” and “State1”.  There could be two different selections for “X”.  Which set of X should the variable sum?

If we consider the variable definition in isolation, the answer is “Default set”  as there is no set identifier in the expression.  But what if the variable is referenced in an object in State1.  Should the State1 values of X be used?

No matter what you think the rules should be, here’s what was happening in QV11.20.  The variable was expanded (evaluated) in the first state encountered.  First state encountered means first state in the calculation chain, not something the developer directly controls.

Let’s look at some examples.   I’ve created a sample app (you can download here) with three States — Default,  State1 and State2.  The variable “vSumX” is defined as “=Sum(X)”.

With all objects on sheet in the Default state, selections in X would yield results like this.  (Note “$” indicates default state).

The first text box contains the expression “Sum(X)”.  The second text object contains the reference to variable vSumX.  The two values are what we might expect, summing the selected values of X in this state.

Let’s switch to a sheet that contains objects in the state named “State1”.

No selections in X and the first text object shows the expected result.  The second object shows the value of vSumX as previously calculated from the default state.  If we make selections on this State1 sheet, that will cause vSumX to be recalculated and both State1 and the Default sheet will reflect the State 1 number.  Is that correct?  Is it useful?  It’s at least consistent and comprehensible.

My next example is where the aforementioned “random” comes into play.  Let’s put objects from three states on the same sheet.

I’ve selected some values in the Default state of X and the results are what I might expect.  The value of vSumX is calculated from my last selections and the variable value is consistent across objects — there is only ever one value for a variable at a given point in time.

Now I select some X values in State1 and expect to see a new value (19) for vSumX.  But no change! The variable was expanded (evaluated) in the first state encountered which happened to be Default ($).

Now I select some X values in State2.  If the vSumX calc used my last selection I would expect to see 7.  But no, I see 19.  The State1 values were used.  If I repeat the exercise, it may use a different state to calc vSumX.  If you test you may get different results.  In this last example, State1 was used because it was the first state encountered in the calculation chain.  The order is not consistent.  It will be influenced by factors such as number of available processors and the order in which the objects were created.

Now that we’ve established that QV11,20 is broken in this regard, how was it fixed in QV12.10?  Simple.  QV12 uses  set identifiers as specified in the expression, without inheritance.

=Sum(X)

will use the Default State as there is no identifier.   If you want to Sum from a specific state, use it in the expression:

=Sum({State1} X)

Variables do not belong to any State.  Aggregation functions used in a variable may specify a Statename, just as chart expression do.  The difference is that the absence of a set identifier in a chart expression means “inherit the state from the containing object”.  In a “=” variable, no set identifier means “use the default state”.

A reminder that end of standard support for QV11 comes on Dec 8, 2017.  If you haven’t yet upgraded to QV12.10, I encourage you to do so.  Download my  QV12 Upgrade Considerations Doc as part of your planning process.  Feel free to contact me if you want some assistance with your upgrade.

-Rob

Update:  Qlik has extended support for QV11.20 to March 31, 2018. 

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Performance, QlikView, Tools

Document Analyzer Batch Analysis

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I’ve received several requests to provide a batch interface to the popular QV Document Analyzer tool that will provide for analyzing multiple QVWs with a single command.  It’s now available for download here.

The script is a windows cmd file.  Because many browsers block download of cmd files, I’ve provided it with a “txt” extension. Rename to “DABatch.cmd” after downloading.

The usage from the command line is:

DaBatch.cmd somedir
 where “somedir” is a directory of QVWs to be analyzed.   Each QVW in the directory will be processed by Document Analyzer and the results will be saved for later review.
Before running, there are a number of configuration variables in DABatch.cmd you will want to review and modify as necessary.

 

REM *** Path to QV.exe executable ***

SET qvDir=C:\Program Files\QlikView\Qv.exe

This is location of the QV Desktop executable. The provided value is the default location for most users and is typically appropriate as-is.

REM *** Path to DocumentAnalyzer.qvw. Note that v3.6 or later is required! ***

SET DaPath=DocumentAnalyzer_V3.6.qvw
Where is the Document Analyzer.qvw to be found?  Note that DA V3.6 or later is required by DABatch.

 

REM *** Directory to store DocumentAnalyzerResults QVDs and QVWs. Will be created if it doesn't exist *** SET DaResultsDir=C:\temp\MyDaResults
Specify the directory where analysis results will be saved.  If this directory does not exist, it will be created.

 

REM *** Should the analyzer results be stored in a QVD (YES/NO)? ***
SET SaveResultsInQVD=YES
Do you want to save the DA results in a QVD for later analysis by the DaCompareTool.qvw?  The default of “YES” is usually appropriate here.   QVD result files include a timestamp so you will always get new files for each run. Change to “NO” if you don’t want result QVDs.

 

REM *** Should the analyzer results be stored in a QVW (YES/NO)? ***

SET SaveResultsInQVW=YES
If “YES”, a DA QVW will be saved for each analysis and named “DocumentAnalyzer_your_qvwname.qvw”.  If a file exists with this name, it will be overwritten. If you don’t want individual DA QVWs, change this variable to “NO”.

 

After launching DABatch, you will receive one prompt:
Analysis Title? <ENTER> for 'Baseline'
The prompt is requesting a title to be assigned to the Result QVDs that will be consumed by DaCompareTool.  To accept the default of “Baseline”,  press <Enter>.  Otherwise type a new value and press <Enter>.


If you have set “SET SaveResultsInQVD=NO” as a configuration option, the title value is irrelevant.  (Perhaps I should not prompt in that case; next version?).


While the script is running Document Analyzer windows will be launched for each QVW and progress message displayed.  It’s best to keep your hands off the keyboard to get proper timings.  Good time to get that coffee.

When execution is complete you’ll see a summary message.
*****************************************************
Batch Analysis complete. 3 QVWs analyzed.
*****************************************************


You can now review each”DocumentAnalyzer_your_qvwname.qvw” file or load the result QVDs into DaCompareTool.qvw for comparative analysis.


Please let me know in the comments section if you can think of enhancements that support your use case for DA batch analysis.


-Rob
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QlikView, Scripting

QV12 REM Logging Change

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Summary: QV12 no longer prints the REM statement to the Document Log.

In QV11 “//” and “/*” comments do not appear in the Document Log, but “REM” comments do appear in the log.  I found REM useful to provide some documentation in my logfile or record which branch was taken in an IF-THEN-ELSE.

QV12 has changed the logging of REM.  The REM statement will now appear in the log obfuscated as a series of asterisks  For example, the statement

REM  Beginning of weekly load;

will appear in the log as

2017-05-18 14:24:34 0005 *** *** ******

My understanding is that the change was made to support security standards, as someone could REM a CONNECT string or other sensitive data thereby exposing it in the log.

To provide log documentation, use the TRACE statement instead.  I don’t find TRACE as pretty as REM because TRACE generates double lines, but it will do the job.

I maintain a collection of upgrade notes for QV12 that you can download here to assist in your planning.  Please do read all the Qlik doc — release notes and help site — as well.

-Rob

 

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Qlik Sense, QlikView, Tools, Uncategorized

QlikView to Qlik Sense Convertor

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Are you migrating QlikView Apps to Qlik Sense?  Have you tried the new QlikView Convertor tool in QS 3.2? 

The QV Convertor tool is available from the Dev Hub in QS 3.2+.  It’s a pretty slick tool that converts QV Variables, Dimensions and Expressions to Master items and converts QV charts to Master QS Visualizations.  It does not attempt to replicate the sheets,  but expects you to place the visualizations on sheets yourself as required.

It’s a very useful tool with a good UI that allows for filtering and limiting what gets converted.

At the Atlanta Qlik Dev Group meeting on July 13 I’ll be demonstrating the tool and presenting some tips and considerations for doing conversions.   They’ve given me two hours (!) to speak so I’ll be covering several other topics as well.

-Rob

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Qlik Sense, QlikView, Tools

Cookbook Tools Updates

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Just a quick note about some recent updates to the Tools available on QlikViewCookbook.com

  • QV Document Analyzer V3.5 
    • Added new computed field, “Expression Table Count” that identifies how many tables are involved in a given expression.  Expressions that use data from more than one table typically run slower then those with all data in a single table.
    • Added “Like Objects Count” attribute for Objects, identifying candidates for linked objects.
    • Bug fixes.
  • Copy Groups Utility V2 allows for copying groups within the same QVW.
  • Script Log Analyzer V1.6 can analyze reload logs from both QlikView and Qlik Sense, Desktop and Server versions.  Interface is available in four languages.

-Rob

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QlikView, Scripting

QV 12.10 “Can Execute External Programs” is back

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In an earlier post I wrote about how to authorize the script Execute statement and the differences between QlikView versions 11 and 12.  I’ve just tested the new QlikView v12.10 Initial Release and the rules have changed again.

To run an Execute statement in QV12 Desktop requires that “User Preference, Security,  Script (Allow Database Write and Execute Statements)” be checked on.  This is also true in QV12.10.

An additional Script Setting “Can Execute External Programs” is present in QV12 but had no effect.  In QV12.10, this setting behaves as it does in QV11. If off, you will be asked to authorize when the Execute statement is encountered in the script.

For an Execute to run in QV12.10 Desktop without prompting, both “Script (Allow Database Write and Execute Statements)” and “Can Execute External Programs” must be on.

What about QV12.10 Server? Like QV12 Server, Execute is authorized by the setting:

AllowExecuteCommand=1

The value is set in “C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\QlikTech\QlikViewBatch\settings.ini”, and it is off by default after install.

Does QV12.10 Server need the  “Can Execute External Programs” setting? No. As a matter of fact, if it’s off, the reload sets it on. I don’t mean temporarily. I mean it sets and saves it in the qvw.

Updating the matrix from my previous post:execute-rules

 

What is the intent behind this QV12.10 change?  I’m not sure.

-Rob

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Productivity, Qlik Sense, QlikView, Scripting, Tools

Storing a Data Model in a Single QVD

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Have you ever thought it might be interesting to store a  Qlik data model into a single QVD?  This can be useful in a number of cases such as:

  • Archiving (and retrieving) data models.
  • Overcoming the “single binary load” restriction.

QlikView Components (QVC) Version 11 introduced two new routines to do just that:

Qvc.ExportModel — Exports all tables of the current model into a single QVD.

Qvc.ImportModel — Import a data model created by Qvc.ExportModel.

Even if you don’t have QVC V11 installed, you can try Qvc.ExportModel right now using  http include.  Add these lines to any QlikView script (instructions for Qlik Sense further on down in this post).

$(Must_Include=https://github.com/RobWunderlich/Qlikview-Components/releases/download/v11.1/Qvc.qvs);
 CALL Qvc.ExportModel
 CALL Qvc.Cleanup

Mind the wrap. The Must_Include should be on one line. Using QVC requires the Qvc.qvs library be included (usually at the beginning of script), CALLing Qvc routines, and CALLing a Cleanup routine at the end of your script.

Assuming this script is included in “Sales Dash.qvw”,  the default exported model QVD will be named “Sales Dash.qvd” in the same directory.

 

Now, to import this QVD model into another qvw, replace the CALL to ExportModel in the above sample with:

CALL Qvc.ImportModel('Sales Dash.qvd')

The original model will be reconstructed as individual tables.

Qvc.ExportModel has three optional parameters:

CALL Qvc.ExportModel(['qvddir'],['qvdname'],['addTimestamp']);
Parameter Number Parameter Description
1 String. Optional. Relative or absolute directory where the model QVD will be stored. If relative, it follows the same rules as the STORE script statement for relative directory.
2 String, Optional. Name for the model QVD. If omitted, the name of the QVW will be used. For example, if QVW is “Sales.qvw”, then QVD will be “Sales.qvd”.
3 String, Optional. 1/0 True/False. If True, a timestamp of the form _YYYYMMDDhhmmss will be appended to the QVD name. Default if omitted is False.

 

Qlik Sense has no default path  so parameter #1, a lib:// for the QVD should be specified.  Alternatively, if a lib has been established with a DIRECTORY statement, parameter 1 can be omitted.

Qlik Sense will require a web file Connection for the http Must_Include.

webfile-connection

After defining the web connection and having an appropriate folder connection to store the QVD in,  Qlik Sense script would look like this:

$(Must_Include=lib://QvcWeb);
 Call Qvc.ExportModel('lib://QVData')
 CALL Qvc.Cleanup;

 

That’s all there is to it!  If you are already using QVC, I hope you’ll find these routines a welcome addition to the library.  If you are new to QC, explore more at QlikviewComponents.org.

-Rob

Thanks to Jörgen Peerik for raising the single-QVD export idea during a QVC class. 

 

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Productivity, QlikView, Scripting, Tools

Preparing your script for QV12

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Summary: I provide a tool to check your script for compatibility with QlikView version 12. 

I’ve blogged about a couple of script changes in QV12 here.  Since then I’ve also noticed that the $(include) statement is also affected by the Directory statement. That is, if the script below works in QV11, it will not work in QV12:

DIRECTORY Data;
 $(Must_Include=config.txt);

This is because QV11 looks for the file in the working directory where the QVW is, whereas QV12 will respect the DIRECTORY statement and look in the Data directory.

To summarize compatabilty considerations for QV12:

How will you know if you have existing  script that may be impacted by these changes in QV12?  In an earlier post, I introduced the Script Repository tool which can be used to search script across QVWs.

You can use the tool to  search for potential issues.  But I thought I would make it a bit easier by adding a dedicated “Version 12 Upgrade Check” sheet that does the searching and highlighting for you.

The chart at the top of the sheet will list any document that has script that should be examined further.  Select a document, press the highlight button and the script of interest will be outlined in yellow.

My guess is that most customers will not have any compatibility issues.  But why take chances?  Be a hero and scan your script before upgrading.

-Rob

Join me at an upcoming Masters Summit for Qlik event in Johannesburg (6-8 Sept) or Austin (10-12 Oct).  In my Advanced Scripting session, in addition to teaching important scripting techniques, we’ll look at methods and tools for managing your “script farm”. 

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