In the previous chapters, we discussed how to build a dashboard that is not only engaging, but also functional, maintainable, and easy to use so as to promote insights that derive in tangible value for the business. Now, it is time to talk about the activities that should be undertaken before the official release of the app in order to ensure that everything is okay. Throughout this final chapter, we will discuss:
You have built an amazing dashboard in QlikView, and you are ready to publish it. However, before your masterpiece sees the light, some deeds must be done, and these are explained in the following sections.
Before finishing an application, it might be a good idea to lock the objects in order to prevent the users from moving or resizing them. You can accomplish this chart by chart by going to the Layout tab and unselecting the Allow Move / Size box:
If you want to lock all the objects inside a sheet, it is easier to open the Sheet Properties window and go to the Security tab. Here, you can restrict not only the Move/Size privilege, but also some others such as Remove Sheet or Remove Sheet Objects:
Though locking all the objects at once is clearly more comfortable for the designer, leaving this feature active in certain charts can be beneficial for the users. Take for instance the following dashboard:
Locking the objects in the upper part of the dashboard ensures that the filters and the process chain built with text objects always remain the same. However, if the user is working on a bigger screen, he might benefit from resizing the two tables at the bottom in order to see more elements, so it is better to leave these objects unrestricted.
While wrapping up a QlikView dashboard, don't forget to create an application datasheet with useful information about the data sources such as the reload frequency, common abbreviations, business rules, or KPI calculation criteria. This sheet can help the users better understand the dashboard and make the most out of their QlikView experience:
Speaking of enhancing the user's experience, it is also advisable to include help texts wherever they are necessary. This feature allows the designer to add notes about the calculations or other business rules in any chart:
In order to add this icon to an object, just go to the Caption tab and type out your comments in the Help Text field:
You cannot judge a book by its cover, but have your ever heard anyone complain about having a nice coating? Before releasing a QlikView document, take a minute to create an image so that, instead of having barely visible snapshots of the first sheet as the thumbnail, you have representative icons that help the users easily spot the dashboard they are looking for in the AccessPoint:
When you need to define the document thumbnail, navigate to Settings | Document Properties | Opening and select Image, as shown in the following screenshot:
There are quite a lot of recommended tests to be performed before deploying an application. However, when it comes to QlikView Dashboard Design, these cannot be forgotten:
While conducting these evaluations, pay special attention to how the user approaches the dashboard and interacts with each object (what he expects, what he gets, and what he does afterwards). It is also important to take note of the most (and least) used filters and charts in order to maximize the screen usage. In the end, take some time to ask the user about the story that the dashboard told her or the conclusions that could be drawn out of it. Thus, you can ensure that the information is clear and that there aren't any misleading visualizations.
They are not exactly the most fun activities that a QlikView expert could undertake, but they are indisputably relevant to maintaining a robust environment. Every time a dashboard is on the verge of being released, ensure that you back up the previous versions and write the corresponding documentation.