Qlik Sense vs Microsoft Fabric: A Comparison Guide
Introduction
Choosing the right business intelligence tool is crucial for effective data analysis and reporting. Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric offer robust solutions, each with its unique features and capabilities.
This comparison will provide insights into the functionalities of Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric to help you make an informed decision for your business needs.
Additionally, we'll explore how Sourcetable provides a modernized, spreadsheet-like interface that syncs with your data as an alternative to using Qlik Sense or Microsoft Fabric for business intelligence tasks like reporting and data analytics.
What is Qlik Sense?
Qlik Sense is a sophisticated data analytics tool designed to provide businesses with actionable insights. Utilizing advanced technologies like AI and associative analytics, it delivers fast and intuitive data exploration capabilities. This tool supports self-service data visualization and dashboard creation, enabling users to engage with data through search and natural language interaction. Its capacity for advanced and predictive analytics along with automated insight generation and data prep streamlines the analytics workflow.
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Qlik Sense is a sophisticated data analytics tool designed to provide businesses with actionable insights. Utilizing advanced technologies like AI and associative analytics, it delivers fast and intuitive data exploration capabilities. This tool supports self-service data visualization and dashboard creation, enabling users to engage with data through search and natural language interaction. Its capacity for advanced and predictive analytics along with automated insight generation and data prep streamlines the analytics workflow.
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Features of Qlik Sense
- Employs AI for enhanced insights
- Utilizes associative analytics for data exploration
- Facilitates self-service visualizations and dashboard creation
- Supports search and natural language interaction with data
- Enables advanced, predictive, and automated analytics
- Automates data preparation processes
- Integrates with numerous data sources
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Accessibility and Integration
Qlik Sense's design ensures it is accessible from anywhere, on any device, and can be embedded into other applications. It offers a complete set of APIs for extended functionality and seamless integration, making it a versatile option for a range of business applications.
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Adoption and Reliability
With a strong reputation for reliability, Qlik Sense is trusted by over 40,000 customers worldwide. Its extensive capabilities in data prep and connectivity contribute to its widespread adoption across various industries.
What is Microsoft Fabric?
Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end analytics and data platform tailored for enterprises. It provides an integrated solution for data movement, processing, ingestion, transformation, event routing, and report building. The platform offers a range of services including Data Engineering, Data Factory, Data Science, Real-Time Analytics, and Data Warehouse.
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Microsoft Fabric is an end-to-end analytics and data platform tailored for enterprises. It provides an integrated solution for data movement, processing, ingestion, transformation, event routing, and report building. The platform offers a range of services including Data Engineering, Data Factory, Data Science, Real-Time Analytics, and Data Warehouse.
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Platform Characteristics
Designed as a Software as a Service (SaaS) model, Microsoft Fabric integrates various components to create a seamless experience. It centralizes data storage via OneLake, ensuring all organizational data is stored in a unified location.
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Capabilities and Integration
Microsoft Fabric is equipped with AI capabilities and does not require manual integration. Its design promotes seamless operation, providing an integrated analytics experience. The platform also delivers industry-specific data solutions.
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OneLake Integration
OneLake, an integral part of the Microsoft Fabric platform, acts as a centralized data repository, simplifying data management for enterprises.
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Key Features of Qlik Sense
Associative Analytics Engine |
Qlik Sense's associative analytics engine allows for deep exploration of data, enabling users to uncover insights and perform instant calculations. |
Augmented Analytics |
Augmented by AI and ML, Qlik Sense offers predictive analytics, automated insight generation, and natural language interaction for an enhanced analytical experience. |
Data Integration and Preparation |
With robust data integration and preparation capabilities, Qlik Sense streamlines the combination, loading, and exploration of diverse data sources. |
Visualizations and Dashboards |
Interactive dashboards and visualizations in Qlik Sense facilitate the representation of complex data sets in an understandable format. |
AI-Powered Insights and Predictions |
AI-powered insights and AutoML enable predictive analytics, allowing Qlik Sense to inform intelligent action and support decision making. |
Alerting and Automation |
Event-driven actions and data-driven alerting technologies enable immediate response within Qlik Sense's automated environment. |
Collaboration Tools |
Collaboration and notes features, along with discussion threads, foster a collaborative analytical process among users. |
Customization and Extensibility |
Qlik Sense is fully customizable with a complete set of open APIs, allowing for the creation of custom apps, visualizations, and extensions. |
Scalability and Performance |
High performance scalability ensures Qlik Sense can handle large volumes of data, with powerful data integration and connectivity across various sources. |
Deployment Flexibility |
Qlik Sense's platform can be utilized on-premises, in the cloud, or on mobile devices, providing flexibility in deployment and access. |
Key Features of Microsoft Fabric
Comprehensive Data Services |
Microsoft Fabric offers an extensive suite of services designed for enterprise-level data management. This includes Data Engineering, Data Factory, Data Science, Real-Time Analytics, and Data Warehouse, delivering an end-to-end analytics and data platform. |
Seamless Integration and Data Architecture |
Fabric provides seamless integration with a range of workloads such as Power BI, Azure Synapse Analytics, and Azure Data Factory. It is built upon data mesh architecture, unifying the OneLake and lakehouse concepts that are based on ADLS Gen2 for simplified data management. |
Unified Data Lake Storage |
A unified data lake storage underpins Fabric's infrastructure, consolidating data storage and eliminating the need for creators to understand or manage the underlying infrastructure. |
AI and Analytics |
Fabric features AI integrations and real-time analytics capabilities, enabling enterprises to process and route events effectively and build reports with ease. |
Centralized Administration and Governance |
The platform ensures centralized administration and governance, with features like data sensitivity labels and governance powered by Purview, enhancing security and compliance across the data spectrum. |
User-Friendly Experience |
Fabric's design focus on ease of use allows creators to concentrate on creating value rather than the complexities of the platform, promoting an efficient and user-friendly experience. |
Benefits of Qlik Sense for Business Intelligence
User-Friendly Data Visualization
Qlik Sense offers self-service visualization solutions, enabling users to customize analytics and develop new visualizations. Its user-friendly design aids in enhancing data literacy across organizations.
Cost-Efficiency
At $30 per user per month, Qlik Sense is an affordable option for businesses seeking powerful data analytics tools without a significant investment.
Device Compatibility and Mobility
With its compatibility across a wide range of devices and mobility features, Qlik Sense ensures that business intelligence is accessible anytime, anywhere, facilitating agile decision-making.
Collaboration and Security
Qlik Sense's centralized hub promotes easy collaboration and information sharing, while its comprehensive security features maintain data integrity and access control.
Customization and Extensibility
The availability of open APIs allows for extensive customization options in Qlik Sense, including the development of custom apps, tailoring solutions to specific business needs.
AI-Powered Analytics
As an AI-powered tool, Qlik Sense leverages advanced analytics to provide deeper insights, fostering a data-driven culture within the business environment.
Disadvantages of Qlik Sense for Business Intelligence
Performance Issues with Large Data Sets
Qlik Sense may experience performance degradation when handling large data sets. This can lead to slower response times and reduced efficiency in data processing.
Cost Considerations for Teams
The cost of Qlik Sense may be prohibitive for larger teams, as well as some smaller teams, due to its pricing structure. This could limit its accessibility for businesses with budget constraints.
Limited Excel Integration
Not all information from Qlik Sense can be downloaded to Excel, posing a challenge for users who rely on Excel for further data manipulation and reporting.
Additional Costs for Extensions
Users may incur extra expenses for add-ons and plugins, as these are not included in the core offering of Qlik Sense and require additional investment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Qlik Sense
What payment options are available for Qlik Sense training?
You can pay for training with a credit card, Training Card, or invoice.
How can I determine which Qlik Sense training courses are right for my role?
You can take training recommendations to find which courses to take for your role.
How do I check if my registration for a training course is confirmed?
You can check your registration status on the My Training page.
What can a Training Card be used for?
You can use a Training Card to pay for most Qlik training products, except for certifications.
Is there an expiration date for using the Training Card for Qlik Sense training?
You have 12 months from the purchase date to use the Training Card.
Use Cases for Qlik Sense
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Improving efficiency, customer service, and sales as demonstrated by Dominos
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Creating a company-wide portal for analytics like Intuit
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Enhancing operational success in a retail environment as seen with Urban Outfitters
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Reducing the cost and effort to convert loan prospects as achieved by Integra
Advantages of Microsoft Fabric for Business Intelligence
Unified Analytics and Data Platform
Microsoft Fabric's end-to-end analytics and data platform centralizes data storage and processing, enabling efficient report building and real-time event routing. Its design caters to enterprises requiring a unified solution for complex data tasks.
Integrated AI and Deep Analytics
Fabric's AI capabilities are integrated seamlessly, allowing for easy transition from raw data to actionable insights. This integration, coupled with deeply embedded analytics, facilitates tailored analytics experiences specific to various roles and tasks.
Enhanced User Experience
The platform's easy-to-learn user experience empowers business users to leverage data without the overhead of managing infrastructure, thus focusing on generating insights.
Data Management and Accessibility
Cost Efficiency
By reducing egress costs and bringing data closer to compute, OneLake contributes to cost-effective data management.
Security and Governance
Fabric ensures a secure environment with centralized administration, governance, and discovery. It offers comprehensive security for data, including item-level and row-level access control, with permissions that are automatically applied.
Disadvantages of Microsoft Fabric in Business Intelligence
SQL Analytics Endpoint Limitations
Microsoft Fabric's SQL analytics endpoint presents challenges in business intelligence operations due to several limitations. These can impede the effectiveness of reporting and data analytics tasks.
Known Issues Affecting Reliability
Reported problems with Microsoft Fabric and specifically with its SQL analytics endpoint can detract from the platform's overall reliability for business intelligence applications.
Frequently Asked Questions About Microsoft Fabric
What do I need in order to work with Fabric lifecycle management tools?
Licenses are needed to work with lifecycle management, and all workspaces must be assigned to a Fabric license.
What does Git integration in Fabric allow me to do?
Git integration allows users to connect to a repository, facilitating the integration aspect of lifecycle management tools.
Can different capacity types be used for different workspaces in Fabric?
Yes, different capacity types can be used for different workspaces. However, PPU, EM, and A SKUs only work with Power BI items.
What should I do if a tile does not display information after deployment?
A tile does not display information after deployment if it relies on an unsupported item. You must own or have permissions to other items that a tile relies on to deploy the tile successfully.
Are there any special considerations for deploying paginated reports with subreports in Fabric?
Yes, paginated report subreports should be stored in the same folder as the parent report for successful deployment.
Use Cases for Microsoft Fabric
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Lakehouse end-to-end scenario for professional developers and analysts
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Data Warehouse end-to-end scenario for SQL developers
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Real-Time Analytics end-to-end scenario for citizen and professional developers
Why Sourcetable is a Superior Alternative for Business Intelligence
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Simplified Reporting and Analytics
Sourcetable offers an intuitive spreadsheet-like interface that streamlines the process of reporting and analytics. Unlike the complex dashboards of Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric, Sourcetable's user-friendly design is accessible to users of all skill levels, facilitating quick adoption and reducing the learning curve.
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Data Synchronization Across Services
With Sourcetable, data from various services is synchronized seamlessly, providing a unified view. This contrasts with the often siloed data sources that require extensive integration efforts in platforms like Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric, making Sourcetable a more efficient choice for data management.
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Optimized for User Efficiency
Efficiency is at the heart of Sourcetable's offering, as it eliminates the need for complex data prep and integration seen in Qlik Sense. By simplifying these processes, Sourcetable ensures that users spend less time on setup and more on deriving actionable insights.
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Accessibility and Mobility
Sourcetable's cloud-based nature ensures that it is accessible from any device with internet access, a level of mobility and convenience that may not be matched by the on-premises options of Qlik Sense or the specific configurations of Microsoft Fabric.
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Streamlined Collaboration
Collaboration is more straightforward with Sourcetable, as it allows multiple users to work on the same dataset in real-time, a feature that can be more cumbersome to achieve with the extensive setup of Qlik Sense's collaborative and embedded analytics.
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Comparison of Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric
Both Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric are modern platforms that leverage AI capabilities to enhance user experience and productivity.
Both Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric are modern platforms that leverage AI capabilities to enhance user experience and productivity.
AI and Machine Learning
Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric incorporate AI and ML to automate insights, suggesting analyses based on data. They enable users of all skill levels to work with complex data sets effectively.
Interactive Visualizations and Dashboards
These platforms offer highly interactive visualizations and dashboards, allowing users to explore data and uncover insights dynamically and intuitively.
Augmented Analytics
Augmented analytics is a common feature in both platforms, providing advanced analytics capabilities without requiring deep data science expertise.
Self-Service Capabilities
Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric support self-service visualization and dashboard creation, enabling users to generate reports and insights independently.
Integration and Connectivity
Integration with various data sources is a key aspect of both platforms, ensuring users can work with a wide spectrum of data for comprehensive analytics.
Mobile and Embedded Analytics
Both platforms are designed to work across devices, including mobile, and offer embedded analytics features for a seamless experience in other applications.
Collaboration Features
Collaboration tools are integral to both Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric, facilitating teamwork and shared insights within and across organizations.
APIs and Customization
Open and standard APIs in Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric allow for extensive customization, enabling the creation of custom applications and analytics solutions.
Cloud-Native Solutions
Both platforms offer cloud-native solutions, providing scalability and flexibility for organizations to manage their analytics workloads in the cloud.
Customer Base
Qlik Sense and Microsoft Fabric are trusted by a large number of customers worldwide, highlighting their reliability and effectiveness as analytics tools.
Qlik Sense vs. Microsoft Fabric
Data Analytics and Visualization
Qlik Sense is a comprehensive data analytics and visualization tool that utilizes AI and ML for advanced analytics. It has a unique associative analytics engine that enables interactive visualizations, dashboards, and exploration of data. In contrast, Microsoft Fabric is not a data analytics tool and does not offer visualization or dashboard capabilities.
AI and Machine Learning Integration
Qlik Sense incorporates AI and ML to offer augmented analytics, predictive analytics, and automated insight generation. Microsoft Fabric, being a user interface (UI) toolkit, lacks AI-powered analytics features and focuses on design and UI consistency across Microsoft's web platforms.
Deployment Options
Qlik Sense is available as both a SaaS and on-premises solution, catering to a variety of deployment needs including highly regulated industries. Microsoft Fabric does not provide analytics deployment options, as it is not an analytics platform.
Interactivity and Exploration
The associative analytics engine of Qlik Sense allows for highly interactive and associative exploration of data, making it possible for users to gain insights from any direction they choose to explore. Microsoft Fabric does not involve data exploration but is concerned with the development of UIs for web applications.
Collaboration and Reporting
Qlik Sense facilitates collaboration through features like shared analytics and notes, and generates reports in various formats such as Microsoft Office and PDF. Microsoft Fabric does not have built-in collaboration tools specific to data analytics nor does it generate data reports.
Customization and Extensibility
Qlik Sense offers a complete set of open APIs for building custom apps and embedding analytics into other applications. Microsoft Fabric offers design customization through its UI toolkit but does not provide analytics-specific extensibility.
Customer Base
Qlik Sense is used by over 40,000 customers worldwide for its data analytics capabilities. Microsoft Fabric’s user base consists of developers and designers focused on creating UIs that align with Microsoft's design language.
Comparison and Contrast: Qlik Sense, Microsoft Fabric, and Sourcetable
Qlik Sense
Qlik Sense is a data analytics platform with a focus on AI-powered capabilities and automated insights. It features associative analytics, augmented analytics, and AI-assisted creation and data prep. Qlik Sense supports AutoML, predictive analytics, and offers insights from a multitude of data sources. It is designed for collaboration with a well-governed data catalog and provides application automation. The platform is extensible through a complete set of open APIs, allowing for custom app development and embedded analytics. Qlik Sense is noted for having more than 40,000 customers globally.
Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric is not a direct analytics platform and does not offer the same AI-powered insights or predictive analytics as Qlik Sense. It is a frontend framework for building user experiences. Microsoft Fabric provides a set of UX frameworks and assets for Microsoft 365, which can be used for creating consistent, accessible, and internationalized web experiences. It does not inherently include data analytics or visualization capabilities, although it can be used to create interfaces that might display data from analytics platforms.
Sourcetable
Sourcetable is a spreadsheet-like tool designed for data analysis and visualization, integrating with various data sources. Unlike Qlik Sense, it is not described as an AI-powered platform and does not emphasize augmented or associative analytics. Sourcetable focuses on providing an easy-to-use interface for data manipulation and visualization, accessible to users with varying levels of technical expertise. It does not offer a comprehensive set of APIs for extended customization or application development as Qlik Sense does.
Contrast and SEO Optimization
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Frequently Asked Questions About Sourcetable
What is Sourcetable and who typically uses it?
Sourcetable is a spreadsheet application that allows users to access data from most 3rd party applications, query data, and build live models that automatically update. It is typically used by growth teams and business operations teams.
How does Sourcetable help with data management?
Sourcetable centralizes, analyzes, and models data that updates over time, replacing workflows typically done in Excel, Google Sheets, and Business Intelligence tools. It syncs data from over 100 applications and most databases.
Is coding required to use Sourcetable?
No, coding is not required to use Sourcetable.
What are the pricing plans for Sourcetable?
Sourcetable costs $50 per month for the starter plan and $250 per month for the pro plan. Additional seats cost $20 per month per user.
How often does Sourcetable update data integrations?
Data integrations update every 15 minutes on the regular plan and every 5 minutes on the pro plan.
Qlik Sense Pricing Overview
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Qlik Cloud Analytics Plans
Qlik Cloud Analytics Plans are structured with an annual billing cycle, catering to consistent long-term analytics needs.
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Premium Plan
The Premium plan serves as an advanced tier, initiating at a rate of $2,700 per month, offering a comprehensive range of features for sophisticated data analysis.
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Enterprise Plans
Designed for extensive use, Enterprise plans support a minimum of 500GB of data analysis annually. These plans encompass all features available in the Premium plan, ensuring a full suite of tools for enterprise-level requirements.
Microsoft Fabric Cost Overview
Microsoft Fabric is offered with flexible pricing through a pay-as-you-go model. This approach allows users to pay for only what they use, without any upfront usage commitment. It is designed to support Power BI Premium capacities, ensuring compatibility for Power BI users.
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Microsoft Fabric is offered with flexible pricing through a pay-as-you-go model. This approach allows users to pay for only what they use, without any upfront usage commitment. It is designed to support Power BI Premium capacities, ensuring compatibility for Power BI users.
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License Requirements
While Microsoft Fabric itself does not mandate a usage commitment, using it in conjunction with Power BI requires Power BI publishers and consumers to have a Power BI Pro license. However, it's important to note that publishing activities specifically through Microsoft Fabric are exempt from this licensing requirement.
User Feedback on Microsoft Fabric
There is a growing interest among customers to experiment with Microsoft Fabric, indicating a trend towards considering its implementation.
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There is a growing interest among customers to experiment with Microsoft Fabric, indicating a trend towards considering its implementation.
Conclusion
In summary, Qlik Sense offers advanced analytics with self-service capabilities, while Microsoft Fabric delivers robust BI solutions tightly integrated with other Microsoft products. Both platforms serve different needs depending on the complexity and scale of business intelligence requirements.
Sourcetable provides an alternative by offering real-time data syncing across services in a user-friendly spreadsheet interface. This simplification caters to businesses seeking straightforward, efficient data management and analysis.
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