Highlight the Trend

Because I went to the Derek Zoolander Center For Kids Who Can't Read Good And Wanna Learn To Do Other Stuff Good Too, I can now teach you really, really, ridiculously good Qlikview tricks.

This one's no different. It's a good way to cut through the clutter of a chart that displays a large number of lines.

Line charts are great tools for showing trends over time. Your user can easily visualize whether the data is getting better or worse by the shape of the chart. They are not good for charting distinct categories. A good example of a bad idea is to use a line chart to show sales by territory. A proper example is to chart sales over time, split up by city.

Scope Your Project!

Disney bought Lucasfilm for 4 BILLION DOLLARS. That proves their most prophetic quote in their most important movie, Spaceballs:

“So, Lone Starr, now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.”

Since you're not dumb – which you proved by knowing all about Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham’s Johari Window – you want to use a scope document when creating your Qlikview apps. The template outline below will make it easy and help you gather the pieces you need for success. You can also download a MarketStar-branded version from my Google Drive.

Overview

This is a short overview of Qlikview project. Include target audience, data sources, goals, questions to be answered, risks, and high level timeline. Use this section as an Executive Overview. Make sure that it can be used as an ‘elevator pitch’.

Label Expressions

This tip won't bring any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So you got that goin' for you, which is nice.

Some peculiarities really annoy me. This is one of them...

Qlikview allows dynamic labels using expressions. So, when we have a table or chart that displays a rolling six months, the labels update with the data. This expression shows Mar 2012:

     =MinString({$<[TimeFrame.RelativeFiscalMonth] = {'Current Month - 6'}>} Calendar.MonthYear)

The problem is that a long, possibly very complicated, expression shows up in the Properties lists.

Container to Align, Size & Format

The Zen philosopher Basha once wrote, 'A flute with no holes is not a flute. A donut with no hole is a Danish.' He didn't say, ‘Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left,’ but it does.

Which brings me to my point. Follow my (non-religious but you should live them religiously) 10 Commandments.

Text in Chart

In the early ‘70s, those of us on the bleeding edge of technology used calculators with LED read-outs. Not only could we easily figure out the product of 908 X 57, but we could covertly write naughty words! We cleverly hid them by making you look at it upside down! 5318008 hasn’t been the same since…

Value Judgement

While I'm no pinko commie, you have to admire the cleverness of the claim:

"...help save or create at least two and a half million jobs."

My red, white and blue American version is:

"‘No’ most likely means ‘Not yet’."

That is so much less wishy-washy and definitely more clever.

Expression Attributes

We all have endearing attributes. Even me. My most endearing attribute is my humbleness. And my calves. You're most endearing attribute? You're willingness to obey my every command. That's nice.

Qlikview allows you to apply custom formatting to expressions. Maybe you want a dashed line instead of a solid line. Done. Your line is too skinny? Don't be stupid. Make it fat. Black text is so boring. How about grey? Speaking of grey, if you can guess the number of grey hairs that I have, you win a prize. Not a good prize.

I'm pretty sure that I'm up for the Congressional Medal of Honor because of FortuneCookieBI. Now, that's a prize!