QlikTech Launches Browser-Based, Mobile Business Intelligence for iPad
Product Coverage

Business intelligence (BI) software provider QlikTech has released a version of its QlikView user-driven BI, or “Business Discovery,” application for the iPad to give users access to their business data wherever they are, at any time of day.

QlikTech extended QlikView to mobile devices prior to this and in fact has native mobile BI applications for such devices. This release for the iPad introduces a browser-based approach to BI. “We were finding that with the proliferation of mobile devices, and advancements in mobile browser capabilities, a new approach was needed—an approach that delivers the complete QlikView experience on mobile devices while streamlining development and manageability for corporations,” explains Jeff Boehm, QlikTech’s VP of global product marketing.

According to Boehm, Apple’s iPad and other tablets are changing mobile BI as workers become more mobile and require access to business data while on the road, in meetings, or on the shop floor. “I believe mobile represents a sea change in the business intelligence market comparable to, or even larger than, the impact of the Internet and browser technologies on the BI market,” he says.

HTML5-based QlikView on iPad gives users the same BI experience as on their desktops, even allowing them, through bookmarking, to work on a page on their desktop, move to their iPad and continue right where they left off, or vice versa. The product supports all of the traditional iPad functions and lets users customize their views as well as search for information any way they want.

Unlike first-generation BI products, with their static reports and predefined dashboards, QlikView on iPad is all about interactivity around the user. The product is aimed at existing BI users as well as mobile workers and those who need access to data for better decision making. It provides for a paperless work environment by giving users live reports where they need them.

“Ultimately, mobile BI will be a great tool for any business user who is looking to understand what’s happening with their business as it happens,” Boehm says.

A QlikView user license traverses platforms, whether they be desktops, laptops, in the cloud, or mobile. Users who already have a QlikView license can extend their product to the iPad free of charge. Boehm says: “To us, a license is a license, and you can use it on any device your enterprise strategy determines.”

Apr2011, Software Magazine