11 Differences Between Power BI and QlikView

Do you want to make better data-driven decisions?

If yes, then you might be familiar with Business Intelligence tools.

In the current market, Power BI leads all the other BI tools. At the same time, QlikView is slowly gaining popularity and is rising in the list of BI and data visualization tools. But how do you decide which device to choose for your business?

Well, this article describes all the major differences between the two business intelligence tools Power BI and QlikView. So, you make the right decision when it comes to choosing between any one. So, let’s get started.

11 Quick Differences Between Power BI and QlikView

Here are the critical differences between Power BI and QlikView.

As you got a basic understanding of both tools, now let’s understand both BI tools in detail.

Detailed Comparison of Power BI and QlikView

Here’s an in-depth Power BI comparison with QlikView. The following comparison is done on different factors in detail. So, by the end of this comparison, you can choose the right tool.

1. Factor 1: Ease of Learning – Power BI vs QlikView

   Power BI:

   The concepts of using the Power BI business intelligence tool are easy to grasp. Even if you’re a non-technical user, you can learn Power BI within 1 -2 months. This is because Power BI’s working system and UI are similar to that of Microsoft Excel. Therefore, if you know advanced-level MS Excel, you can easily operate Power BI. In addition, Microsoft offers numerous resources for you to learn Power BI. Additionally, you can easily learn this tool by reading top Power BI books.

   QlikView:

   Learning QlikView is a bit more challenging. To begin with, you need some knowledge of data science and coding before learning QlikView. Even then, it might take you 6 months or more to become a medium QlikView developer. While learning QlikView, start with the QlikView tutorial to gain some UI awareness. Now, read books and watch YouTube videos to learn the more advanced features. Finally, search for certification courses to show proof of mastery.

   Winner: Power BI

   Power BI business intelligence tool takes the lead solely based on the ease of learning. But QlikView learners have a more well-rounded approach to learning the BI tool.

2. Factor 2: Ease of Operation – Power BI vs QlikView

   Power BI:

   Microsoft considered the needs of the non-technical user while creating the user interface of Power BI. As a result, the UI is more graphical and descriptive. It is easy to navigate and fairly intuitive. The drag-and-drop editor and countless templates also help you create attractive reports with ease.

   QlikView:

   QlikView is a bit complicated to operate for new users. If you are new to QlikView, the amount of data visualization options and functions QlikView offers can overwhelm you. But QlikView is completely a feature-rich tool for an experienced user.

   Winner: Tie

   Both the tools are equal here. QlikView offers various business intelligence functions suitable for technical users. Power BI is better for both technical and non-technical users.

3. Factor 3: Advanced Analytics – QlikView vs Power BI

   Power BI:

   Power BI is better at SmartData recovery and can connect multiple data sources. In addition, Power BI uses pre-programmed ML models to make data analysis even easier for beginners. You can build your own ML models using the Azure platform. There are several third-party plugins available through the Microsoft store to improve data analysis procedures. This tool even offers the best Power BI data visualizations to represent your business data effectively.

   QlikView:

   QlikView is integrated with KNIME Analytics and receives support from PMML (Predictive Model Markup Language). As a result, it offers advanced forecasting and linear analysis with a simple R plugin. Moreover, it encourages the use of third-party applications and plugins to further boost its capabilities. For example, using the Vizlib line chart, you can predict trends using real-time data streaming.

   Winner: Tie

   Both tools (Power BI and QlikView) offer advanced business intelligence and embedded analytics solutions.

4. Factor 4: Integrations – QlikView vs Power BI

   Power BI:

   Thanks to the Microsoft connection, Power BI integrates seamlessly with all its products, and gives you advanced platform support. It works equally well with relationship management, invoicing, accounting, and data management software. ScreenCloud, REACH, Xero, Insightly, Twilio Communications Cloud, and Salesforce Sales Cloud are some other platforms that offer easy integration to Power BI.

   QlikView:

   You can integrate QlikView with similarly powerful software like Salesforce Sales Cloud, Alteryx, In4Suite, and Saba learning. It is also compatible with Key Survey, CrossKnowledge Learning Suite, Avercast, CARTO, and Inzata for sales automation, talent management, surveys, and supply chain management.

   Winner: Tie

   Power BI and QlikView are both compatible with numerous platforms.

5. Factor 5: Pricing – Power BI vs QlikView

   Power BI:

   Power BI has a simple pricing structure. The desktop version of Power BI is free to use but has limited functionality. The Pro version costs $9.99 per user/per month, and the Premium version is priced at around $20 per user/per month. It also has capacity pricing that makes it more flexible for larger organizations. The capacity pricing for the Premium version starts at around $4995 per month.

   QlikView:

   QlikView only offers 3 variants. The personal variant is made for single use and you can use it on the desktop for free. The Qlik Sense Business version costs $30 per user/month. However, things become more complicated when it comes to Qlik Sense Enterprise SaaS. If you want to use this version for your company, you have to schedule a call with the QlikView team and get a custom quote.

   Winner: Power BI

   MS Power BI has a better and more well-defined pricing structure.

6. Factor 6: Key Features – Power BI vs QlikView

   Power BI:

   To begin with, Microsoft technologies’ Power BI offers a customizable and advanced analytics dashboard with a highly intuitive navigation pane. You can extract from multiple datasets to create ad hoc reports. There are help and feedback buttons to encourage collaboration amongst peers. Power BI also has live-data streaming capabilities and online analytical processing (OLAP). Of course, you can also simplify complex data sets to create insightful and interactive reports. You can use the built-in templates to create reports or download more from the Microsoft store.

   QlikView:

   QlikView also has similar reports and dashboard creation features. You can also use the natural language queries option to find answers to your queries. App scripts and workbenches increase real-time data sharing and collaboration. Like Power BI, QlikView can also generate mobile-ready reports. Lastly, it has dynamic apps and default data connectors for the major data platforms.

   Winner: Tie

   Power BI and QlikView both offer incredible features to help you make the best out of your data sets.

7. Factor 7: Data Management – Power BI vs QlikView

   Power BI:

   Power BI works wonderfully when it comes to data management. Power BI uses multiple connectors to connect with various data sources at once. This means it can simultaneously connect with Microsoft Dynamics, Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, MySQL, Facebook, etc. It can draw organized and unorganized data sources at the same time.

   QlikView:

   There are better storage options and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) provisions in QlikView compared to Power BI. This empowers you to transform and organize data at the back end. Furthermore, it can connect with Twitter, Azure cloud, MS Office, SAP, and Hadoop. And the data management capabilities further increase as the in-memory storage increases.

   Winner: QlikView

   QlikView takes the lead here with a slight margin. Because it provides better storage options and helps in transforming and organizing data easily compared to Power BI.

8. Factor 8: Setup Time – Power BI vs QlikView

   Power BI:

   Microsoft offers a detailed guide for you to set up Power BI in a few easy steps. It only takes a couple of minutes to download and install the free version of the software. It might take a couple of hours to set up Power BI premium with all the gateways and connectors. But still, the process is easy.

   QlikView:

   QlikView is equally easy to install and operate. You just have to follow the installation wizard and complete all the steps. Again, adding all the connectors and plugins might take a few extra hours.

   Winner: Tie

   Both the tools provide a proper manual for installation of the tool. This makes it easy for even beginners to install BI tools in the system easily.

9. Factor 9: Speed – Power BI vs QlikView

   Power BI:

   Power BI works at a decent speed with low-volume data. However, speed and processing power drastically decreases as the volume of data increases.

   QlikView:

   The speed and the processing power of QlikView depend on the RAM availability of the device. Hence, the better the quality of the ram, the better your QlikView Performance. The type of RAM also affects the performance of your analyses. For example, a system with DDR5 RAM with low latency will perform better than DDR4 RAM.

   Winner: QlikView

   QlikView wins here as you can increase the performance of the software by increasing the quality and capacity of the RAM.

10. Factor 10: User Interface – Power BI vs QlikView

    Power BI:

    Power BI users who have used Pivot Tables and Excel will find themselves in a better position. And you’ll have a flat learning curve compared to those learning it for the first time. Sometimes, the screen can feel crowded with icons and different functions. A wider monitor should solve this problem. Additionally, it has a scrolling dashboard feature that lets you access every single insight in your data set.

    QlikView:

    Data scientists and professional programmers will find themselves right at home with Qlikview. Users also praise Qlik for its cross-industry functionality. It can manage customer data analysis, while also analyzing sales. While QlikView has full support for the English language, it lacks systems support for Japanese and Chinese.

    Winner: Tie

    Both the software have different UI that benefit users at every skill level.

11. Factor 11: Complexity – Power BI vs QlikView

    Power BI:

    The Power BI solution is extremely user-friendly. You can even access the Power BI Pro’s advanced features with ease. As a result, non-technical users prefer Power BI over any other BI tool. But that does not mean technical users will find the Power BI solutions lacking in features. Technical users are free to make it as complex and advanced as they want to.

    QlikView:

    QlikView’s complexity is one of its major drawbacks. The BI tool is extremely detailed and overloaded with advanced functionalities. This makes it exclusively accessible to data scientist professionals and programmers.

    Winner: Power B

    Power BI wins due to its flexibility.

Conclusion

We finally understand the key differences between the two data analytics and business intelligence tools—Power BI and QlikView.

Microsoft Power BI and QlikView can easily go head-to-head with each other to analyze data, without losing out on any business analysis features.

Of course, Power BI supports Ad Hoc reporting and Microsoft integration, so it’s better in some aspects. So, adopting Power BI seems a no-brainer in that sense. But on the other hand, QlikView has better formatting and reporting capabilities.

As you see, it is difficult to select a clear champion between the two. Therefore, you should go with a BI tool that meets all your requirements, while being cost-effective.