Qlik Sense is a program that makes it easy to input data and drag and drop elements to create visuals and charts. Interactive dashboards allow teams to work together on the same data sets without needing to transfer information across programs and devices.
While Qlik Sense has several built-in visualization options, users can install extensions to customize their visuals and charts further. You can also find third-party extensions to create robust data visualizations if the basic program doesn’t have something you need.
What Are Qlik Sense’s Default Extensions?
Qlik Sense’s default extensions are often enough for users to create impressive visuals and charts. You can design basic visuals like horizontal lists with ease.
If you import data to make charts and lists, you can create things like:
- Angular chart (using Angular JS rendering)
- People chart (using HTML rendering)
- Simple table (using Backend API)
- Toolbar using (Capability API)
You can also use the Mashup editor to drag and drop specific elements.
What Are the Best Extensions for Qlik Sense in 2022?
Qlik Sense has a solid foundation for creating data visualizations. The software’s offerings are enough for many teams, but sometimes you need something extra.
These nine extensions are some of the best to elevate your visuals and charts. As these extensions are compatible with Qlik Sense, they won’t cause your program to lag. You can integrate them as you do any software extension. Navigate to Extensions on your QMC start page and import it via the action bar. Then, just open the file explorer window and finish the import.
1. Vizlib
Vizlib offers both free and paid extensions for use on Qlik Sense. The free account option grants access to five users, so your team can try it out and work together. You can customize the dashboard to see all the elements you need for your visualizations.
Even visualization beginners can benefit from Vizlib because you don’t need coding skills. Instead, you can search the Vizlib library for templates and actions that create visuals. Once you find design elements and analytics you like, you can add them to your dashboard to customize your brand identity. Doing this makes it easier to use these actions later and provides you with a cohesive presentation.
The Vizlib waterfall chart is just one way to showcase visual data using this extension. It takes the standard waterfall chart elements, like profit flow, expenses, budget variances, and others, and allows complete customization so you can break down the information for stakeholders.
If you want to allow users to branch out independently, you’ll appreciate Vizlib’s self-service approach. In this model, there’s no dashboard for the team. Instead, users can still access the basic visualizations and drag-and-drop elements.
Advanced users can work to develop their own visualizations within Vizlib. They don’t have to worry about cluttering the team dashboard with elements beyond the scope of the beginners’ comprehension. The self-service model is a great way to allow all developers the freedom to harness all Vizlib has to offer.
2. ancoreShare
If you’d like to create visually interesting reports in Qlik Sense, ancoreShare has everything you need. It allows multiple users to access the same platform, ensuring you can share data without discrepancies. The platform is designed to be user-friendly, so newer Qlik Sense users won’t feel left behind in terms of navigation.
Experienced users might remember using NPQ-Reports and NPGeoMap—this extension uses the same products under new names. NPQ-Reports is now ancoreShare and is designed to help your whole team work on Qlik reports together.
With ancoreMaps, you can easily display and analyze location-based data. Maps help you see the exact parameters of locations and regions, whereas spreadsheets can’t provide that clarity in the context of data points.
3. AnyChart
AnyChart is an extension that puts a plethora of chart types at your fingertips. You can create area charts, bullseye charts, mosaic charts, and more. AnyChart has templates that allow you to import your Qlik Sense data and see the resulting visualization.
The dashboard for this extension is very user-friendly, making it ideal for businesses that have no dedicated division for data processing, marketing statistics, researching investment opportunities, and data collection. It’s available in 14 languages, so teams with a global reach may love the chance to use the same software when working together.
4. D3 Visualization Library
When you import the D3 Visualization Library, you will receive 30 chart classifications in one fell swoop. It’s open-source software, so you can even customize the extension yourself using JavaScript to suit your needs.
Some of the charts you can create in the D3 Visualization Library include:
- Bar charts
- Maps
- Radial trees
- Scatterplots
- Steam graphs
5. Extend BI
Extend BI adheres to Qlik’s developer guidelines, which has earned them the designation of Trusted Extension Developer. You can download these extensions with confidence because Qlik has tested them and ensured that they mesh well with the original software.
The two best extensions from Extend BI are Kompass and Komment. Kompass is a way to customize your Qlik Sense menu or make a sidebar of your frequently used tools. Komment allows you to edit Qlik data without toggling back and forth between different applications, potentially losing information along the way.
6. Senselt
SenseIt works with Qlik Sense on both the desktop and the server and is accessible across devices. It is available as a Google Chrome extension that allows you to access it anywhere you sign into your Google account. The flexibility of using this extension makes it versatile for creating HTML tables.
When you use it through Chrome, you can pull data from specific websites and integrate it into Qlik Sense without compiling the data yourself. It also allows the simplicity of drag-and-drop elements to finalize your visuals and charts.
7. Themepark
Themepark is a color palette extension from TechBuilders. There are more than 80 color palettes available for you to integrate into your visualizations and on your Qlik Sense dashboard.
It might seem like changing colors on your Qlik dashboard is only for fun, but the dark theme can actually help you see and present your data from a fresh perspective. There are five set themes for your Qlik dashboard, but you can further customize things to ensure your visuals pop.
8. TIQ.solutions
TIQ.solutions features several Qlik Sense extensions to help streamline your presentations. Neo4j Server-side Extension allows you to analyze graphs within the Qlik platform. The Java Service Connector imports JavaScript-based data right into Qlik Sense for use in visualizations.
The developer also offers a graph extension that elevates Qlik Sense’s basic graph options. It uses nodes to analyze complex data and ensure it’s visible on your graphs and charts. As with all of TIQ.solutions’s extensions, you can customize them so all team members can use them easily.
9. TrueChart
TrueChart allows you to maintain consistency across all your visuals. It eliminates the need to input data each time you prepare reports. The extension follows the International Business Communication Standards, which may be a crucial factor for corporations.
Since it retains data from previous reports, you can set specific colors to mark each year and ensure the legend is understandable. You can scale value types within a sheet so that all graphs are easy to compare.
How to Use the Qlik Sense Community for Extension Help
The Qlik Sense community includes the Developer Garden, which is full of open-source tools. You can search for specific extensions to see what other users have created. If it doesn’t suit your specific needs, you can change the code until it designs the visual you need.
Since all of the software in the Garden is open-source, be aware that there’s no guarantee it will integrate properly with your Qlik platform. If you’re worried about downloading extensions that might corrupt your data, you can search instead through the Trusted Extension Developer (TED) Program.
The TED Program includes only extensions approved by Qlik. They guarantee seamless integration, and the coder must comply with Qlik’s quality guidelines. Due to the testing and accreditation process, you can download these extensions with confidence.
In some cases, Qlik finds outstanding extensions from the Garden and works with the developers to refine their code. For example, the 2-Dimensional Heat Map extension is now bundled with Qlik Visualization. However, you can also view the original version and see the extra features Qlik didn’t include in their offering.
How To Create Custom Qlik Sense Extensions
Dev Hub is a resource to help you learn your way around the Qlik platform. It’s ideal for beginners who want to learn how to create custom Qlik Sense extensions to suit their needs.
More advanced coders can take advantage of this freedom by using code editors and basic HTML and JavaScript. Just work in Aptana or Notepad++ and import your metadata into Qlik Sense for use.
If you’re having trouble streamlining your Qlik extension, you can ask for help in the Qlik community. Knowledgeable users regularly share advice for developing and testing extensions. You can also find information about anything available to be downloaded from the Garden or third-party hosts.
Final Notes
Qlik Sense extensions elevate your visuals and charts into eye-catching data that employees, investors, and stakeholders can understand.
The extensions outlined above fit seamlessly into Qlik Sense to access and transform the information according to your needs. As a result, there’s no need to export and risk losing crucial data with extensions that fit right into the Qlik platform.
