Creating an app in live mode

You can create a Qlik Sense app in Qlik Big Data Index live mode to query the indexed data model directly. There are some limitations to which charts you can use, as well as the expressions used in the charts.

Preparing to create an app in live mode

Before you start creating the app, make sure you have the following:

• Access to a Qlik Big Data Index cluster with a prepared index.

• Qlik Sense Enterprise with the BDI connector enabled.

  If the deployment is configured for secure communication on connection level you need access to a certificate packaged as a PFX file and the password.

• Basic knowledge in app development and scripting.

• You should also check which Qlik Sense charts and expressions that are supported.

  Supported visualizations

  Using expressions in live mode

General limitations for apps in live mode

• The data you use can be in a single flat table or in multiple tables.

  If you have a multi-table data model, aggregated fields must have an N-to-1 association to its dimensions. See more about data model limitations in Multi-table hypercube queries.

• It is not possible to include in-memory data in a Qlik Big Data Index live mode app.
• Execution stops after the IMPORT LIVE statement. Any code in the script after that will be ignored.

• Open without data is not supported.

• Debug mode is not supported in the data load editor.
• Insights advisor is not supported.
• Chart suggestions are not supported.

• The Alternative selection state is not supported. Alternative values are treated as excluded (dark gray).

• Storytelling is not supported.
• Bookmarks are not supported.

Creating the app

To create an app in live mode:

1. Create a Qlik Sense app and open the data load editor.

2. Create a data connection to the Qlik Big Data Index data model using the BDI connector.

   Let's say you connect to a data model named myDataSet, and you give the same name to the connection. The connection name will be appended with your user name and domain to ensure that it is unique, for example, myDataSet (user_domain).

   For more information, see Connecting to a data model.

3. Add script code to connect to the data index and import the data model.

   Example:  

   BDI CONNECT TO 'myDataSet (user_domain)';

   IMPORT LIVE 'myDataSet';

4. Make sure that you have disabled chart sorting with this setting in the load script. Place it before the line with the IMPORT LIVE statement.

   SET QABDI_DisableSortingInCharts=1;

5. Reload the app to import the data model.
6. Go to app overview and create a new sheet.

You now have an app with access to all fields defined in the indexed data model, and you can start adding charts.

When you have created the app, you can enable sorting in charts again. See: Disabling sorting in charts

Supported visualizations

You can use the following Qlik Sense charts in live mode:

• Bar chart

  Information noteBar charts in stacked mode are not supported.
• Combo chart
• Filter pane
• Gauge
• KPI
• Line chart
• Maps
• Pie chart
• Table
• Text & image
• Waterfall chart
• Bar & area chart (in Visualization bundle)
• Bullet chart (in Visualization bundle)
• Heatmap chart (in Visualization bundle)
• P&L pivot chart (in Visualization bundle)
• Sankey chart (in Visualization bundle)
• Word cloud chart (in Visualization bundle)

Visualization extensions are supported if they are based on a straight table data format and do not require hierarchical data.

There are also some limitations to how you can use the charts:

• Custom coloring is not supported.
• Range selection is not supported.
• Concatenated expressions with a string value and a function are not supported.
• Drill-down dimensions are not supported.
• Date fields are not supported as dimensions.
• Conditional expressions to show or hide columns or objects are not supported.
• Dimension limitations are not supported.
• Calculation conditions are not supported.
• Limitation is not supported.

Using expressions in live mode

You can use a subset of aggregations and scalar functions in expressions in live mode. There are some limitations to how you can use expressions:

• You cannot use a scalar function nested in an aggregation, for example Sum(Sales * Cost). It is possible to use Sum(Sales) * Sum(Cost).

Supported aggregations

The following aggregations are supported in expressions:

• Count()
• Sum()
• Min()
• Max()
• Avg()
• Only()

Limitations for aggregations

• The DISTINCT qualifier is only supported for Count() aggregations.
• The TOTAL qualifier is not supported.

Set analysis

You can use a subset of set analysis expressions in the aggregations supported in Qlik Big Data Index.

Element set

You can only search for values with an exact match in the element set.

Example: <[FieldB] = {'Value1', 'Value2', Value3}>

Element set operations

You can use set operations over single field sub-expressions under SetModified, that is, the part of the expression inside angle brackets.

Example: Sum({<FieldA+={V1,V2}>} Q)

Element set functions P() and E()

P() and E() functions are supported when requesting a modified field.

Example: Sum({<FieldA = P({AltState} FieldA)>} Q)

Field state comparison

Field state comparison is allowed only between the same field.

Examples:  

• Supported: Sum({<FieldA = AltState::FieldA)>} Q)
• Unsupported: Sum({<FieldA = FieldB)>} Q) or Sum({<FieldA = AltState::FieldB)>} Q)

Set identifiers

You can use the following set identifiers:

• $ (the full set of records)
• 1 (the current selection set)
• Alternate states

The following set identifiers are not supported:

• $1, $2 ... (previous selections)
• $_1, $_2 ... (next/forwards selections)
• Bookmarks

Supported scalar functions

You can use the following scalar functions in expressions:

• + (addition)
• - (subtraction)
• * (multiplication)
• / (division)
• Mod() (modulo)
• Pow() (x to the power of y)
• Fabs() (absolute value)
• Text() (force the expression to be treated as text)
• IsNull() (tests if the value of an expression is NULL)

• If() (conditional function)

  You can only use an aggregated field in the condition.

  Example: IF(SUM(sales)>2000000,'blue','red')

  Information noteIt is not possible to use color functions such as RGB() or Red() in the output parameters. For, example, the following expression would not work: IF(SUM(sales)>2000000,Blue(),Red())

• Trigonometric and hyperbolic functions

  Cos(), Sin(), Tan(), Acos(), Asin(), Atan(), Atan2(), Cosh(), Sinh(), Tanh(), Acosh(), Asinh(), Atanh()