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Connecting to data sources

Qlik Sense lets you to connect to your data, wherever it is stored, with a wide range of Qlik Connectors and other data connection types.

When you create a data connection it is saved, so you can quickly select and load data from the data sources that you commonly use. Connect to databases, social media data, local files, remote files, and web files.

Create a connection

To select data from a data source, you can either create a new data connection or use a saved data connection. You can create data connections and access your saved connections from:

  • Add data in the data manager.

    Add new data to your app quickly and get assistance creating associations.

    For more information, see Adding data to the app.

  • Data connections in the data load editor.

    Select data from a new or existing data connection, or use the script editor to load data from a data connection. You can also edit existing data connections.

    For more information, see Connect to data sources in the data load editor.

Information noteYou can only see data connections that you own, or have been given access to, for reading or updating. Please contact your Qlik Sense system administrator to acquire access if required.

Data connection types

Qlik Sense allows you to access your data wherever it resides. The following data connection types are available with Qlik Sense. You can download connectors from Product Downloads to use with Qlik Sense. For more information, see Downloading installation files.

Many of the connectors that access these data sources are built into Qlik Sense, while others can be added. Each type of data connection has specific settings that you need to configure.

Attached files

Attach data files directly to your app by using drag and drop.

For more information, see Attaching data files and adding the data to the app.

Database connectors

Information note

Qlik Sense Enterprise only.

Connect to an ODBC data source with preconfigured ODBC database connectors.

  • Amazon Athena
  • Amazon Redshift
  • Apache Drill
  • Apache Hive
  • Apache Phoenix
  • Apache Spark
  • Azure SQL
  • Azure Synapse
  • Cloudera Impala
  • Databricks
  • Google BigQuery
  • IBM DB2
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • MongoDB
  • MySQL Enterprise
  • Oracle
  • PostgreSQL
  • Presto
  • Snowflake
  • Sybase ASE
  • Teradata

For more information, see ODBC Connector Package.

Essbase

Connect to an Essbase dataset.

To learn more about Essbase, see Essbase connector.

Local or network files

Information note

Qlik Sense Enterprise only.

Connect to a local or network file to select and load data.

To learn more about local and network files, see Loading files from local and network file folders.

ODBC connections through DSN

Information note

Qlik Sense Enterprise only.

Connect to a Database Management System (DBMS) with ODBC. Install an ODBC driver for the DBMS in question, and create a data source DSN.

For more information, see ODBC.

Qlik Web Connectors

Connect to social media or web-based data sources. Requires separate installation.

  • Amazon S3

  • AYLIEN News V2

  • AYLIEN Text Analysis

  • Azure Storage

  • Bitly V2

  • Box

  • Dropbox

  • Facebook Insights

  • GitHub

  • Google Ads

  • Google Ad Manager

  • Google AdWords

  • Google Analytics

  • Google Calendar

  • Google Drive and Spreadsheets

  • Google Search Console

  • Helper Connector

  • JIRA

  • Mailbox IMAP

  • Mailbox POP3

  • MeaningCloud

  • Microsoft Dynamics CRM V2

  • OData

  • Outlook 365

  • Office 365 SharePoint

  • RegEx Connector

  • Repustate

  • Sentiment140

  • SMTP Connector

  • Strava

  • SugarCRM

  • SurveyMonkey

  • Watson Natural Language Understanding

  • Twitter

  • YouTube Analytics

To learn more about Qlik Web Connectors, see Qlik Web Connectors.

REST

Connect to a REST data source. The REST connector is not tailored for a specific REST data source and can be use to connect to any data source exposed through the REST API.

To learn more about Qlik REST Connector, see REST.

Salesforce

Information note

Qlik Sense Enterprise only.

Connect to your Salesforce.com account.

For more information, see Salesforce connector.

SAP

Information note

Qlik Sense Enterprise only.

Load data from SAP NetWeaver.

For more information, see SAP NetWeaver Connector.

Web files

Information note

Qlik Sense Enterprise only

Connect to a web-based data source on a web URL.

For more information, see Loading files from local and network file folders.

Web Storage Provider Connectors

Connect to your file-based data from web storage providers.

  • Dropbox
  • Google Drive

To learn about more about web storage, see Qlik Web Storage Provider Connectors.

Third-party connectors

With third-party connectors, you can connect to data sources that are not directly supported by Qlik Sense. Third-party connectors are developed using the QVX SDK or supplied by third-party developers. In a standard Qlik Sense installation you will not have any third-party connectors available.

Where is the data connection stored?

Connections are stored in the repository database by the Qlik Sense Repository Service. In a Qlik Sense server deployment, you manage data connections with the Qlik Management Console. The Qlik Management Console allows you to delete data connections, set access rights, and perform other system administration tasks.

In Qlik Sense Desktop, all connections are saved in the app without encryption.

Warning noteBecause Qlik Sense Desktop connections store any details about user name, password, and the file path that you entered when creating the connection, these stored details are available in plain text if you share the app with another user. You need to consider this when you design an app for sharing.
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