27 June 2023
Exciting news! Vizlib joins the insightsoftware family. Learn More >
Vizlib Library is known for its no-code, intuitive user experience that saves countless development hours, and enables organisations to switch from basic data reporting to meaningful data storytelling, with ease.
With over 26 visualisations, it’s no surprise that Vizlib Library is one of our most popular products. But we want to be sure that your team is getting the best performance from the solution!
In this blog, we share practical tips and techniques that will help you unlock the full potential of our powerful suite of data visualisations. Read on to discover our go-to resources for maximising your Qlik performance!
Make sure you’re using the latest version
We are constantly improving the performance of our extensions, so if you’re not on the latest version you may be missing out! To get the best experience, make sure that you use the most up-to-date Qlik Sense environment and Vizlib Extension.
Your Vizlib admin team can download the latest Vizlib extension version in the Vizlib Portal, and you can check your version number in both the Vizlib Portal & your Qlik Sheet.
Try using Layering
The KPI Designer is a powerful extension in Vizlib Library, and we highly recommend you try using its layering capabilities. As the name suggests, the KPI Designer can be used to layer objects together, so instead of, for example, using four separate KPI objects, you can layer themes together which not only save you valuable space in your sheet, it will also improve load times.
Whilst in edit mode, the icons you choose when selecting your layer can also affect your load times.
Choosing the basic charts in the KPI Designer instead of a Master Item can decrease load times.
See how to do this and more in our webinar: KPIs Decoded: Unravelling Library Tips & Tricks
Get to know the Vizlib Container Grid
Using the Vizlib Container Grid can also help both improve your initial load time and save sheet space!
Using a paginated view as shown in the image below, Qlik will start by rendering the first tab shown on the sheet, this allows your users to flick between the tabs when they need to dive into further data. Have a look at ‘Conditional Show’ in edit mode to choose when data is shown.
Try Sheet Menu Plus
Still using Sheet Menu? If so, please update to Sheet Menu Plus as soon as possible to see improved performance. We’ve made converting the Sheet Menu to Sheet Menu Plus really easy – simply drag the Sheet Menu Plus object on top of your existing Sheet Menu object in your Qlik sheet, click ‘Convert to’ and you’re done!
We recommend making your Sheet Menu Plus and your other commonly used charts a Master Item, this will save your styling choices which will not only speed up your development time and also pre-render the styling component so load times will decrease.
Try out Vizlib Filter
When using the Vizlib Filter extension, you can change a setting to make Qlik read your chosen Measure or Dimension property first which can help with load times.
In your application, select ‘Fields’ on the left hand menu & then right-click on your dimension or measure, click Field Settings, select ‘Always one selected value’ & then hit ‘Save’. This change should be made at an application level vs sheet level.
Explore Vizlib Pivot Table
Vizlib Pivot Table is a highly customizable, feature-rich table extension; providing features such as dynamic labels, indicators, font and size control, interactivity, colors, pivot styles, and more.
If you are using large datasets within the Pivot Table, you can consider to reducing load times by trying the following;
- Combining your data where possible to reduce column quantity
- Taking complex calculations from the app & into the load editor instead. If you are unable to write these expressions in the DLE then consider using variables if this expression is going to be used in multiple charts.
- Use the ‘Switch’ option within the Vizlib Library Action button to set variables & to choose between displaying segmented or full data.
- When exporting to Excel, choose the Simple Excel file vs Formatted Data.
Stay on top of new extensions!
We have recently introduced updated extension versions to give you an enhanced performance, if you were using the Vizlib Sankey Chart make sure you replace this with the Vizlib Flow Chart and similarly, if you have the Vizlib Heat Map in use in your dashboards, replace this with the Vizlib Grid Map.
Looking for tips on an extension that isn’t featured above? You can find each Library extension’s own Best Practice and Troubleshooting page here.
Stay optimised for Qlik
The above tips looked into how you can optimise your performance with your Vizlib Library extensions, but it’s also crucial to ensure you are optimising for Qlik.
Do any of the following apply to your data model?:
- Complex calculations in expressions (as opposed to in the script)
- Calculations inside an aggregation – e.g. ‘sum(Expression1*Currency)’ vs ‘sum(Expression1)*Currency’
- Using too many calculations to determine format
- Having too many objects on one sheet
If yes, check out this webinar to find out how to drive performance, speed and quality with Qlik and Vizlib.
Maximise your success with Vizlib Library
In summary, to get the most out of your data, be sure to use the most up-to-date version of Vizlib Library available. Check out the latest features and updates as they become available, so your team can start benefiting from them straight away! If you need help with performance of Qlik Sense, read our guide.
You can find more information on optimising the performance of data apps here. We also recommend that you check out this guide on Best Practice and Performance Optimization in Qlik Sense.
Our Product Best Practice Reference guide is also available now.
Go beyond native Qlik Sense to supercharge your analytics
Sign up freeRelated Posts
31 May 2023
Create customised dashboards with Vizlib Library
You’ve come to the right place!
Vizlib’s feature-rich data visualisation products will help you get started on your data storytelling journey.
Easy-to-use (including drag and drop functionality)
No coding skills needed
Highly customisable to suit your design needs
Templates to fast-track your dashboard creation
Got a technical question? Our Help Centre has heaps of helpful guides, articles, FAQs and more. Access Help Centre
