21 May 2020
Let's get VIZZICAL! Watch now
![[Webinar recording] The Big Unveiling of Vizlib writeback capabilities for Qlik Sense](https://home.vizlib.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/webinar-recording.png)
Taking action directly where your insights and data are in Qlik Sense has been challenging. And, with our customer-centric focus at Vizlib, we’ve made it our mission to delight customers and deliver a product which solves that—covering your entire insights-to-action journey in Qlik. Updating data, adding rows, commenting, adjusting numbers, tagging fields, editing mapping files, communicating data with your team – the list of new capabilities goes on!
So, for those of you who missed the unveiling of our Vizlib Collaboration reimagined, here’s the webinar recording and a comprehensive list of questions from the interactive Q&A.
Webinar recording: the big unveiling of Vizlib writeback
Technical Q&A
Q: Does Vizlib writeback require you to reload the app after inserting the value?
A: Not necessarily. This is completely up to you and can be set in the property panel settings – you can choose whether to reload the app or not. You can set whether the app is reloaded after writing back data, or whether you keep working with the app as is. Reload, partial reload and binary reloads are supported.
Q: I’m an existing customer of Vizlib Collaboration – can I use it too?
A: Vizlib Writeback Table & Vizlib Input Form will be included as part of your existing subscription at no extra cost.
Q: When can I beta test the new Vizlib Collaboration product?
A: Official Go-To-Market launch will be in early June 2020, although we are already running betas with existing customers. Contact support@vizlib.com, for a detailed demo & early testing phase (existing customers have priority).
Q: How much does it cost?
A: Pricing starts at $5 per user per month, no implementation/installation fees, test server included at no extra cost.
Q: Where is my data stored?
A: This is YOUR choice: CSV, TXT, QVD, SQL Database (PostgreSQL default) or any other REST endpoint.
Q: Do I need a Server?
A: Only if you want to. You can use Vizlib Writeback serverless – means it also works on Qlik Sense Cloud
Q: Can we add new fields to be stored?
A: Yes! Vizlib Collaboration allows you to rapidly prototype and build new fields and columns on the fly to store results in .CSV, .TXT and .QVDs. Those fields then become part of the app’s data model and can be stored in other destinations. If you do not wish to offer that flexibility to your users and keep your schema controlled, you can write back to a SQL Database using our Vizlib Server solution.
Q: Is there any version control to help me see what’s changed?
Vizlib Collaboration is built with security and auditing in mind. Yes. There is an audit trail to keep track of changes: user, time, and what changed.
Q: Can we push the data all the way to the source, in let’s say BigQuery/Redshift/Snowflake?
A: BigQuery as a writeback destination is on our 2020 Roadmap and coming soon alongside Redshift, Snowflake, MongoDB and many more. And, of course, you can configure the destination system for writing the data back. So, while BigQuery is on the roadmap and planned for a release later this year, SQL is available for you to use right now! You can also configure to support multiple destinations using our Vizlib Server, so different teams can use different databases to write their data back to.
Q: Can you change an aggregated value and have to update detailed rows in the sum?
A: You can certainly store the totals/results – that’s absolutely possible right now. Changing aggregated value is not something we’d recommend. Qlik aggregates all values on the fly. Just like you wouldn’t want to change the TOTAL field in an Excel document, it’s not advisable to do that in Qlik Sense. A better option is to edit the rows or data elements that make up those totals.
Q: Can you connect to your own database sources?
A: Absolutely. You can add your own (or even multiple) integrations in the Vizlib Management Console. And you can add as many as you like. At the moment we support the SQL database, but we are working on adding more destinations very soon.
Q: Does Section Access influence who can write back and who cannot?
A: Admins can configure who can and cannot write back data using our Vizlib Server solution, and which destinations can be used. Vizlib writeback capabilities are built with security in mind. Section Access from Qlik can also be used to reduce and secure the data that is viewed by the end-users, hence control what data can be edited, and which not.
Q: Does Vizlib Collaboration take into account row-level security? For example, if many teams are using the same app, but certain teams should only be able to see data related to a particular cost centre. Do the same rules apply to the comments the users can view? So that one user doesn’t see another user’s comments, which may contain sensitive information?
A: Yes! You can solve all of these concerns by leveraging our Vizlib Collaboration hierarchies, security rules to set read/write permissions and Qlik’s very own Section Access to control what data is viewed.
Q: Does the writeback prevent SQL injections?
A: Yes it does prevent it using our Vizlib Server. Coming soon!
Q: If I write 2 new fields to a QVD, are they deleted next time the QVD is built by the loader app?
A: Potentially. It depends on how you set up, store, and load your QVDs – you can control everything in your load script, including the logic. But ultimately, if you don’t update the source system, those fields could be overwritten during normal reloads.
Q: Can Vizlib Writeback handle CSV files to write back a small dataset?
A: Yes, writing to CSV files is supported.
Q: So, for SQL writebacks, do we need the Vizlib Server?
A: Using our own integrations, you need to use our Vizlib Server to enable SQL writebacks. Alternatively, you can just build a custom service middle-layer that receives data from Vizlib Writeback in Qlik Sense via REST, and writes up the data to a custom destination of your choice. We support custom development use cases too.
Q: Are you able to apply rules to Vizlib Writeback Table? Say, if the estimated enrollment is over 200, then Milestone Risk 1 must be high?
A: Absolutely! Each field has the ability to have validation points and data-driven conditions.
Q: What are you using on the backend to calculate the simulations? And the K-Means clusters?
A: Simulations can be powered by Qlik expressions or external systems. The clustering in the Vizlib Scatter, however, is built-in. You can try it for free, as it’s included in Vizlib Library. See more about Vizlib’s Advanced Analytics Clustering
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