5 Brutal Truths You Face When the Qlik Sense Analyst Who “Knew Everything” Isn’t on the Org Chart Anymore

Read time: 2.5 minutes

5 Hard Lessons Learned When Your Qlik Sense Expert Goes

1. The Qlik documentation served as a personal reference for all LOAD scripts, set modifiers, flags, and the associated data changes.
   Solution: If your application doesn't include a README and a script header, you will not be able to publish to a Managed Space or a Shared Space.

2. KPI Validator. They set which KPI expressions are considered "official."
   Solution: Assign one responsible individual to each KPI, and each KPI must be reviewed every January.

3. They were the only person that comprehended the expressions in their entirety. If you touched it, the totals changed.
   Solution: Any expression using Set Analysis plus AGGR() has to contain a one-line comment explaining the purpose of this measure in the measure description.

4. They had sole control of the data model. So, “one additional app” could have turned into five by the time they left.
   Solution: Have one governed application for each subject area (Sales, Finance, Ops), and do not allow the creation of applications that are not based on using that data model.

5. Qlik’s reorganization didn’t cause their loss; their decision to leave created a loss of trust.
   Solution: In January, run a Qlik bus test with a different analyst. A new analyst should change a KPI in an application and then reload it to get a new result, which should be compared with the previous result within 48 hours. If the results don’t match up, STOP BUILDING!

💡Key Takeaway: 

If a single person's departure can throw your analytics into disarray, this isn't a staffing issue... it's a design issue. Qlik did not fail. Your system relied on memory rather than structure, and this debt will come due in January.