What Scripting Language Does QlikView Use?
QlikView is a powerful business intelligence and data visualization tool that allows users to explore and analyze data from various sources. As part of its functionality, QlikView uses a proprietary scripting language called QlikView Script. This scripting language plays a crucial role in loading, transforming, and associating data within the QlikView application.
The Purpose of QlikView Script
The main purpose of the QlikView Script is to extract data from different sources, such as databases, spreadsheets, or web services, and transform it into a format that can be easily analyzed and visualized. The script allows users to perform operations like joining tables, filtering data, creating calculated fields, and defining relationships between different data tables.
Syntax and Structure
The syntax of QlikView Script is similar to SQL (Structured Query Language) but with some specific differences. Let’s take a look at the basic structure of a QlikView script:
LOAD *; SQL SELECT * FROM tableName;
- LOAD: This keyword is used to load data into the memory from external files or databases.
- *: The asterisk represents all fields from the specified table.
- SQL: This keyword indicates that the following statement is SQL code.
- SELECT: This keyword is used to select specific fields from a table.
- FROM: This keyword specifies the table name from which the data will be loaded.
tableName: The name of the table or view from which the data will be retrieved.
Key Features of QlikView Script
The QlikView Scripting language provides several key features that enable users to manipulate and load data effectively:
Data Transformation:
QlikView Script allows users to transform data during the loading process. This includes operations like renaming fields, converting data types, applying mathematical calculations, and aggregating data. These transformations help in preparing the data for analysis and visualization.
Data Association:
The script enables users to associate data from different tables based on common fields. This association is essential for creating a coherent and integrated view of the data within the QlikView application. By linking related tables, users can perform powerful analysis across multiple datasets.
Data Loading Optimization:
QlikView Script offers various optimization techniques to improve the performance of data loading. Users can apply techniques like incremental loading, which loads only new or updated records, reducing the load time for large datasets. Additionally, script optimizations like table concatenation and preloading can further enhance loading speed.
Conclusion
In summary, QlikView uses its proprietary scripting language called QlikView Script to extract, transform, and associate data within its application. The syntax and structure of this scripting language resemble SQL but with specific differences. The QlikView Script provides powerful features for data transformation, association, and loading optimization that contribute to its effectiveness as a business intelligence tool.