Business intelligence tools' annual upgrade hits major milestone

A project to boost two business intelligence tools utilised by the University of Edinburgh, Qlik Sense and QlikView, has been successfully completed, ahead of time and budget.

Upgrades have been carried out on the two platforms to ensure that the services are run on supported and the most up-to-date versions.

QlikView and Qlik Sense are data analytics platforms that allow for the handling of large data sets to give insights which can enhance decision making.

QlikView is a desktop-based business intelligence tool used within UoE Colleges and business units, while Qlik Sense is a cloud-based product and a more accessible service for new users as it is a web platform and does not require a desktop install. 

Previously both QlikView and Qlik Sense were brought under central management within the Reporting and Analytics Service at the University’s Information Services.

Now the platforms have been upgraded to the latest available versions on the development (DEV), TEST and LIVE environments.

Phase one of the project saw Qlik Sense upgraded to LIVE successfully and on schedule.

Unanticipated challenges were quickly overcome by Production Management, with an additional install task required for a new Web Connectors package and anti-virus and certificates in DEV and TEST added to each environment after the initial upgrades.

The speedy resolution of the first phase of the project meant the upgrading of QlikView was able to go ahead earlier than anticipated.

QlikView DEV, TEST and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) were signed off by the start of December 2021, and it was successfully deployed LIVE before the Christmas break.

With web connectors added, tested and signed off in January, and with no issues reported, this meant that the project was completed well before its April 2022 target.

The project has also delivered a full set of Qlik test scripts for future upgrades and any future browser testing for the products. 

Upgrades to the latest software releases will ensure both QlikView and Qlik Sense, and the UoE, have the latest fixes to bugs and access to the latest, improved product features, thereby improving overall security and user experience.

The supplier maintenance agreement additionally requires that QlikView and Qlik Sense are kept within their support windows.

The present upgrades, therefore, guarantee compliance and demonstrate the University’s commitment to using both products to their full potential.

User testing has been carried out to ensure the upgrades are working as anticipated.