Qlik Sense September 2018 – What’s New

September 27, 2018 stre Leave a comment

It’s time again – Qlik has released a new version of its data visualization solution Qlik Sense. Since the last release in June, a lot has happened.

After the positive feedback regarding the Insight Advisor, which supports the user with analysis and diagram suggestions since June, Qlik remains focused on its Cognitive Engine and Augmented Intelligence for Qlik Sense September 2018. In addition, the new release delivers some “QlikView like” features and more. General highlights of Qlik Sense September 2018 include:

Enhanced Advanced Authoring Features

The Qlik Sense September Release offers some additional functionalities in the area of Advanced Authoring. This simplifies the creation of sophisticated data layouts while accelerating application development due to its high user-friendliness. The improvements of the Expression Editor (e.g. restructured function categorizations and improved search functions) and the visualization control (e.g. conditional show/hide in pivot tables and customizable master measures) are helpful. In addition, you can now open apps by using a default bookmark with a predefined selection state.

New Mapping Features

In addition, the new Qlik Sense version offers enhanced mapping capabilities. For example, the release has a new map layer that depends on the density of the mapped points. The new “Density Map Layer” is a multicolor gradient background where the color intensity varies depending on the weight and closeness of the points.

Improved backend workflow, stability and performance

Qlik Sense September 2018 also removes several previous limitations of the Qlik Management Console (QMC) and allows, for example, to move multiple apps between different streams. In addition, the open source front-end framework has been updated to version 1.6.9 to ensure better performance and stability.

Enhanced connectivity

With the new release, Qlik has further expanded its connectivity options with Microsoft Azure DB and Jira connectors. The necessary security within the integrated connector to Presto is also provided by an extension of LDAP authentication. Large enterprise environments benefit from AirWatch EMM security for mobile access to Qlik Sense Enterprise.

An overview of the listed and other new features of Qlik Sense September 2018 is also available on YouTube:

General

Is Digital Transformation for sale? Really?

September 19, 2018 stre Leave a comment

Guus Krabbenborg is well-known as a business trainer, consultant, blogger and frequently speaker in the Microsoft world. As an expert, he speaks like no other about changes and possibilities in an increasingly digitizing world. We are pleased to welcome the highly-inspiring speaker to our Business Day. With a blog post about digital transformation, he is already getting us in the mood for his speeches:

Today, Digital Transformation is a strategic topic for every company on the planet. Everybody knows examples of companies that have ignored the need to change. Or that started the change process too late. And where that led to. Of course, Digital Transformation has a lot to do with IT and software solutions. However, the question is if you simply can order Digital Transformation from the pricelist of your IT vendor.

The answer to this question is of course No! Digital Transformation is not an article number on the pricelist of any vendor in today’s world. On the contrary, the change process that comes naturally with this transformation is dominated by the so called ‘human factors’. Like the need for a vision on the future. Like trust and internal support. Clear communication about the goals and underlying strategies. Commitment of all parties involved. And exemplary behavior of the leaders.

I strongly believe that IT solutions form an important part of a successful transformation process. But I also believe that it’s valuable contribution is much less than 50 percent of the total project success.

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General

New concept, new location: prisma invites to Business Day 2018

August 31, 2018 stre Leave a comment

prisma informatik invites you to its annual business day – this year with a new venue and concept.

On October 25^th at the Sportpark Ronhof in Fuerth it is all about “Smart processes – valuable data – modern infrastructure”. In addition to some keynotes on the developments of Microsoft, prisma & Co., our new concept includes an open information and communication forum to inform about various topics at numerous information booths, network and hold deepening talks.

Topics will include Modern Workplace (Office 365, Infrastructure etc.), Qlik (Data Visualizations & Reports, D365discovery etc.), Microsoft Dynamics (NAV Development, NAV Finance & Controlling, Document Management etc.) and certain industry lines. Our partner DocuWare will also be available, as well as the speakers Eduard Dell and Guus Krabbenborg.

Eduard Dell, as regional lead of the QBS DACH organization, supports partners such as prisma in creating and developing their business with Microsoft – especially in the area of “Microsoft Business Applications”. At the Business Day Eduard will highlight the roadmaps of the Dynamics product lines.

Guus Krabbenborg is well-known in the Microsoft world as a particularly inspiring speaker, trainer, consultant and blogger. In his creative and inspiring performances, Guus speaks like no other about changes and possibilities in an increasingly digitizing world.

At our “Meet & Greet” on the previous evening (October 24^th), Guus will already introduce you to the upcoming day with an exciting impulse speech an our experts will also be available for initial discussions.

Information can also be found in our latest press release. Registrations are open, please click here to join the prisma Business Day 2018.

General

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central – First details known for October release

August 8, 2018 stre Leave a comment

In October, Microsoft is going to roll out new releases for its business applications. Dynamics 365 Business Central will then also be equipped with some improvements and innovations. The release notes recently published by Microsoft provide an overview of the new key features. They also confirm that the on-premise version of Business Central will be the successor to Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

With the upcoming October release, the availability of Dynamics 365 Business Central will be extended. From this point on, the solution can be operated in the cloud, on-premise and as a hybrid model. Customers who currently have a local Dynamics NAV solution in operation can continue to use it. However, subsequent versions of the Dynamics NAV product range will no longer be available under the usual name. Instead, the solution will become “Business Central On-Premise” as part of the new releases.

Optimized productivity and user experience

The new version of Business Central will bring some productivity and usability improvements in the Web Client. Besides a new modern look, improved keyboard navigation and new keyboard shortcuts make working with the program considerably faster and more convenient. Enhanced search functions for pages and reports as well as new filter options for lists also increase user-friendliness – regardless of whether the data is accessed via Web Client or Universal App Client (Smartphone, Tablet or Windows 10).

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General

Eight proven success factors in implementing modern business software

July 18, 2018 stre Leave a comment

In order to keep up with digitization in the corporate world, even classic business applications are on trial. In many companies there is need for action in order to map all segments across the value chain in future by an integrated solution.

At Microsoft the traditionally separated fields of ERP and CRM are growing together under the umbrella brand “Dynamics 365”; the integrated business application suite “Business Central” is a major part of this. Modern software solutions like this offer lots of opportunities, but the scope of implementing such a system should never be underestimated.

Even though new business applications have different pricing models than before and even offer leasing models, the implementation and conception of such a software solution is still a major investment. And even if manufacturers keep talking about “self-service” and there is no longer a need to provide your own hardware, for complex business processes it will always be necessary to include consultants with experience from other similar projects. Many companies will have to check and adapt their existing processes to the parameters specified by the new software. To this end, lots of plans and discussions are required to ensure the success of the project. So it’s worthwhile to keep the following principles in mind before launching a new project.

Continue reading Eight proven success factors in implementing modern business software →

Business Intelligence, General

Qlik Sense June 2018 – What’s New

July 2, 2018 stre Leave a comment

BI vendor Qlik continues to pursue its proven release cycle, launching Qlik Sense June 2018, the latest version of its data visualization software.

In addition to a new Insight Advisor and enhanced hub publishing capabilities, the new release includes visualization enhancements and five new connectors. Feature Highlights in Qlik Sense June 2018 include:

Generate insights with the new Insight Advisor
Qlik Sense June 2018 has been extended with a new Insight Advisor. The Advisor uses Qlik’s Cognitive Engine to suggest charts to users based on insights from existing and new data. The user can then use them to augment existing visualizations.

Advanced features for app publishing from the hub
The new Qlik Sense version provides enhanced capabilities to manage apps through the hub. For example, apps that have already been published can be duplicated, modified, and then re-published in the same stream as the original app. Published apps can now be found in a dedicated section.

Filtering data from files
With Qlik Sense June 2018 you can create filtering conditions for the field contents in files. These are automatically applied to the script when data is loaded into the Data Manager.

New possibilities for visualizations
The release also offers some new features to create and edit visualizations. For example, the property panel now offers a number of alternative charts to complement the original chart suggestions. At the same place it is possible to switch dimensions and measures by simply drag and drop. In addition, Qlik Sense June 2018 provides the ability to show and hide specific columns in a straight table. The mini graph used for scrolling can be deactivated for line, bar and combo charts.

Qlik Sense June 2018 offers even more new features. In addition to five new Qlik connectors (PrestoDB, Apache Drill, Apache Phoenix, Apache Spark, and MongoDB), the release features enhanced accessibility, new line layers in map charts and enhanced capabilities for the Expression Editor and App sheets. An overview of the listed and many other interesting new features of Qlik Sense June 2018 is also available in the following video:

Business Intelligence, General

Soccer World Cup 2018: Choose your champion by using the new Qlik app

June 14, 2018 stre Leave a comment

This years FIFA World Cup is just around the corner. An app of BI provider Qlik allows a forecast of the tournament course based on historical data. Choose your champion!

Starting today the balls of the Soccer World Cup will be kicked off again – this time in Russia. If you can‘t wait for the matches, you can meanwhile use a new Qlik Sense app, which has been especially prepared to calculate all possible results for the World Cup in advance. On this end, BI vendor Qlik has compiled the results of past tournaments as well as the FIFA and Elo rankings. On the base of this data, the winning odds of each team were finally evaluated and visualized.

With the Qlik Sense app you can run through all possible pairings within the various tournament groups. Each score is then supplemented with a chart and some key information (e.g. shots on goal). Based on this data, users can decide for themselves, which teams will be virtually advanced to the next round.

The web-based Qlik World Cup app can be used for free – even on smartphones and tablets.

General

Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018 – Features that make everyday work with the system easier

May 17, 2018 stre Leave a comment

At the end of last year, Microsoft released the new version of its ERP solution Dynamics NAV 2018. The new release offers some improvements that make everyday work more simple and convenient.

In this respect, for example, the “Setup & Extensions” button provides a central place for the settings. Here, the user is able to obtain step by step support from several setup wizards while defining the parameters for a certain module or area. The required settings can also be made in the classic setup cards. These are collected in one single place and are stored according to area (e.g. finance, sales, projects etc.). The individual setup pages also feature keywords to search and filter accordingly.

NAV 2018 Assisted Setup — Assisted setup in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018

The preview of reports has also been improved. While in previous versions the preview was only available in the Internet Explorer, all standard browsers (e.g. Edge, Chrome, Firefox and Safari on macOS) are now supported. The appropriate preview is ultimately provided as PDF and can be downloaded and printed directly. The preview mode can furthermore be operated with the mouse or the keyboard.

NAV 2018 Report Preview — Preview of reports in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018

NAV 2018 further allows to create user task lists that – similar to Outlook – can pint to certain tasks which must be completed within the ERP system. The appropriate tasks can be linked with corresponding pages or reports. If necessary, they can also be prioritised and automatically repeated.

NAV 2018 User Task List — User task lists in Microsoft Dynamics NAV 2018

In addition to the above upgrades, NAV 2018 offers some more new features. In this context, for example, it is possible to change the role centre directly in the Web Client without logging off and in again.

Business Intelligence, General

Qlik Sense April 2018 – What’s New

April 25, 2018 stre Leave a comment

The new release of the data visualization solution Qlik Sense has been released with some new features and improvements under the name Qlik Sense April 2018.

In addition to improved map visualization, the new version includes the ability to support chart visualization, variable grid sizes in working mode, and the ability to publish Qlik Sense apps from within the Hub. Highlights of Qlik Sense April 2018 include:

Supported data visualization with Qlik Sense recommendations Qlik Sense recommendations make it easier to create visualizations by making it possible to quickly drag and drop fields onto the worksheet. The Cognitive Engine in Qlik, which gathers insights from the loaded data and combines them with best practices for data visualization, also provides the user with chart suggestions.

Improved maps visualization
Qlik Sense April 2018 also offers some new features for the visualization of maps. For example, the new release supports drill-down capabilities, multiple layers and labels for point and area levels. In addition, there is no fixed upper limit to the number of objects, countries, divisions, cities and postal code areas can be looked up quickly and easily. Circle selection with distance measure, layer control, zoom limit and draw order are also features of the new release.

Link the Qlik Sense Mobile App to third-party apps
The new version also allows the Qlik Sense Mobile App to interact with third-party mobile applications through a custom generated URL (“deep link”). The created link can be integrated into the respective external app with appropriate filters. Clicking the link opens the app in Qlik Sense Mobile with the filters and selections applied during the original presentation.

Publishing apps from the Hub
In Qlik Sense April 2018, created apps can be published through any stream the user has publish access for. After publishing an app to a stream, the app can be moved between all streams the user is allowed to use.

New grid size control
With the new release, the author of an app can choose between three different grid sizes creating a new worksheet. Available are the sizes “small”, “medium” and “large”.

Numeric Abbreviations
From now on it is possible to individualize currency abbreviations in the number format mode “automatic” – for example: Thousand, million, billion (instead of previously: k, M, B).

In addition to the features listed, Qlik Sense offers some other interesting new capabilities in April 2018, such as support for keyboard navigation and shortcuts in the Qlik Sense Hub or the ability for anonymous users to print and export data.

General

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: Release in April

March 29, 2018 stre Leave a comment

Microsoft announced the official name and release date of its new cloud ERP solution. Dynamics 365 Business Central will officially be available in April.

The cloud-based all-in-one business management solution, which was formerly known as Dynamics 365 “Tenerife”, will have the full functionality of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. The On-Premise version will continue to exist.

Starting April 2^nd, Dynamics 365 Business Central will be available in 14 countries (including Germany) in two price packages: “Essential” and “Premium”. The “Essential” version contains all the key modules, such as those required for finances, operations, sales and customer service, as well as human resources, project and supply chain management, whereas the “Premium” edition has additional modules for service order management and manufacturing.

Business Central is intended to upgrade entry-level accounting software and ERP legacy systems easily and quickly. Updates are performed automatically by the cloud solution to eliminate complex upgrade processes. The basic functionalities integrate with other Microsoft cloud services (e.g., Office 365) and can be customized and extended with PowerApps, Microsoft Flow, and Power BI for specific, growing, and changing business needs.

Microsofts’ primary goal is to create a flexible cloud platform through automated tasks and workflows (using familiar tools such as Office, Outlook, Word, and Excel), networked data and intelligent technologies to offer users a standardized and efficient way of handling business transactions. The created company networking will be helpful to make informed decisions. Dynamics 365 Business Central has also a new modern user interface to provide a better overview and increase productivity.

With the enhanced user experience, its extensibility, and the full functionality of Dynamics NAV, the all-in-one business management solution offers many benefits – particularly for companies, which are looking for a flexible solution that grows and changes with them just as their requirements.