Monthly Archives: May 2014

ABC: Always Be Closing

Always Be ClosingA very short tip on writing QlikView expressions that might save you a lot of headaches. In my last online training on Set Analysis (another one coming up this week) I showed a simple technique that I use when writing expressions in QlikView, especially when they contain nested functions. Based on the feedback, it seemed to resonate quite well with the attendees and not everybody was aware of this technique, so I thought I might share it with you as well.

It can simply be summarized as: Always Be Closing.

Whenever I write an expression that contains a parenthesis (or curly bracket/chevron/whatever) that also needs to be closed, I immediately close it and place the cursor one step back. Or, to show it visually (in slow mo):

This way, you’ll never need to think about how many parentheses/etc. you need to close your expression. Of course,  this technique also works for Excel, SQL or any programming language.

As a follow-on tip, whenever I have to ‘decipher’ a nested expression within QlikView, I work inside-out. Start with the inner-most function, figure out what it does and what value(s) it returns, then move on to the function that uses the output of the first function, figure out what that does, and so on.

Online training: QlikView Set Analysis

QlikView Set Analysis Training

Just a quick heads-up about a new online training that Miguel García and I are offering: Set Analysis. We delivered our first training on May 2nd and received excellent ratings and feedback. We are now scheduling new sessions, the first one being held May 23rd 2014. This is a live, instructor-led, 4 hour online training. We have multiple sessions (both in English and Spanish), so you should be able to find one that fits your time zone. More information can be found on the website, or after the break.

Register Now for the Online Set Analysis Training

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