Introduction to loading data

This is a brief introduction on how to load data into QlikView. It provides a background for the topics in this section, presenting how to perform basic data loading and transformation.

QlikView uses a load script, which is managed in the script editor, to connect to and retrieve data from various data sources. In the script, the fields and tables to load are specified. It is also possible to manipulate or transform the data structure by using script statements and expressions.

When the script is executed, QlikView identifies common fields from different tables (key fields) to associate the data. The resulting data structure of the data in the document can be seen in the table viewer. Changes to the data structure can be made by renaming fields to obtain different associations between tables.

You execute the script by clicking the Reload button. After the script execution, the Select fields dialog opens, where you can choose the fields to display in list boxes on the sheet in QlikView.

After the data has been loaded into QlikView, it is stored in the document. The document is the heart of the program's functionality and it is characterized by several factors: the unrestricted manner in which data is associated, its large number of possible dimensions, its speed of analysis and its compact size. When the document is open, it is held in RAM.

Analysis in QlikView always happens while the document is not directly connected to its data sources. So, to refresh the data, you need to reload the script.