One of the major marketing themes with QlikView over the past year or so has been it’s mobile credentials (witness the mobile minutes video series). Users are now able to access their apps and get insight anywhere – a revolution in self service BI!

But what about BI developers? Do we get the same freedom to roam and build the QlikView apps that users desire wherever we are? My own feeling on this is that we can, but I am not so sure that we should.

High speed internet enables all kinds of online collaboration options – it also makes the world a much smaller place. My website is global and, whilst AdWords and other marketing effort is tightly locally focussed, hits come in from across the globe.

Source of hits to localhost/quick

The same is true for requests for consultancy and development work.  So, can a project be delivered successfully for a client on a different continent without any face to face interaction? In short; yes, as a sizeable project I worked on with Visual IO based in Cambridge MA proves.

So is this the future for QlikView development?  This developer doesn’t think so, and to be honest I hope not. Whilst travel is definitely not my favourite part of this job, it enables me to be face to face with the users that will have their working lives changed by the apps I create.  An exchange of ideas and sharing of what insight a user requires can only really take place sat looking at the same screen. It also ensures I raise my game on design, as users will say they don’t like a certain shade of colour face to face – but may not think it important enough to mention on a conference call.  At the end of the day it is all about giving the user the best possible experience.

Technically speaking the barriers to remote QlikView development have been removed. Furthermore, all the interaction I have with IT managers and DBAs could be done on the phone. It’s the interactive (in the true sense) bouncing of ideas to create the perfect user-centric solution that I believe requires an on site presence.

Besides, if I wasn’t with the users I wouldn’t get to see their jaws drop as they have their ‘QlikView Moment‘.

It is well worth hours stuck on the M40 in order to see that!