Notepad ++

One of the tools I can’t live without is Notepad++. It has almost all the features that you may expect in a text editor and a few that you may not. If you use “include files” in your scripts, you should consider Notepad++ for editing them. I use the Qlik language definition and the Compare plugin to find out what changed between two versions. Compare plugin can be installed from Plugin manager located on the top bar of Notepad++. This is something I use on a daily basis.

Fuzzy Lookup Add-In for Excel

Excel is one of my favorite tools and I use it every day for different purposes. One of the add-ins that it comes with is the ‘Fuzzy Lookup’ which works with various datasets. Sometimes when using Excel’s VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP functions, we don’t get the results we are seeking, not because of anything we are doing wrong, but because the data we are trying to match is not an exact match. For example, if you are trying to perform a VLOOKUP to find “123 Main Street”, Excel will not match that to “123 Main St”. Fortunately, for those who need to match inexact data, the Fuzzy Lookup Add-In enables you to do this.

One of the interesting features is the ‘Similarity Threshold’ which can be configured on a scale 0 to 1 where 1 is the exact match.

In the dataset screenshot, the left side table is ‘old’ data set and the one next to it is ‘new’ data set. Our goal here is to find out if there are any differences in both data sets.

For this purpose, we use the Fuzzy Lookup Add-In and configure the Similarity Index to a value between 0 and 1. The similarity index is set to 0.50 in this scenario. A similarity index of 0 indicates that there is no match which means that the values from the old data set are not in the new one. Here are the comparison results.

The interesting part is that matching can go both ways: Old to New and New to Old so you can customize as needed. The differences are in red. This is a great add-in and can be used to compare data sets to identify small differences.

Quick HTML Color Picker

There are several color picker tools available today but Quick HTML Color Picker needs a special mentioning. There are occasions where we as developers must look back to design mockups to identify the color schemes. Having this tool in your kit will not only help preview the color but also allows you to use the mouse or keyboard to select the color you wanted, and get the color in RGB and HTML format. This tool comes in handy and is a must-have for developers.

Performance testing tools

End users today are used to the high-speed internet and very quick response times when accessing online content. Research shows that users expect a site to load in 2 seconds. After 3 seconds, 40% of the users will abandon the site. It’s easier to lose clientele than to gain them. It’s important for us to understand the value of performance as it’s crucial to ensure user adoption. Therefore, I would like to highlight 2 essential tools for Performance testing.

HP Load Runner

One of the tools is the HP Load Runner which is used widely. This tool is known for its versatility and provides several features that allow in-depth analysis. It would be great for any company that focuses on Performance to have this tool in their portfolio. However, the downside is the slightly expensive license cost.

Apache JMeter

As opposed to Load Runner, Apache JMeter is an open source load testing tool. It was mainly developed for web applications but later the scope has widened. Apache JMeter is a popular tool and is known for its user-friendly GUI.

Performance testing tools comparisons:

Apache JMeter vs. HP Load Runner

7 reasons JMeter is easier to use than Load Runner 

These five tools work for me to deliver inspired solutions to clients and I’m sure they will save you time each time you use them. I would like to conclude by saying that Qlik products have a lot to offer including the Governance dashboard, Document Analyzer, QViewer, Nprinting, Mapping tools etc. and more importantly, a thriving ecosystem of third-party tools have matured around Qlik.

Turn yourself into a Qlik lover with this package!

Swetha Nagireddy, Sr Consultant Infozone