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Deep Dive

Implementing Tabular Reporting in Qlik Cloud

Last week, we covered the administrative setup for Qlik Reporting, ensuring your tenant was properly configured.

Now, we’re moving into the implementation phase—how to build, automate, and distribute structured reports using the Qlik Excel Add-in and Report Tasks in Qlik Cloud.

By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:

• Design reusable report templates in Excel

• Connect templates to Qlik for live data integration

• Automate scheduled reporting and distribution

For this guide, we’ll focus on month-end financial reporting—a use case that benefits greatly from automation.

Who Should Use This?

Tabular reporting is ideal for:

• Finance teams → Month-end financial statements, profit & loss reports, trial balances.

• Operations teams → Structured exports of performance data for stakeholders.

• Project managers → Recurring progress reports with standardized data formats.

If you’ve ever spent time exporting Qlik tables to Excel, reformatting them, and manually sending reports, this is the solution to eliminate those steps.

Getting Started: Implementing Tabular Reporting in Qlik Cloud

Step 1: Create a Tabular Report Template in Excel

The Qlik Reporting Excel Add-in allows you to create dynamic templates where Qlik injects live data during report generation.

How to create your first template:

1. Open Microsoft Excel.

2. Go to Insert > Get Add-ins > Search "Qlik Reporting".

3. Click Install to add the Qlik Reporting panel.

4. Sign in to Qlik Cloud using your tenant credentials.

5. Select the Qlik Sense App that contains the data for your report.

Once connected, you can start inserting Qlik data into the report template.

Step 2: Insert Qlik Data into the Report

Qlik allows you to pull in data in different ways:

• Insert a full table → Adds a complete Qlik table from your app into Excel.

• Insert individual columns → Select specific fields from a Qlik chart.

• Insert a chart as an image → Useful for including KPI snapshots in reports.

Example: Month-End Profit & Loss Report

1. Click Add Table in the Qlik Reporting panel.

2. Select your Qlik Sense App and choose a table (e.g., "Profit & Loss Report").

3. Click Insert Table - a <Table> placeholder appears in Excel.

4. If you need specific fields, use the Expand Columns option.

5. Apply standard Excel formatting (currency, bold headers, column widths).

Using Qlik-defined measures ensures calculations remain consistent across reports.

Step 3: Upload the Template to Qlik Cloud

Once your Excel template is structured, you need to upload it to Qlik Cloud so it can be used in Report Tasks.

1. Open Qlik Sense and navigate to your app.

2. Go to Reporting > Templates.

3. Click Upload New Template and select your Excel file.

4. Name the template (e.g., “Month-End Financial Report”).

This template is now available for use in automated reporting tasks.

Step 4: Creating Recipients for Report Distribution

Before assigning recipients to a Report Task, they must first be added under the Recipients tab in Qlik Reporting. There are multiple ways to do this, depending on your setup and data management approach.

Method 1: Uploading a Recipient List via Excel (.xlsx)

For most organizations, the easiest way to manage recipients is by uploading an Excel file with the list of recipients and groups.

1. Navigate to Reporting > Recipients in Qlik Cloud.

2. Click Add recipients and groups.

3. Select Upload new version (.xlsx).

4. Use a structured Excel file with at least the following columns:

   • Name (Full name of the recipient)

   • Email (Email address for report delivery)

   • (Optional) Group (Assign recipients to predefined groups)

   • (Optional) Filters (If specific filters should apply to the recipient)

5. Click Upload, and Qlik will populate the recipient list accordingly.

Method 2: Connecting Recipients to a Data Source

For dynamic recipient management, Qlik allows you to connect the recipient list directly to a data source.

1. Navigate to Reporting > Recipients in Qlik Cloud.

2. Click Add recipients and groups.

3. Select Connect to data source.

4. Choose the Qlik Sense data model or an external source that contains the recipient list.

5. Map the relevant fields (e.g., Name, Email, Group, Filters).

6. Click Save—this ensures recipient updates are automatically pulled from the data source.

Method 3: Using Predefined Example Files

If you’re unsure about formatting, Qlik provides a pre-built Excel template to help structure your recipient list.

1. Navigate to Reporting > Recipients in Qlik Cloud.

2. Click Add recipients and groups.

3. Select Download example - this provides an Excel file template with the correct columns and structure.

4. Fill in the required details and re-upload it using Upload new version (.xlsx).

Which Method Should You Use?

• For manual management: Upload recipients using Excel.

• For automated updates: Connect to a live data source.

• For first-time setup: Download the example file and modify it.

Once recipients are created, you can manage them under the Recipients tab and assign them to report tasks or groups for easier distribution.

Step 5: Create a Scheduled Report Task

Instead of manually generating reports, Qlik allows you to automate report generation on a defined schedule.

How to create a report task:

1. Open your Qlik app and go to Reporting > Report Tasks.

2. Click Create Report Task.

3. Select the uploaded Excel template.

4. Choose an output format (Excel .xlsx or PDF).

5. Set a schedule (e.g., first of the month at 6 AM).

6. Add recipients - manually or via a predefined list.

7. Click Save & Activate.

Step 6: Apply Filters for Personalized Reports

Filters allow reports to be customized per recipient. For example, different department heads receive financials for their respective divisions.

How to apply filters:

1. Go to Reporting > Filters.

2. Click Create Filter and set a rule (e.g., “Department = Finance”).

3. Assign the filter to specific recipients in your report task.

4. When the report runs, each user receives only their relevant data.

Using dynamic filters ensures tailored reporting without modifying the template.

Final Checklist: Is Your Reporting Pipeline Ready?

✅ Report template created in Excel.
✅ Template uploaded to Qlik Cloud.
✅ Report task scheduled for automation.
✅ Filters applied for segmented reporting.
✅ Email distribution configured.

Once this is set up, your month-end financial reports will generate and send automatically, eliminating manual work.

💡 Final Thoughts

Qlik Cloud’s Tabular Reporting eliminates the need for manual exports and formatting, delivering structured reports on schedule with the latest data.

Have questions about Qlik Reporting? Reply and let me know - I’ll cover them in a future issue.