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🔍 Deep Dive: Making the Most of Folders in Qlik Sense SaaS

Qlik Cloud’s Enhanced File and Folder Management is more than just a UX update - it's a major evolution in how Qlik users can organize, govern, and streamline their data pipelines. In this in-depth guide, you'll learn:

• Why folder structure isn't optional - it's foundational

• How to build a scalable architecture in Qlik spaces using folders

• How to use Qlik’s new bulk tools (copy, move, cut, paste)

• Strategic governance wins when folders are used right

• How it compares to legacy on-prem setups

• Best practices, caveats, and visuals that show you the system in action

🔍 Why This Matters: The Case for Folder Discipline

In Qlik Cloud, the shift from a flat file list to structured folders transforms how teams collaborate.

Here’s what improved folder discipline unlocks:

• Visibility → Quickly understand what’s live, in dev, or archived

• Governance → Easier auditability, fewer data access violations

• Efficiency → Faster onboarding for new users, fewer misloads

• Security → Confident segregation between sensitive and general files

• Scalability → A consistent folder schema makes scaling teams and apps easier

Imagine trying to collaborate on a 10-app project without folder structure. That’s the past. This is the fix.

🧭 How Folders Work in Qlik Cloud (Step-by-Step with Examples)

Let’s walk through each action in detail.

📁 Creating Folders

• Navigate to any Personal, Shared, or Managed Space

• Open the Data Files section from the space menu

• Click New Folder → Enter a name (e.g. 01_Raw, Archive_2023)

• You can also right-click on any folder to add subfolders

Pro tip: Keep folder names short, consistent, and machine-friendly (use underscores or PascalCase).

📤 Uploading Files to Folders

• Inside any folder, drag-and-drop files from your desktop

• Or click Upload → Select target folder from dropdown

• Uploads respect the current location-what you see is where they’ll go

✂️ Moving Files (Bulk Actions)

• Select 1 or more files/folders using checkboxes

• Use the toolbar to Cut or Copy

• Navigate to another folder (even in a different space)

• Click Paste to complete the operation

Use this to implement a dev → test → prod promotion model. Move from personal to shared to managed spaces.

🧼 Renaming, Deleting, and Cleaning Up

• Click the three-dot menu next to any item

• Rename items for version clarity (e.g., Monthly_Sales_v2.qvd)

• Delete files in bulk after archiving to a safe location

🧱 The Folder Architecture Blueprint

Use these tried-and-tested structures to avoid chaos:

Option 1: By Data Stage

01_Extracts/
02_Transforms/
03_Reports/

Option 2: By Data Domain

Finance/
Sales/
Marketing/

Option 3: By Time Horizon

2023_Q1/
2023_Q2/
2024_Archive/

Option 4: Mixed Hybrid Model

01_Finance/
   ├─ Actuals/
   ├─ Forecast/
02_Sales/
   ├─ CRM_Data/
   ├─ Targets/

Match your folder logic to your mental model. It should reflect your ETL structure, team setup, or reporting flow.

🧪 Example: Real Folder Structure in a Shared Space

Let’s say your team is working on a quarterly sales dashboard. Here’s a working structure:

Sales_Analytics_Space/
├─ 01_Extracts/
│    ├─ Sales_ERP_March2024.csv
│    ├─ Salesforce_Contacts.xlsx
├─ 02_QVDs/
│    ├─ sales_facts.qvd
│    ├─ contacts_clean.qvd
├─ 03_Exports/
│    ├─ Region_Summary_Excel.qvf

This setup gives your developers clarity. Everyone knows where to place their outputs. Load scripts stay clean. And when it’s time to promote this into production, you copy the entire structure into a Managed Space.

Bonus: Add a README.qvd or metadata file with structure rationale and owner contact details.

🛡️ Governance & Security Impacts

Qlik Cloud’s folder management aligns tightly with space-level permissions. Here’s how:

• Personal Spaces → For prototyping. Only you can see the contents.

• Shared Spaces → For team projects. Flexible access (edit/view).

• Managed Spaces → For production-ready data. Tightly controlled access.

Folder permissions inherit space rules. So if someone shouldn’t see a file-don’t put it in a Shared Space they belong to.

Use folders as organizational scaffolding, not security barriers.

Reminder: Qlik Cloud does not allow permissioning at the folder level.

🔁 Dev → Test → Prod with Folder Copying

Use folders and space promotions to create lightweight environments:

1. Personal Space → User uploads raw file and creates app

2. Shared Space → App and files copied in for peer review

3. Managed Space → Final approved files placed into structured folders

Each stage is governed by the folder setup and file versioning. This flow removes guesswork.

You can even script these transitions using Qlik Application Automation or via REST API for heavy use.

🔄 Comparing Cloud vs On-Premise

🧠 Advanced Practices

✅ Use Prefixes for Logical Sorting
01_, 02_, 03_ → ensures folders sort as you intend.

✅ Match Folder Paths in Scripts
Keep folder paths in line with Qlik data connections and avoid hard-coding wherever possible.

// Example of a load script pointing to a file in a folder within a space
LOAD *
FROM [lib://Sales_Analytics_Space/01_Extracts/Sales_ERP_March2024.csv]
(txt, codepage is 28591, embedded labels, delimiter is ',', msq);

Replace Sales_Analytics_Space with your actual space name. Folder paths are case-sensitive.

✅ Implement Soft Versioning
Instead of overwriting, duplicate into folders like /Archive/ or /Deprecated/ before updates.

✅ Train Teams
Make folder structure part of your onboarding docs.

If your team doesn’t know the rules, they can’t follow them. Document your approach clearly.

✅ Use Prefixes for Logical Sorting
01_, 02_, 03_ → ensures folders sort as you intend.

✅ Match Folder Paths in Scripts
Keep folder paths in line with Qlik data connections and avoid hard-coding wherever possible.

✅ Implement Soft Versioning
Instead of overwriting, duplicate into folders like /Archive/ or /Deprecated/ before updates.

✅ Train Teams
Make folder structure part of your onboarding docs.

If your team doesn’t know the rules, they can’t follow them. Document your approach clearly.

🎯 Final Takeaways

This isn’t about aesthetics - it’s about sustainability.

A well-structured folder system in Qlik Cloud ensures:

• Secure handoffs across teams

• Faster load script development

• Easier navigation in complex apps

• Smooth automation and deployment

Take the time to build your system right - and the benefits compound.

Structure = Speed.

Governance = Confidence.

Folders = Foundation.