1. Have you had previous work experience and if so what type of work was it?

Yes, I was an intern at a bank in South Africa. I was doing QlikView Development, QlikView Nprinting and QMC Administration.

2. Why did you decide to apply for or go into Qlik training?

I developed a keen interest in Business Intelligence when I first heard of it (in my last of year of tertiary education). I then followed up that interest by doing an internship with Standard Bank and learnt more about it. It was there that I got exposed to Qlik. I enjoy using Qlik and have taken up any opportunity that has come my way to grow my knowledge and gain exposure to the technology.

3. What does the training involve?

The training involved lectures where we were introduced to the concepts of Business Intelligence, what Qlik is and how it’s used in BI. Practicals and case studies formed about 50% of the training, where we learned how to model data using a data load editor. This process is known as scripting and we did training on how to develop front-end visualisations using the data we scripted in the back end. We also spent time researching various kinds of Business Intelligence Applications and making models, such as Finance, HR, Sales and Inventory.

4. Would you recommend InQbate training to other graduates?

Yes I highly recommend it. As a graduate fresh from school you are not yet educated in terms of what Business intelligence actually is and how to best make use of it, so the InQbate programme bridges that gap and reduces the re-learning a graduate does before performing BI tasks.

5. Do you think it’s necessary or beneficial to have a little bit of work experience before doing this training?

Not always. Sometimes you pick up bad habits that are difficult to let go of, it’s then carried over to the training and it’s hard to forget them.

6. Who has trained you?

Mostly Colin Hancox and Upuli de Abrew, but other senior consultants trained us in their areas of expertise. All the senior consultants helped out in some way.

7. Has the training met your expectations?

The training addressed a lot of grey area for me, especially when it came to back end scripting. Best practices were clearly explained and the case studies were not just the usual ones, they were challenging and it felt like we were doing the real deal. My front end skills also improved. I now understand which visualisation to use and why. I learned that it’s all about adding value. An App/Model can be beautiful, but if it doesn't add value, it’s pointless.

8. Finally, what has been your favourite part of the training? And what was your favourite way of learning?

I thoroughly enjoyed the data modeling part and discussions were my favourite way of learning, especially when we had done practicals and were shown what we did correctly and what we could have improved on.