Azure Synapse vs Qlik Sense: What are the differences?

Introduction

Azure Synapse and Qlik Sense are both powerful tools used in data analytics and business intelligence. While they have some similarities, there are key differences between the two.

1. Data Integration Capabilities: Azure Synapse offers advanced data integration capabilities with its built-in ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) and ELT (Extract, Load, Transform) features. It allows users to easily ingest and transform data from various sources and formats. On the other hand, Qlik Sense focuses more on data visualization and exploration, providing a user-friendly interface for business users to create interactive and dynamic dashboards.

2. Scalability and Performance: Azure Synapse is designed for handling large-scale data processing and analytics tasks. It leverages the power of Azure's cloud infrastructure, enabling users to scale resources up or down as needed. Qlik Sense, although also capable of handling large datasets, may not offer the same level of scalability and performance as Azure Synapse in terms of processing speed and handling complex analytics tasks.

3. Cloud vs. On-Premises: Azure Synapse is a cloud-based solution, which means it can take advantage of the scalability, flexibility, and cost benefits of cloud computing. Qlik Sense, on the other hand, can be deployed on-premises or in a private cloud environment, allowing organizations to have more control over their data and infrastructure.

4. Data Governance and Security: Azure Synapse provides robust data governance and security capabilities with built-in Azure Active Directory integration and data encryption at rest and in transit. It also supports fine-grained access control and auditing. Qlik Sense focuses on providing flexible data governance options, allowing users to implement their own security measures and integrate with existing authentication systems.

5. Advanced Analytics and Machine Learning: Azure Synapse offers integration with Azure Machine Learning, making it easier for data scientists to build and deploy machine learning models using familiar tools. Qlik Sense, while not specifically focused on advanced analytics, provides APIs and extensions that allow users to integrate external analytics tools and libraries.

6. Ecosystem and Integrations: Azure Synapse is part of the larger Azure ecosystem and integrates seamlessly with other Azure services like Azure Data Lake Storage and Azure Databricks. It also provides connectors to various data sources and supports popular programming languages like SQL and Python. Qlik Sense has its own ecosystem of extensions, connectors, and APIs, allowing users to integrate with a wide range of third-party tools and data sources.

In summary, Azure Synapse offers advanced data integration capabilities, scalability, and performance in a cloud environment, with a focus on data analytics and machine learning. Qlik Sense, on the other hand, is more user-friendly and focuses on data visualization and exploration, with flexibility in deployment options. Both tools provide strong security and governance features, but differ in terms of their ecosystem and integrations.