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SOLVED: Not possible to install new nodes in Qlik Sense June 2018 environment

I worked out the issue preventing me to add additional nodes to a Qlik Sense Enterprise suystem whose central node had been updated to June 2018.

The June 2018 version of Qlik Sense Enterprise relies on a database called “SenseServices” to be available in the Postgres db (as in earlier versions, Postgres can run on the central node or on some other server).

When running the June 2018 installer on a new server (which is to be added as a new node in a Sense Enterprise cluster), the installer verifies that the SenseServices database exists. If it does not, you get an error half-way through the installer:

SenseServices db is missing

 

Maybe there is info somewhere that you need to create a new “SenseServices” db in Postgress before installing additional Sense nodes… but I looked (a lot) without finding anything.

Continue reading “SOLVED: Not possible to install new nodes in Qlik Sense June 2018 environment”

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Butler SOS v2.0 – Real-time error and warning dashboards for Qlik Sense

This one is long overdue, but finally here: Butler SOS v2.0

The new version is an almost complete re-write of v1.0. Changes are plentiful and include

  • All warnings and errors stored by Sense in its log database are now pulled into Butler SOS, from where it can be graphed and acted upon.
    This is a big deal, as it was previously not possible to get notifications or alerts when errors or warnings started to pile up in the logs.
  • Operational health metrics are still pulled from Qlik Sense, but this is now done directly from the QIX engine rather than via a hard-to-secure virtual proxy.
  • Using certificates for authentication with Sense removes potential security issues with v1.0.
  • Config file is now YAML instead of JSON. More human readable and with inline comments.
  • Config file now allows for more fine-grained control of Butler SOS.
  • Several bugs fixed, especially around sending metrics to MQTT.

The readme file on GitHub has all the details, here are some screen shots to get you started though:

 

The new version is available on GitHub.

 

PS. This is blog post # 100. Yaaay!!!

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Ptarmigan Labs is open for business!

Wow – after 10 years and one day at Spotify the time has come to take the next step.

Going forward I will work in my own company, Ptarmigan Labs AB.
The company’s focus will be more or less the same as what I have spent the past 6-7 years doing at Spotify, i.e. helping people, teams and organisations understanding, enriching and making use of their data.

Qlik Sense will remain my main focus, the Qlikosphere is really heating up with lots of interesting new features both launched and around the corner.
During the past 12 months Qlik Sense has really taken great steps towards becoming a proper enterprise grade BI platform.
Given this development I am really looking forward to Qonnections 2018 and the announcements that are likely to happen there. Interesting times!

You can reach me via info <at> ptarmiganlabs.com, or on LinkedIn.
My open source projects are found on GitHub, as always.

Onward!

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iPhone killed the removable battery  –  How to make a charger for cell phone batteries

Last weekend I finally got around to doing something I have postponed for several years now.

Being somewhat of a gadget hoarder, I have ended up with quite a large stack of rechargeable batteries. Everything from 12 Volt lead-acid ones from old UPS:s to Lithium-ion variants from mobile phones.

The last kind are actually pretty interesting. They pack a significant punch when it comes to energy storage, the problem is that they are designed to go into cell phones (at least pre iPhone ones where you could remove the battery!), and there are thus no separate charging docks or battery holders.

Still, it would be sweet if they could be used to power electronics gadgets that I build myself…
It is of course possible, and even quite easy to do – here is the very first prototype in action:

Charger in action with Samsung B600BE battery

Continue reading “iPhone killed the removable battery  –  How to make a charger for cell phone batteries”

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BigQuery ODBC driver now free from Google

 

A freebie for the weekend:

Looks like Google is now offering a free ODBC driver for BigQuery.

 

Google has licensed Simba’s driver, which is great! The Simba driver has proven very stable and performant, and being able to use it freely to access data in BigQuery is likely to benefit BigQuery adoption.

The Simba drivers support both Standard and Legacy SQL modes in BigQuery, as well as large result sets, and are confirmed to be working very nicely with Qlik Sense September 2017 version.

There are versions available for 32/64 bit Windows, OS X, and 32/64 bit Linux.

 

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Same same but different

New look and feel of the blog, but focusing on the same topics.

Everything should in theory just work… but please report issues in the comments section below.

Thanks!