Qlik Sense Access Licenses
Monitor and automatically manage Qlik Sense end user access licenses to optimize license utilization.
Overview
Qlik Sense requires end users to be assigned access licenses to use the platform. Different license types serve different user needs:
- Professional: Full access for content creators and advanced users
- Analyzer: Consumption-focused access for business users
- Analyzer Capacity: Token-based consumption licensing
Butler provides comprehensive license management capabilities:
- License Monitoring: Track usage metrics for different license types
- Automatic Release: Free up inactive licenses for reallocation
- Usage Analytics: Store license data in InfluxDB for visualization and alerting
License Monitoring
Butler can monitor license usage and store detailed metrics in InfluxDB, enabling powerful analytics and alerting.
Metrics Collected
- Total Licenses: Number of licenses available by type
- Allocated Licenses: Currently assigned licenses
- Available Licenses: Unassigned licenses ready for allocation
- Usage Patterns: Historical license assignment and release data
- User Activity: License usage by individual users
Grafana Dashboards
With license data in InfluxDB, you can create comprehensive Grafana dashboards showing:
- License Utilization: Real-time usage across license types
- Capacity Planning: Trends to predict when additional licenses are needed
- Cost Optimization: Identify opportunities to optimize license allocation
- User Activity: Track which users are actively using their licenses
Alerting
Set up proactive alerts for:
- Low License Availability: Alert when license pools are running low
- High Utilization: Notify when usage approaches capacity
- Cost Thresholds: Alert when license costs exceed budgets
- Compliance Issues: Monitor for license agreement compliance
Automatic License Release
Butler can automatically release Professional and Analyzer licenses that haven't been used for a specified period, making them available for other users.
Why Automatic Release?
Common Scenario: Seasonal or infrequent users
- Users who no longer need access (left the company, changed roles, etc.)
- Users who only access Sense during specific business cycles
- Temporary project team members
- Users who switch between different analytics tools
Without Automatic Release:
- Licenses remain allocated to inactive users
- New users can't access Qlik Sense due to license exhaustion
- Organizations must purchase additional licenses unnecessarily
With Automatic Release:
- Inactive licenses are freed for reallocation
- Better license utilization and cost efficiency
- More users can access the platform when needed
How It Works
- Scheduled Evaluation: Butler evaluates license allocations on a configurable schedule (e.g., daily)
- Inactivity Detection: Identifies licenses unused for a specified period (e.g., 30 days)
- Safe Release: Applies exclusion rules to protect critical users
- Automatic Reallocation: Released licenses become available for new assignments
Compliance and Legal Considerations
Important Disclaimer
Before implementing automatic license release, ensure this approach complies with your specific Qlik license agreement.
Review the terms with your legal team and Qlik account manager.
Key Considerations
- License Agreement Terms: Verify that automatic license management is permitted
- Usage Tracking: Maintain audit logs for compliance reporting
- User Communication: Inform users about automatic license policies
- Fallback Plans: Have procedures for manual license management if needed
Qlik API Usage
Butler uses publicly documented Qlik APIs for license management:
These are the same APIs used by the QMC for manual license operations.
Getting Started
- Enable Monitoring First: Start with license monitoring before enabling automatic release
- Use Dry Run Mode: Test release logic without actually releasing licenses
- Start with Conservative Settings: Use longer inactivity periods initially
- Set Up Comprehensive Exclusions: Protect critical users from day one
- Monitor Closely: Watch license operations carefully during initial deployment