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Installation

This section explains how to install and configure the SenseOps Writeback Extension.

Deployment Options

SenseOps Writeback supports both File-based Writeback and Database-based Writeback. The installation approach varies slightly depending on the destination type.

File-based Writeback

For file-based destinations:

  • Download the Writeback Extension from the SenseOps Portal using your credentials.
  • Upload the extension to the Qlik Management Console (QMC).
  • Once uploaded, the extension can be directly used within Qlik Sense applications for file-based writeback.

No additional Writeback server setup is required for file-based writeback.

Database-based Writeback

For database destinations:

  • In addition to uploading the Writeback Extension to Qlik Sense, the Writeback server must be installed and configured.
  • Database connectivity, credentials, and destination mappings are managed through the Writeback server.
  • Before proceeding, ensure the Prerequisites for Database-based Writeback are met.
  • Follow the installation and server configuration steps below to enable database-based writeback.

Installing Writeback

Applies to Database-Based Writeback

The steps below are required only when setting up Database-based Writeback. File-based Writeback does not require server installation.

1. Extract the Package: Extract the contents of the downloaded package to the designated directory: C:\QlikSenseShare\Tools\. You will find the Extension and Server files within the extracted folder.

2. Install the Extension in Qlik Sense:

  • Navigate to the Qlik Management Console (QMC).
  • Go to the Extensions section.
  • Upload the extension ZIP file found in the extracted package to install the Writeback Extension in Qlik Sense.

3. Server Setup:

  • Open the Server folder and locate the install.bat file.
  • Open Command Prompt as an administrator, navigate to the Server folder, and run install.bat. The command output is shown in the screenshot below.

Writeback server installation

  • Open Windows Services and verify that SenseOps Writeback is running.
  • Open http://localhost:4001/settings in a browser and complete the server configuration.

4. Configure the Writeback Server:

  • Ensure that port 4001 is available and accessible for the Writeback server.
  • The Writeback Configuration interface contains four sections: Connection, Qlik, Proxy, and Other.

Connection

The Connection section allows you to configure database connections for Database-based Writeback. Select the required database dialect, enter the connection details, test the connection, and save the configuration.

Create a Database Connection

  1. Open the Writeback Configuration interface at http://localhost:4001/settings.
  2. Select the Connection tab.
  3. Select New connection to create a connection.
  4. Select the required database type from the Dialect dropdown.
  5. Enter a name in the Connection name field.
  6. Complete the fields displayed for the selected database type.
  7. Select Test connection to verify connectivity.
  8. After the connection test succeeds, select Save.

Writeback database connection configuration

Configure Database Connections

The fields displayed depend on the selected database dialect. Enter the connection details provided by your database administrator or hosting platform.

Microsoft Entra Application Setup

Microsoft Fabric Warehouse and MSSQL with SPN authentication require a Tenant ID, Client ID, and Client Secret.

1. Register an Application

  1. Open the Microsoft Entra admin center.
  2. Open Entra ID, then select App registrations.
  3. Select New registration, enter an application name, and select Register.

2. Get the Tenant ID and Client ID

On the application's Overview page, copy the Directory (tenant) ID and Application (client) ID.

3. Create a Client Secret

  1. Open Certificates & secrets, then select Client secrets.
  2. Select New client secret, enter a description and expiration period, then select Add.
  3. Copy the secret's Value immediately. It is displayed only once. Use the Value, not the Secret ID.

4. Grant Access

Ensure the application has the required permissions to access the target Fabric Warehouse or SQL Server. A Fabric administrator may need to grant workspace access and enable service principal access in Fabric settings.

For details, refer to Microsoft's application registration guide.

Security

Store the Client Secret securely and replace it before expiry.

1. PostgreSQL

Select PostgreSQL from the Dialect dropdown and configure the following fields:

  • Connection name: Enter a name for the connection.
  • Host: Enter the database server hostname or address. The default value shown is localhost.
  • Port: Enter the PostgreSQL port. The screenshot displays 4432 as the configured value.
  • Database: Enter the target database name. The example shown is postgres.
  • User name: Enter the database username.
  • Password: Enter the database password.
  • SSL Require: Select this option if SSL is required.

2. Oracle

Select Oracle from the Dialect dropdown and provide the following details:

  • Connection name: Enter a name for the connection.
  • Host: Enter the database server hostname or address. The default value shown is localhost.
  • Port: The default value shown is 1521.
  • User name: Enter the database username.
  • Password: Enter the database password.
  • Service/Instance Name: Enter the Oracle service name or instance name.
  • SSL Require: Select this option if SSL is required.

3. MySQL

Select MySQL from the Dialect dropdown and provide the following details:

  • Connection name: Enter a name for the connection.
  • Host: Enter the database server hostname or address. The default value shown is localhost.
  • Port: The default value shown is 3306.
  • User name: Enter the database username.
  • Password: Enter the database password.
  • SSL Require: Select this option if SSL is required.

4. MariaDB

Select MariaDB from the Dialect dropdown and configure the following fields:

  • Connection name: Enter a name for the connection.
  • Host: Enter the database server hostname or address. The default value shown is localhost.
  • Port: The default value shown is 3306.
  • User name: Enter the database username.
  • Password: Enter the database password.
  • SSL Require: Select this option if SSL is required.

5. Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL)

Select MSSQL from the Dialect dropdown and enter the connection name. Choose the required authentication method: SQL Server or SPN.

SQL Server authentication

Provide the following details:

  • Host: Enter the database server hostname or address. The default value shown is localhost.
  • Port: Enter the SQL Server port. The default value shown is 1433.
  • User name: Enter the database username.
  • Password: Enter the password associated with the database account.
  • SSL Require: Select this option if SSL is required.
  • Trust server certificate: Select this option if your environment requires trusting the server certificate.

SPN authentication

Select SPN and provide the following details:

  • Server: Enter the database server address.
  • Tenant ID: Enter the Microsoft Entra tenant ID.
  • Client ID: Enter the application client ID.
  • Client Secret: Enter the application client secret.
  • Database: Enter the target database name.

6. Microsoft Fabric Warehouse

Select Fabric warehouse from the Dialect dropdown and provide the following details:

  • Connection name: Enter a name to identify the connection.
  • Server: Enter the Fabric Warehouse server hostname. The field displays an example format such as xxx-xxx.datawarehouse.fabric.microsoft.com.
  • Tenant ID: Enter the Microsoft Entra tenant ID.
  • Client ID: Enter the application client ID.
  • Client Secret: Enter the application client secret.
  • Database: Enter the target database name.

7. Snowflake

Select Snowflake from the Dialect dropdown and provide the following details:

  • Connection name: Enter a name for the connection.
  • Account: Enter the Snowflake account identifier.
  • User name: Enter the Snowflake username.
  • Password: Enter the password for the Snowflake account.
  • Role: Enter the Snowflake role to use for the connection. The example shown is PUBLIC.
  • Warehouse: Enter the warehouse to use.
  • SSL Require: Select this option if SSL is required.

Test and Save the Connection

After entering the required details for the selected database type:

  1. Select Test connection.
  2. Verify that the connection test succeeds.
  3. Select Save to save the database connection.

If the connection test fails, verify the host, port, database name, credentials, authentication method, and SSL settings before testing again.

Qlik Configuration

Configure the connection to your Qlik Sense environment. You can choose between Qlik Sense Enterprise and Qlik SaaS.

1. Qlik Sense Enterprise Configuration

Provide the following details:

  • Qlik host: Enter the hostname of your Qlik Sense server, such as localhost or a custom hostname.
  • Qlik repository port: The default port is 4242.
  • Qlik proxy port: The default port is 4243.
  • WebSocket port: The default port is 4747.
  • Qlik root admin: Enter the username of the Qlik Root Admin.
  • Client certificate, client key certificate, and root certificate: Upload the respective Qlik certificates.

Qlik Sense Enterprise configuration

2. Qlik SaaS Configuration

Before configuring Qlik SaaS, obtain the Client ID and IDP Subject from Qlik SaaS OAuth.

Generate a Client ID

  1. Log in to Qlik SaaS Administration.
  2. Open Administration, then select OAuth.
  3. Select Create new in the top-right corner.

Create OAuth client

  1. Fill in the required details:

  2. Client type: Select Web for a web integration. Another available type is Single-page app.

  3. Name: Enter an appropriate name for the OAuth client.
  4. Description: Enter a description.
  5. Scope: Select the required user_default, apps, app.data:export, and users scopes.
  6. Redirect URLs: Add the redirect URLs required for the OAuth integration.
  7. Allowed origins: Add the paths permitted to access the OAuth client. For example, http://localhost:4001.

  8. Enable Allow Machine to Machine (M2M) and Allow M2M user impersonation.

  9. Select Create to create the web integration and obtain the Client ID.

OAuth Client ID

  1. Select the three-dot menu beside the created OAuth client and select Change consent method.
  2. Select Trusted, which allows authentication using the OAuth client to skip the consent prompt, and apply the change.

OAuth consent method

  1. Open Manage users, locate your user account, and copy the IDP Subject associated with the account.

IDP Subject

Configure the Qlik SaaS Connection

Provide the following details:

  • HTTPS port: The default port is 443.
  • Qlik user mail: Enter the email address of the Qlik user.
  • IDP Subject: Enter the IDP Subject obtained from Qlik.
  • Qlik tenant host: Enter the Qlik tenant hostname.
  • Client ID: Enter the OAuth Client ID.

Fill in the configuration form, select Test connection, and select Save after the connection test succeeds.

Qlik SaaS configuration

Proxy

The default proxy port 4001 is preconfigured.

Writeback proxy configuration

When using a proxy for the Writeback server

If the Writeback server is accessed through a proxy or a different server URL, update the serverURL property in the extension's config.json file.

  1. Navigate to:

C:\Qlik Sense\StaticContent\Extensions\SenseOpsWriteback\config.json

  1. Open the file and replace the default URL with the URL configured for your proxy.
  2. Save the changes and verify the connection.

Other

The Other section contains the Mail and File Storage configuration options.

Qlik SaaS configuration

1. Mail Configuration

The Mail section allows you to configure SMTP settings for sending emails from the Writeback application.

Before configuring the settings, generate an app password for your email account if required.

Expand Mail and configure the following fields:

  • Server address-SMTP: Enter the hostname of your email provider's SMTP server.
  • Port: Enter the SMTP port used by your email provider.
  • Sender email: Enter the email address from which emails will be sent.
  • Password: Enter the password or app password associated with the sender email account.
  • Is secure: Enable this option if the SMTP connection requires a secure connection.
  • TLS reject unauthorised: Enable this option to reject connections when the server's TLS certificate cannot be verified. Configure this according to your organization's security requirements.

Writeback mail configuration

Select Test connection to verify the SMTP configuration. Once the connection test succeeds, select Save to save the settings.

2. File Storage Configuration

The File Storage section allows you to configure storage locations for files used by the Writeback application.

  1. Expand File Storage.
  2. Under the Storages section, select New Storage.
  3. Select the required option from the Storage Type dropdown.

The available storage types are:

  • Local Storage
  • Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse
Local Storage

Select Local Storage from the Storage Type dropdown and provide the following details:

  • Storage name: Enter a name to identify the storage configuration.
  • Local Storage Path: Enter the directory path where files will be stored.
  • Allowed file types: Specify the permitted file extensions, such as .pdf, .xlsx, or .png. Enter * to allow any file type, or leave the field empty to use the global default.

Select Test connection to validate the configuration. After the connection test succeeds, select Save. Select Cancel to discard the configuration.

Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse

Select Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse from the Storage Type dropdown and provide the following details:

  • Storage name: Enter a name to identify the storage configuration.
  • Account URL: Enter the Microsoft Fabric storage account URL.
  • Tenant ID: Enter the Microsoft Entra tenant ID.
  • Client ID: Enter the application client ID.
  • Client Secret: Enter the application client secret.
  • Workspace/FileSystem Name: Enter the workspace or filesystem name.
  • Lakehouse Name: Enter the name of the target Lakehouse.
  • Folder Name (Folder in Files): Enter the folder name within the Lakehouse Files area.
  • Allowed file types: Specify the permitted file extensions, such as .pdf, .xlsx, or .png. Enter * to allow any file type, or leave the field empty to use the global default.

Qlik SaaS configuration

Select Test connection to validate the configuration. After the connection test succeeds, select Save. Select Cancel to discard the configuration.

Once the required settings are configured, proceed to Writeback Table Configuration to configure the Writeback table in a Qlik Sense application.