Looking Back at Qlik Connect 2026: Our Key Takeaways

Coming back from Qlik Connect 2026, it’s safe to say that the energy surrounding the intersection of data, analytics, and AI was palpable. While the event covered a number of topics, there was a clear central theme: the transition from experimental AI to scalable, real-world business advantage. We want to share some of the key developments and insights we brought back that we believe will have the greatest impact on how businesses are interacting with their most valuable asset: their data.

The Rise of Agentic AI

The focus this year was squarely on agents, deep diving into how they can move beyond simple Q&A to solve complex, multi-step tasks. We were particularly impressed by the advancements in the Qlik MCP to better leverage LLMs. A demo showcasing the integration of Claude with a Qlik app was a fantastic example of the practical, sophisticated workflows that are now possible.

For businesses generating insights with Qlik, these advancements translate into more tangible outcomes:

• Proactive Insights: The new Discovery Agent caught our attention. This agent connects to apps to provide a live, feed-style notification system (essentially a "ticker" for your data) that alerts users to critical changes, such as unexpected drops in sales, in real-time.
• Forward-Looking Analytics: The Prediction Agent offers a powerful way to visualize potential future scenarios, helping businesses move from reactive reporting to predictive strategy.
• Automated Action: Perhaps most impactful is the ability to trigger actions directly from AI insights, closing the loop between identifying a problem and executing a solution.
• Flexible Performance: We also welcomed the introduction of Answer’s express mode, which allows users to toggle between "fast" and "deep" modes. This feature provides the right balance of speed and analytical depth depending on the specific business need.

The Foundation: Data Quality and Governance

Amidst the excitement of new AI features, a recurring sentiment resonated deeply with us: AI is only as good as the data powering it. There was a strong emphasis on data preparation, governance, and enrichment, confirming that our focus on building robust, high-quality data foundations is more critical than ever. Without a solid governance layer, scaling these AI agents is not just difficult—it is a risk. We were pleased to see this core tenet of our philosophy so thoroughly validated at the event.

Beyond Dashboards: Our Contribution

It was a privilege to have our own Diogo Melo, Executive Manager at SDG Group, take the stage to share his expertise. His session, "Beyond Dashboards: Scaling Customer-Facing Analytics with Qlik OEM," was well-attended and centered on a topic we are passionate about: delivering real-time, governed insights directly within a brand’s unique customer experience.

Diogo explored how to leverage Qlik’s multi-tenant architecture and APIs to streamline client onboarding, while also previewing how Agentic AI and Natural Language Query can be seamlessly embedded into customer-facing portals. It was encouraging to see such high engagement from the audience on how to turn analytics into a high-performance product for their own end-users. Diogo reflected further on his experience presenting in his own blog, published on LinkedIn.

Moving Forward

Qlik Connect 2026 reinforced our belief that we are in a new era of data strategy. The tools are evolving rapidly, and the potential to drive meaningful, automated, and predictive business outcomes is greater than ever. We returned home eager to apply these new capabilities to the complex challenges our clients face every day.

We want to thank the Qlik team for a fantastic event, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to push the boundaries of what is possible in the world of data and AI.

Are you looking to integrate these latest AI advancements into your own data strategy? Contact us to start a conversation about your specific business needs.