Worldline uses the business analytics platform Qlik Sense to generate insights for a part of their business. Operating in the payments industury, an intricate security landscape brings complexity to the handling of typically sensitive data. Through Qlik Sense, they connect to their data—stemming from different data sources, like data warehouses—and present the data in the form of dashboards and reports for internal use. A business need arose to move away from Qlik Sense and Power BI was selected as the tool of choice for a further assessment.

On a theoretical level, primary research helped extract both implicit and explicit knowledge through document studies of existing material and documentation, unstructured and semi-structured interviews with specialists, and focus groups with key stakeholders. Secondary research of existing literature built a foundation to discuss further topics with specialists at Worldline. The practical part was conducted through three phases: an as-is analysis of Qlik Sense—the current solution; a proposed solution for Power BI; and a proof of concept in Power BI.

The thesis established that a shift from the business intelligence solution Qlik Sense to Power BI is feasible. An as-is data analysis found that data flows from data source A into Qlik Sense through a file-based export and import. With data source A initially receiving the data from data source B. Either data source A or B may be connected to Power BI. Based on a technical and security-wise evaluation, one main proposal was recommended: to bring data through a file-based process out of the secure environment and load it into the cloud-based Power BI service. For this, a list of security requirements was established that had to be fulfilled. The proof of concept in Power BI replicated a single report from Qlik Sense and no issues were found. However, the current Power BI license was deemed insufficient due to a data model size limitation—the recommendation being a license upgrade or data size reduction. A four-step action plan summarized the findings above and provided the concrete steps to implement the cloud-based Power BI solution. Finally, it was recommended to consider Power BI on-premises as a future-proof solution if the business plans on scaling its use of Power BI.