Data Connection

Komment allows for three different methods to be used when saving data. 
QIX Engine
Utilizes the built-in QIX Engine API for processing the writing mechanism. Partial reload is performed by the Qlik Sense user.
Does not support Qlik Analyzer license 
Kaptain
Kaptain is an added service that you can purchase to enhance the functionality of Komment. There are several reasons as to why Kaptain might be relevant for you:
You have a need for SQL DB storage of saved data => Kaptain enables writeback to external databases. We currently support MS SQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle DB & MongoDB.
You have a high number of concurrent users using Komment => Kaptain can handle high concurrency cases (i.e. several users saving comments at the same time)
You will use Komment in larger Qlik applications (+200 mb) => Kaptain increase performance to near real time save and hence, better handling of large Qlik applications.
You require dynamic updates to Komment data model to be possible => Kaptain allows for dynamic updates to Komment data model without breaking with historic data structure - i.e. you can freely add new data entry fields to your existing Komment objects.
You have Analyzer licenses => Kaptain enables Analyzer users to store data using Komment
You want to be prepared for the future => Kaptain will soon make it possible to connect your Qlik Sense apps with many external services which expands the possible use cases for Komment
Just contact us if you would like to add Kaptain to your Qlik Sense writeback solution.
Comparison
Feature/Element
QIX engine
Kaptain
Security rule setup needed
Yes
No
Each user must have ‘CommentingRole’ assigned
Yes
No
Concurrency handling
No
Yes
Supporting Analyzer License users
No
Yes
Extra node.js service to be installed
No
Yes
Partial reload needed when saving data
Yes
No
Kaptain Configuration
The setup is made in the Data Connection Settings section. The default is QIX Engine so if you don't have a plan (Standard, Pro or Premium) where Kaptain Service is included you don't have to touch this section.
1.Select your Connection Type
2.Input the URL to Kaptain service
1.If you have multiple environments (devl, test, prod, etc.) you can ease the setup by defining a variable that holds the URL
2.Then you just reference this variable in the URL field:
 
 
​
3.Press Test Service to ensure Komment and Kaptain service are connected
Be aware of the protocol, and service port, that needs to be consistent with the settings in Kaptain config file.
Kaptain Settings
To setup your Komment object to work with Kaptain there are only a few steps needed. You find the Kaptain Settings Under Data Connection Settings:
Kaptain settings
1. Select or Create Kapsule
Here you define where in Kaptain's internal database you want to save the data entered by the users when using Komment. A Kapsule corresponds to a collection in the database. You can think of it as a table in a SQL database.
If you have already created a Kapsule you can select from the list
If not, then
 Press Create New Kapsule 
You will now be presented with the following window:
​
​
If you want to store data in Kaptain's internal DB do the following:
Enter a Name for your new Kapsule
Choose KaptainDB as your database
Press OK
If you want to store data in an external DB do this:
Enter a Name for your new Kapsule
Choose your desired DB from the list
​
​
If you want to use an existing table in the selected DB then choose your database table from the dropdown and press OK
​
​
If you want to create a new table in your selected DB then press Create SQL table
Enter the name of the new table and press OK
​
​
A pop-up message will be displayed indicating that the table has been created
Select your newly created table from the dropdown
​
​
Press OK
Press outside the Komment object on the sheet and afterwards press the Komment object again
 In the Kaptain Settings menu you can now select the newly created Kapsule in the list
​
​
If you cannot find specific Kapsules in the dropdown menu, contact your admin to ensure you are setup as a Kaptain user and is member of the groups that contain the relevant Kapsules.
If you are not able to create a new Kapsule, contact your admin to ensure you are setup as a Kaptain user and has the permissions the create kapsules.
2. Use variable to select Kapsule dynamically
To be able to easily moved applications with Komment between different Qlik servers and Kaptain installations you can define the Kapsule dynamically using a variable. Here is how.
After you have selected your Kapsule as described above, you do the following:
Copy the Kapsule ID shown below the Kapsule you have selected
​
 
Create a new variable using Qlik's variable editor (or define in script) and insert the copied value in the variable value
In Kaptain settings switch on Dynamic Kapsule
Input the the name of the newly created variable
​
 
3. Kaptain Data Connection
Here you can create a Qlik Sense Data Connection that will ensure you can load data from Kaptain. You just choose a name and a REST connection to Kaptain will automatically be established.
If a REST data connection to Kaptain is already created you can select this
If not, then
Press Create Connection
Write desired name of connection in pop-up window
Press OK (browser window will automatically refresh)
Select the newly created data connection from the list 
A final step is to decide on what the scope of the data you load from Kaptain and into your Qlik Sense app on each reload (partial and full). By default only the latest records for each Komment Key field will be loaded so to get the full audit trail loaded each time toggle on the Load Full History :
Load full history
 
Remember to initialize the data model again after you have finalised the Kaptain setup
​
Initialize Data Model
4. Sync Kapsule
if you  add new widgets or remove existing widgets in your Komment setup you need to press Sync Kapsule to enforce the changes to be reflected in the Kapsule.
Sync Kapsule
5. Known limitations
Field names:
The field names used in the Komment widgets cannot contain the following characters: . $
Kapsule names:
Kapsule names should begin with an underscore or a letter character, and cannot:
contain the $.
be an empty string (e.g. "").
contain the null character.
begin with the system. prefix.
You can learn more here: https://docs.mongodb.com/manual/reference/limits/​
​
Date settings
When using Kaptain as a data connection you have a few more option in relation to the Date widget. The below settings will only affect how the dates entered in the date widget are stored in MongoDB and how they are represented in Komment.
Date settings
Custom Date Format:
By enabling Custom Date Format you get the possibility to set your own Date Format. Note that it is case sensitive.
Ignore Timezone:
If you have users in many different time zones you can also tick Ignore Time zone to ensure that the selected date will be displayed exactly the same to all users. 
If you make the settings to an existing Komment object make sure to Sync Kapsule and do a full reload to make sure your changes have been applied.
Server Timezone:
Again, if you have users in different time zones then use this setting to define in which time zone the server on which Kaptain is installed resides in. This is to ensure that no date shift due to different time zones is happening when displaying dates from the date widget.
​
Example use case:
The server on which Kaptain is installed is in UTC -05:00 time zone. 
The users are in many time zones - e.g. Europe and US.
Recommend date settings:
Ignore Timezone => Active
Server Timezone => UTC -5:00
​
​