Having seen the development and progress of Coeus over the past year, the product has matured from a simple portal creation tool to a fully configurable builder with native governance and security built in. And, with the launch of the latest version, dubbed Coeus V3, the product has undertaken a complete visual overhaul with major updates in configurability and user access.
For those unaware of Coeus, creating a front-end portal or mashup from Qlik Sense is a difficult and complicated endeavour requiring at least some web development knowledge. However, Coeus provides an out of the box, easy to use interface enabling you to surface your Qlik objects into a portal. Alongside this, security rules can govern the access rights of users to different pages. Therefore, for clients wishing to break free from the Qlik Sense hub, creating a portal is a simple, intuitive process which can be created in a matter of minutes.
So just how game changing is the latest version to be released? Below, I will take you through the biggest changes in Coeus V3.
This update cannot be understated. From front to back, Coeus has received a complete visual upgrade. The portal now feels cleaner and more mature with simple updates to buttons and menu layouts. However, all the small updates come together to create an intuitive interface which is simple to understand and use. When compared to Qlik, which can require basic training to use, Coeus follows core web-based principles and design language meaning for even basic web users the tool is easy to use.
Adding content to pages within Coeus is now both extremely flexible and simple to achieve. Each page is made up of numerous height adjustable rows and each row can now be configured to have up to 12 objects. Additionally, Coeus now allows you to adjust the size of each object based on the device the user is viewing the content on such as a mobile, tablet or desktop. Therefore, with the new version, designers can customise the look of the portal to different devices, something not possible to achieve in Qlik which automatically resizes objects occasionally causing viewing issues!
The authentication process to access the portal has now been overhauled providing end users with many new benefits. The first being, optional two factor authentication. This is quickly becoming a standard for organisations surfacing sensitive data. Coeus can now send a one-time password to user’s mobile phones to confirm the identity before logging in.
Additionally, anonymous access is a new function within the latest version. This is an exciting update which will enable public facing organisations to distribute key analytics to a wide audience without the requirement for the log in or authentication.
This new feature is a gamechanger, giving users the ability to carry selections through different pages assuming the sheets belong to the same core Qlik app. Coeus will now associate selections with different ‘app clusters’, meaning the portal will automatically switch selections as the user moves between sheets connected to different Qlik apps. The core ability to surface multiple Qlik apps across an entire organisation is a key feature of Coeus allowing a simple interface without the need to search through hundreds of streams or sheets.
Alongside the new features noted above, Coeus V3 has also received a major speed boost resulting in charts rendering almost twice as fast giving users a smooth experience. Therefore, it is clear the new release has made Coeus a must have for all organisations wishing to surface data using a web-based portal. The product has greatly matured in both the design and interface therefore improving the experience of both developers and end users.
Author: Dan Homer – BI Consultant