Qlik NPrinting migration | NPrinting to Qlik Cloud Qlik Cloud | PixelPerfect Reporting | Migrate NPrinting reports | Qlik PixelPerfect reports | Qlik Cloud report migration
For organisations moving from a client-managed Qlik Sense environment to Qlik Cloud Analytics, reporting is an important part of the migration plan.
Qlik NPrinting has traditionally supported highly formatted reporting in Qlik Sense Client-Managed environments. As organisations move to Qlik Cloud, these reporting requirements can be supported through Qlik Cloud’s native in-application reporting capabilities, including PixelPerfect Reporting, for creating highly formatted, print-ready PDF reports.
Moving from NPrinting to Qlik Cloud PixelPerfect does not necessarily mean rebuilding every report from scratch. Qlik provides a supported migration pathway for compatible templates, helping organisations retain existing reporting assets and reduce manual redevelopment.
Transferring a template is only one part of the process. Reports must also be assessed, mapped to the appropriate Qlik Cloud applications and objects, tested and configured for production. Depending on their complexity and condition, some reports may also benefit from adjustment or redesign.
What is Qlik Cloud PixelPerfect Reporting?
PixelPerfect Reporting is built into Qlik Cloud Analytics and provides detailed control over how reports appear when generated as PDFs.
Report developers can control elements such as:
- Page structure and orientation
- Tables and repeating sections
- Headers and footers
- Logos and branding
- Text, images and charts
- Page breaks and multi-page content
- Filters and report data
- Recipient-specific report output
Reports can be generated on demand or distributed through centrally managed report tasks. Distribution lists and report filters can also be used to produce different versions of a report for different recipients.
This makes PixelPerfect suitable for operational, financial, regulatory and customer-facing reports that need to follow a defined structure rather than appear as interactive Qlik dashboards.
PixelPerfect is one part of Qlik Cloud’s broader in-application reporting capability. Depending on the requirement, organisations can also use Excel, Word, PowerPoint or HTML report templates.
Can NPrinting PixelPerfect reports be migrated to Qlik Cloud?
Yes, provided the NPrinting environment and templates meet Qlik’s requirements.
Qlik introduced support for exporting Excel templates from Qlik NPrinting February 2024. Support for PixelPerfect templates was added from Qlik NPrinting February 2025.
Supported NPrinting templates can be exported and imported into Qlik Cloud. PixelPerfect templates are exported in Qlik’s .qpxp format and can then be uploaded to the corresponding Qlik Sense application in Qlik Cloud.
Qlik has continued to expand the report formats supported by its migration pathway. Following migration, each report still needs to be reviewed, connected, tested and configured to ensure it works as expected in the new environment.
What should be considered after migration?
The amount of work depends on how the original report was built, the features it uses and whether the organisation wants to preserve or improve its existing design.
Assessing report compatibility
Not every NPrinting feature is supported in Qlik Cloud in exactly the same way.
Templates containing unsupported features may need to be modified before they can be exported. NPrinting templates connected to QlikView documents are not supported by this specific template-export pathway.
The first step should therefore be an assessment of the existing report portfolio, including:
- The report type and source application
- The version of NPrinting being used
- The objects and features included in each template
- Filters, cycles and recipient requirements
- Scripts, macros, third-party extensions or other custom functionality
- Scheduling and distribution arrangements
- Whether the report is still used and required
For example, scripts in migrated PixelPerfect templates are removed when the template is uploaded to Qlik Cloud. Macros are not supported in migrated Microsoft Office report templates, and third-party extensions are not supported in Qlik Cloud reporting.
This is particularly important when an organisation has accumulated a large number of reports over several years.
Reconnecting and validating report content
Migrated templates must be associated with the appropriate Qlik Sense applications and objects in Qlik Cloud.
The data, calculations and filters need to be validated to confirm that the new report produces the expected result. Report developers also need to check elements such as tables, charts, data bindings, page breaks and repeating sections.
Even when the template transfers successfully, testing is essential. A report can be technically functional without being accurate, readable or ready for distribution.
Configuring the reporting process
The template is only one component of an operational reporting process. Organisations may also need to review, migrate separately or configure:
- Report tasks
- Distribution lists
- Recipient groups
- Recipient-specific filters
- Delivery schedules
- On-demand reporting
- Output destinations
- Security and access settings
Qlik’s Analytics Migration Tool can migrate associated NPrinting filters to the corresponding Qlik Cloud applications. Because the NPrinting and Qlik Cloud filter formats differ, migrated filters should still be reviewed and validated. Other parts of the reporting workflow may need to be configured separately.
Reviewing the report design
A direct migration may preserve a report that was designed many years ago.
That can be appropriate when the existing report is clear, effective and familiar to its users. However, migration can also provide an opportunity to address:
- Crowded pages
- Inconsistent formatting
- Weak information hierarchy
- Difficult-to-read tables
- Outdated branding
- Repeated or unnecessary information
- Poor use of headings and white space
- Reports that have expanded without being reconsidered
Rather than automatically reproducing every existing page, organisations can determine what users still need and how the information should be presented in the new environment.
Should you migrate, rebuild or redesign?
There is no single correct approach for every report.
A relatively simple and effective NPrinting template may be suitable for direct migration followed by testing and minor adjustments. A complex template that uses unsupported features may require partial reconstruction. An outdated report may be better redesigned before it is recreated using the most appropriate Qlik Cloud reporting format.
For a larger reporting environment, the best approach is generally to classify reports into groups:
- Retire: reports that are no longer used or provide little value.
- Migrate: reports that can be transferred with limited modification.
- Refine: reports that can be migrated but need design or functional improvements.
- Rebuild: reports that cannot be migrated effectively or require a substantially different structure.
This prevents organisations from spending time and money reproducing reports that no longer serve a clear purpose.
Creating a more predictable migration pathway
One of the challenges with reporting migrations is uncertainty. Before the report portfolio has been assessed, it can be difficult to know which templates will transfer cleanly and how much additional work will be required.
A structured assessment creates a clearer pathway by identifying:
- The number and type of reports
- Report complexity
- Migration compatibility
- Required design changes
- Data and application dependencies
- Distribution requirements
- Expected testing effort
From there, reports can be grouped by complexity and assigned the most appropriate migration, refinement or redevelopment pathway.
Moving your reports to Qlik Cloud
Migrating from NPrinting to Qlik Cloud PixelPerfect Reporting is not necessarily a complete rebuild. Qlik provides tools for transferring supported templates, and many existing report assets may be reusable.
A successful transition involves determining which reports should migrate, addressing unsupported elements, connecting report content, configuring distribution requirements and confirming that each report remains accurate and fit for purpose.
It is also an opportunity to improve reporting rather than simply reproduce the past.
Notitia helps organisations assess their existing report portfolios, understand which assets can be migrated and determine the most appropriate Qlik Cloud reporting approach for each requirement.
By considering report design, functionality, data dependencies and distribution requirements before development begins, organisations can establish a clearer and more predictable pathway to Qlik Cloud reporting.
Planning your move from NPrinting to Qlik Cloud? Talk to Notitia to find out how we can help.
