Advancing Data Integration and Analytics with Sam Pierson and Ori Rafael of Qlik

At Tech Field Day during Qlik Connect 2025, Stephen Foskett interviewed Sam Pierson, SVP of R&D for the Data Business Unit at Qlik, and Ori Rafael, former CEO and co-founder of Upsolver and now Senior Director of Engineering at Qlik, about the major announcement of Qlik’s Open Lakehouse. This new offering aims to bridge the gap between unstructured data lakes and the highly governed, structured world of data warehouses. Built on open standards like Apache Iceberg, the Open Lakehouse allows Qlik to deliver scalable, performant, and cost-efficient data management that makes data easier to access, transform, and analyze. As the industry sees a shift from mere data storage to true data usability across diverse environments, Qlik sets itself apart by embedding the openness and flexibility that enterprises now demand.

Ori provided valuable insight into how Upsolver’s technology is enhancing Qlik’s data ecosystem. Originally created to simplify Big Data workloads, Upsolver built a declarative, low-engineering approach to ingesting and managing massive datasets. With the integration into Qlik, the capabilities of Upsolver now power the Open Lakehouse, turning what was typically a data engineering bottleneck into a user-friendly and performant experience. Ori emphasized how Upsolver solves the “last mile” challenge in data lakes — turning raw, complex data into consumable assets without the overhead typically associated with Hadoop or similar systems. This evolution allows smaller datasets to be managed with the same agility, leading to a universal platform for beginners and advanced users alike.

Sam highlighted how Upsolver’s ingestion performance and native integration with technologies like Apache Iceberg align strongly with Qlik’s goals and existing offerings, such as the Qlik Talend Cloud. The acquisition has been particularly beneficial in scaling their data integration efforts, improving connectors—especially for more complex systems like SAP and mainframes—and supporting seamless interoperability with key cloud partners like AWS. This alignment of vision and strategy between the two companies has rapidly accelerated product development, with early access programs already in motion. Combining Qlik’s extensive analytics and AI tools with Upsolver’s robust ingestion engine offers a compelling package for customers seeking flexible, open, and high-performance data solutions.