While it is great that Qlik offers a free desktop, I usually suggest trying to set up a server environment for local development. I personally run a Windows Server virtual machine (VM) with QSE installed, which I can access with my browser. I do it this way for three main reasons.
- It is the closest local environment to what the majority of customers have.
- It keeps it contained and I can easily take snapshots and do roll backs.
- I use MacOS and it is cheaper than paying for a hosting service.
While I do it in a VM, it is worth knowing that you can install Qlik Sense Enterprise locally on a Windows 8+. I have found that this has made things exponentially better for development and testing compared to using the desktop versions.