Applicable to: All Administrators with Reports access
Application(s): Admin Portal > Reports > Report Builder
This article will cover the following:
- When to build manually instead of asking the assistant
- Choosing a topic
- Selecting fields, applying filters and choosing a visualisation
- Saving as a workbook or a dashboard
- Scheduling a dashboard
- Working in the embedded spreadsheet
- Reporting on custom registration questions
- Uploading your own data
Related articles:
Overview
Building a report manually is the best option when you already know exactly what you're looking for and want to build it from scratch. If you're not sure what you need yet, or don't want to start from a blank page, try asking the assistant first — see Chatting with the AI.
Choosing a topic
Every report starts with a topic. Topics are grouped into domains, and each topic corresponds to a dataset — for example, registrations, statistics, or finance. Related topics have also been joined together in predefined ways so that you can query across multiple datasets.
Picking a topic scopes what you can see. Once you've chosen a topic, your report (and any question you ask from within it) is limited to that dataset. If a field you expect isn't there, you may be in the wrong topic rather than missing data.
💡 Tip: Some fields share a name across different topics
For example, "Season" can appear in more than one topic. If a report isn't behaving as expected, check which topic the field actually belongs to.
Selecting fields, applying filters and choosing a visualisation
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Pick your fields
From the panel on the left, choose the dimensions (what you're grouping by) and measures (what you're counting or summing) you need.
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Apply filters
Use the filter bar along the top of the report to narrow the result — by date range, organisation, or any other field.
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Choose a visualisation
Select how you want to see the result — a table, a chart, or another visualisation type.
⚠️ Important: Downloads default to only the first 1,000 rows
If your export looks shorter than expected, increase the row limit before downloading to make sure you're not missing data.
Saving as a workbook or a dashboard
- Workbook: a single saved report or analysis.
- Dashboard: a collection of workbooks assembled into one shareable view.
Both are saved to The Reports Hub, where you or your colleagues can reopen, edit, share, schedule or download them.
Scheduling a dashboard
Once saved, a dashboard can be scheduled to be delivered automatically — for example, emailed on a weekly cadence — so you don't need to log in to check it manually.
Reporting on custom registration questions
If your organisation collects custom registration questions, you can report on the answers directly — something that wasn't previously possible. Select the relevant topic and your custom questions will appear alongside standard registration fields.
Uploading your own data
You can upload your own datasets — anything from outside PlayHQ — and use the same report builder tools to analyse them.
💡 Tip: Uploaded data sits alongside your PlayHQ data, not joined into it
You can view both, but you can't currently combine an uploaded dataset with a PlayHQ topic in a single report.
Frequently asked questions
What permissions do I need to build a report?
You need AnalyticsHQ access on your Organisation Administrator account. If you're not sure whether you have this, contact your organisation's primary administrator or contact Support.
What's the difference between a workbook and a dashboard?
A workbook is a single report; a dashboard brings several workbooks together into one shareable view.
Can I combine multiple datasets in one report?
Yes, where they have a predefined relationship to one another. Your own uploaded data is the exception — it can't currently be combined with a PlayHQ topic in a single report.
Can I edit a report after saving it?
Yes — see The Reports Hub for how to reopen and edit a saved or legacy report.