Applicable to: All Administrators with Reports access
Application(s): Admin Portal > Reports > Report Assistant
This article will cover the following:
- When to use the assistant
- Asking your first question
- Understanding the response
- Continuing the conversation or exploring further
- Downloading results from a conversation
- Saving results from a conversation
Related articles:
Overview
The assistant is the fastest way to get an answer or build a report in Report Builder 2.0, and for most people it should be the first thing you try — whether you want a quick data extract, an answer to an analytical question, or a full report. You don't need to know which dataset holds what you're after, or what any field is called: just describe what you want in plain language.
What you can ask
The assistant can help with a wide range of requests. A few examples:
- A data extract: "Show me everyone who's registered over the past few days, with their names and email addresses."
- An analytical question: "How are our registrations trending this year compared to last year?"
- A reporting request: "Build me a report which breaks down our registrants this year by their demographic characteristics."
Asking your first question
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Open the assistant
Go to Admin Portal > Reports — the Report Assistant is the first thing you see.
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Type your question
Describe what you want, as you would to a colleague, and send it.
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Wait for the assistant to work
You'll see it run exploratory queries on the page as it works out how to answer you. This can take up to 60 seconds for more complex questions — that's expected.
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Review the result
The assistant will return an output — a report or a data tile — along with a written summary.
💡 Tip: If nothing appears immediately, the assistant is still working
Complex questions can take up to a minute to answer.
Understanding the response
⚠️ Important: Check what the assistant actually did before relying on the answer
Look at the filters or scope shown alongside the result — organisation, date range, and so on — to confirm it matches what you asked for. If something looks off (an unexpected row count, the wrong date range), try being more specific, or name a record you know should or shouldn't appear, to prompt the assistant to double-check itself.
Continuing the conversation or exploring further
Once you have a result, you have three options:
- Keep the conversation going. Ask a follow-up question — the assistant will also suggest some for you.
- Download the result, if all you needed was the data.
- Select Explore on a result tile to open it in the full report builder for further editing.
For a lot of questions, the conversation itself is the whole job — there's nothing further you need to do.
Downloading results from a conversation
To work with a result outside the platform, select Download on the output tile and choose CSV or Excel. The file exports the data as shown in the tile, including any filters applied in the conversation.
Saving results from a conversation
To keep a result for later, select Explore on the output tile. This opens the result in the regular report builder, where you can save it as a workbook or a dashboard — see Building a report for what those mean. Once saved, it will appear in The Reports Hub alongside anything you build manually.
Frequently asked questions
What permissions do I need to use the assistant?
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.
Does the assistant know about my organisation specifically?
Yes — it's been set up with context about PlayHQ and will scope its answers to your organisation's data.
What if the assistant gets it wrong?
Rephrase your question with more detail, or point out specifically what looks wrong — the assistant can usually correct itself when challenged.
Can I save what the assistant gives me?
Yes — select Explore on the result, then save it as a workbook or dashboard.
Do I need to know which dataset to use?
No — that's the point of the assistant. If you want more control over which data you're working with, see Building a report instead.