Playbooks

“How many visitors is my site getting?”

• “Were there any large changes in sales numbers yesterday?”
• “Send me a daily report on product usage from the past 24 hours.”
• “Run our forecasting model every time the S&P drops 1% in an hour. Notify me of the event, and send back a report explaining our exposure.”

​

Overview

• Data Sources: Connect to your organization’s databases and data warehouses
• Analysis Logic: Define the questions, queries, and analytical processes using natural language
• Scheduling: Set up automated runs on daily, weekly, monthly, or custom schedules using cron expressions
• Delivery: Send results to Slack channels, email recipients, or other destinations

“Every morning, send me a report in Slack on product changes”

​

Getting Started

​

Step 1: Create Your First Playbook

1. Access Playbooks
   • Navigate to the Playbooks section in your TextQL dashboard
   • Click “Create New Playbook” to get started

Playbook Setup Interface

2. Write Your Analysis
   • Use plain English to describe what you want to analyze
   • Example: “Show me weekly sales by region for the last month”
   • Be specific about metrics, time periods, and filters
   • Attach relevant datasets if you know which ones to use
3. Preview and Test
   • Run a preview to see sample results
   • Refine your query until the output matches your expectations
   • Test with different data ranges to ensure consistency

​

Step 2: Configure Scheduling

1. Choose Trigger Type
   • Scheduled: Set up recurring runs (recommended for most use cases)
   • Manual: On-demand execution only
2. Set Schedule (for Scheduled playbooks)
   • Select frequency: Daily, Weekly, or Monthly
   • Choose specific days (for weekly) or dates (for monthly)
   • Set execution time considering your audience’s timezone
   • Advanced users can input custom cron expressions for complex schedules
3. Consider Timing
   • Schedule during business hours for your audience
   • Align with when your source data gets updated
   • Balance frequency with notification fatigue

​

Scheduling Interface Options

Time and Day

Run on a fixed schedule, such as every weekday at 9:00 AM or every Monday at 3:00 PM.

Custom

Run on a custom or irregular schedule using cron expressions.

​

Step 3: Set Up Delivery

1. Slack Delivery
   • Select target Slack channels (public or private channels work as long as the TextQL bot is added)
   • Tag specific users who should be notified
   • Results appear as threaded messages with rich formatting
   • Recipients can ask follow-up questions directly in the thread
2. Email Delivery
   • Add email addresses for recipients
   • Emails include formatted reports with charts and tables
   • Useful for stakeholders who prefer email over Slack
3. Test Delivery
   • Send a test notification to verify setup
   • Check that channels/emails receive the content properly
   • Adjust formatting or recipients as needed

“Send a usage report to Slack every day at 10:45am”

​

Step 4: Deploy and Monitor

1. Activate Your Playbook
   • Review all settings before deployment
   • Click “Deploy” to activate scheduled execution
   • Your playbook will now run according to the schedule
2. Monitor Performance
   • Check execution history in the playbooks dashboard
   • Review success/failure rates
   • Track performance metrics and execution times
3. Maintain and Update
   • Periodically review playbook logic and update as needed
   • Update recipient lists when team members change
   • Adjust schedules based on feedback and usage patterns

​

Slack Integration Features

• Channel Delivery: Send results to any Slack channel where the TextQL bot is present
• User Tagging: Notify specific team members about important insights
• Rich Formatting: Results include charts, tables, and formatted text
• Threaded Conversations: Keep discussions organized with threaded responses
• Context Playbooks: Associate playbooks with specific Slack channels for contextual analysis

Setting-up Playbooks with Slack Integration

​

Advanced Options

​

Custom Scheduling

• Use cron expressions for complex scheduling patterns
• Set up conditional execution based on data conditions
• Chain multiple playbooks together for complex workflows

​

Best Practices

• Be specific about what you want to analyze
• Include context like time periods, filters, and business logic
• Reference specific metrics and KPIs by name
• Test with various scenarios before deploying

• Choose appropriate channels for different types of analysis
• Target the right stakeholders for each insight
• Use clear, actionable language in your analysis requests
• Keep recipient lists updated as teams change

​

Troubleshooting

• Failed Executions: Check data source connectivity and query syntax
• Delivery Problems: Verify Slack bot permissions and email addresses
• Performance Issues: Simplify complex queries or adjust data ranges