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Ana can interact with playbooks - automated workflows that can be triggered on schedules or events.
Automation Made Easy: Turn any analysis into a recurring workflow that runs automatically and delivers insights to your team.
Creating and updating a playbook

Creating and updating a playbook

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Available Operations

When the Playbooks tool is enabled, Ana can perform these operations:

List Playbooks

View all playbooks in your organization to understand what automations exist and their current status.

Get Details

Retrieve detailed information about a specific playbook including configuration, schedule, recipients, and execution history.

Create Playbooks

Build new automated workflows by defining the analysis, schedule, connectors, and delivery method.

Update Playbooks

Modify existing playbooks to change schedules, recipients, queries, or enable/disable them.

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What Ana Retrieves When Getting Playbook Details

Configuration & Settings

  • Playbook name and description
  • Enabled/disabled status
  • Analysis or query definition
  • Output format preferences
  • Cron expression or event trigger
  • Timezone settings
  • Next scheduled run time
  • Frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
  • Associated connectors
  • Database connections used
  • File sources referenced
  • Recipients (email addresses)
  • Slack channels
  • Teams channels
  • Other notification destinations
  • Recent run times
  • Success/failure status
  • Error messages (if any)
  • Duration of each run

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What You Can Define When Creating Playbooks

1

Define the Analysis

Specify what analysis or report should run. This can be a SQL query, a data transformation, or a complete analytical workflow.
2

Set the Schedule

Tell Ana when the playbook should run using natural language:
  • Daily: “Every day at 9 AM”
  • Weekly: “Every Monday at 9 AM”
  • Monthly: “On the first of every month at 9 AM”
Ana will convert your natural language schedule into the appropriate cron expression automatically.
3

Select Data Connectors

Choose which databases or data sources the playbook should query.
4

Configure Delivery

Set up how and where results are delivered:
  • Email recipients
  • Slack channels
  • Microsoft Teams channels
  • Output format (PDF, CSV, etc.)

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When to Use

Enable the Playbooks tool when you need to:
  • Recurring Reports
  • Scheduled Analysis
  • Monitoring & Alerts
  • Team Updates
Automate regular reporting cycles
  • Daily sales dashboards
  • Weekly performance summaries
  • Monthly financial reports
  • Quarterly business reviews
Example: “Create a playbook that sends daily sales metrics to the sales-team Slack channel every morning at 9am”

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Common Use Cases

Daily Reports

Morning Metrics DeliverySend key metrics to stakeholders every morning before the workday begins.
  • Sales performance
  • Active users
  • Revenue tracking
  • Support tickets

Weekly Summaries

Week-over-Week AnalysisCompare current week performance against previous periods.
  • Growth metrics
  • Engagement trends
  • Conversion rates
  • Team productivity

Event-Driven Alerts

Proactive MonitoringGet notified when specific conditions are met.
  • Low inventory warnings
  • High error rates
  • Unusual patterns
  • Threshold breaches

Executive Dashboards

Leadership UpdatesAutomated reports for executives and board members.
  • Monthly business review
  • Quarterly performance
  • Annual trends
  • Strategic metrics

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Best Practices

Pro Tip: Always test your analysis in a regular chat before creating a playbook. This ensures the logic is correct and the output is formatted as expected.
1

Test First

Create and test your analysis in a regular chat before turning it into a playbook. Verify:
  • Query logic is correct
  • Results are formatted properly
  • Visualizations render correctly
  • Output is clear and actionable
2

Be Specific About Schedules

Use clear, natural language to describe when the playbook should run. Include timezone and frequency.Good Examples:
  • “Run every Monday at 9 AM EST”
  • “Send daily at 8:30 AM Pacific time”
  • “Execute on the 1st and 15th of each month at noon”
Vague (Avoid):
  • “Run weekly in the morning”
  • “Send regularly”
  • “Update periodically”
3

Choose Appropriate Recipients

Ensure the right people or channels get the right information. Consider:
  • Who needs to see this data?
  • What format do they prefer?
  • What level of detail is appropriate?
4

Start Simple

Begin with straightforward reports before building complex workflows. You can always iterate and add complexity later.
5

Monitor Execution

Check playbook execution history regularly to ensure they’re running as expected:
  • Review success/failure rates
  • Check execution times
  • Monitor for errors
  • Verify deliveries

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Schedule Examples

Just tell Ana when you want the playbook to run using natural language:

Daily Schedules

  • “Every day at 9 AM”
  • “Daily at 8:30 AM EST”
  • “Run at 6 PM every day”

Weekly Schedules

  • “Every Monday at 9 AM”
  • “Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 PM”
  • “Weekly on Tuesday at 10 AM”

Monthly Schedules

  • “First of every month at 9 AM”
  • “On the 15th at noon”
  • “Last day of the month at 5 PM”

Frequent Updates

  • “Every 6 hours”
  • “Every hour during business hours”
  • “Every 30 minutes”

Detailed Playbooks Guide

Learn more about playbooks, including advanced features, troubleshooting, and examples.