Analytics overview

The analytics side of ReportPlane turns stored records into controlled questions your product can ask repeatedly.

Instead of exposing a warehouse or accepting arbitrary SQL, you publish an Analytics API. The definition states what may be grouped, measured, filtered, ordered, and returned.

The analytics path#

Data model → Analytics API → Query client → /query → Warehouse → Normalized result
                         ↘ Analytics Share → Unlisted read-only chart

The Analytics API selects model fields and calculation rules. A query client limits which published definitions a consumer may run. The runtime validates request-time filters and executes a warehouse-neutral plan.

For a focused human-facing result, an Analytics Share can expose one enabled, published Analytics API through an unlisted link with optional password protection. It uses the same runtime contract and does not create a separate query or data copy.

What a definition contains#

• dimensions for grouping or labels;
• metrics for calculations;
• allowed runtime filters and per-field operators;
• optional fixed policy filters;
• time buckets;
• ordering and maximum rows;
• chart type and renderer-neutral visualization metadata;
• a destination binding and cache policy.

Build without a second query system#

The Analytics Explorer, saved Analytics APIs, preview screens, and public query runtime share the same analytics planner and executors. Explorer is a workspace over the real runtime, not a separate implementation with different results.

Warehouse-neutral execution#

Supported shapes run across BigQuery, ClickHouse, Snowflake, and Elasticsearch/OpenSearch. Multi-dimension grouping, multiple metrics, supported time buckets, grouped order, and limit follow a shared contract.

Results#

Every successful public query returns:

• columns, describing output names and value types;
• rows, containing normalized result objects;
• result_metadata, describing preferred x, y, and series roles plus compatible chart suggestions.