Creating an RI Visual

Rainmaker Insights (RI) Visuals are reports that can be created using either AI-assisted natural language prompts or direct SQL. Visuals can be saved, edited, reused, and added to one or more RI Boards.

Most users begin by describing the report they want using RI Chat. Experienced users can also create new reports or modify existing ones by editing the SQL directly in the Refine section.

This article walks through creating a new RI Visual.

Before You Begin

Before creating a Visual, consider the following:

• What business question are you trying to answer?

• What data do you need?

• Will you create the report using RI Chat or by writing SQL directly?

• Should the Visual be available to all users or a specific audience?

For an overview of RI Visuals, see Understanding RI Visuals.

Creating a New Visual

1. Select Reports → RI Visuals.

2. Select New.

The Create Visual page opens.

Configure the Visual Details

The Visual Details section defines the information used to identify, organize, and control access to the Visual.

Please Note

Scope helps Rainmaker Insights validate the intended data context but does not replace properly written SQL or report security. Always verify that users can access only the data they are authorized to view.

Build the Visual

The Build section allows you to create a Visual using either RI Chat or direct SQL. Most users begin with RI Chat, while experienced users can create or modify reports using the SQL editor.

The Build section contains three tabs:

Create or Modify a Visual with RI Chat

Use RI Chat to enter a prompt. A prompt is a natural language request that describes the report you want Rainmaker Insights to create.

Continue the conversation by entering additional prompts until the Visual meets your reporting requirements. The more specific your prompt, the more accurately Rainmaker Insights can generate the requested report.

For example: “Create a line chart showing total payments collected by month for the last 12 months, grouped by client.”

Rainmaker Insights analyzes the prompt and generates the SQL and visualization needed to create the report.

Tip

Be as specific as possible when writing prompts. Including details such as date ranges, grouping, sorting, and filters helps Rainmaker Insights generate more accurate reports.

Create or Modify a Visual Using SQL

In addition to AI-assisted prompts, Rainmaker Insights allows you to create and modify reports by editing SQL directly.

The SQL editor is located in the Refine section below the RI Chat area.

Use the SQL editor to:

• Paste an existing SQL query.

• Modify AI-generated SQL.

• Create a report manually using SQL.

• Troubleshoot or optimize a report.

Please Note

The SQL editor is located in the Refine section below the RI Chat area.

Plan

The Plan tab displays the execution plan for the Visual.

Review the plan to understand how the Visual is constructed before previewing the report.

Depending on the prompt, the plan may include:

• The reporting objective.

• Data sources used.

• Expected output.

• Validation steps.

Revision History

The Revision History tab stores previously saved revisions of the Visual.

Use Revision History to:

• Review previous versions.

• Restore an earlier revision when needed.

• Identify who created a saved revision when available.

• Review Manual Changes notes when SQL, chart configuration, or drilldown settings have been modified manually.

Review and Preview the Visual

The Parameters section displays any report parameters detected by the generated SQL.

Depending on the report, parameters may include:

• Date Range

• Client IDs

• User

• Agent

• Month

If no parameters are detected, No report parameters detected in the current SQL is displayed.

Select Run Preview to generate a preview of the Visual.

Additional preview options include:

The generated report appears in the Draft Preview pane.

Note

Running a preview does not save the Visual. Review the results and continue refining your prompt as needed before selecting Save.

Improve the Visual

If the preview does not meet your reporting requirements, continue updating the Visual using either RI Chat or the SQL editor in the Refine section.

Continue with RI Chat

Return to the RI Chat tab and enter another prompt. For example, you can ask Rainmaker Insights to:

• Add or remove columns.

• Change the visualization type.

• Apply additional filters.

• Group or sort the data differently.

• Modify the date range.

• Include calculated values or totals.

Each prompt builds on the previous conversation, allowing Rainmaker Insights to progressively improve the report until it meets your reporting needs.

Continue with SQL

If you prefer to work directly with SQL, open the Refine section to:

• Modify the generated SQL.

• Replace the SQL with an existing query.

• Add additional filters or joins.

• Optimize the query.

• Troubleshoot or fine-tune the report.

After making changes, run the preview again to verify the results.

Repeat this process using RI Chat, SQL, or a combination of both until the Visual meets your reporting requirements.

Save the Visual

After reviewing the preview:

1. Verify the results meet your reporting requirements.

2. Select Save.

The Visual is saved to the selected folder and becomes available from the RI Visuals page.

Manage Your Visual

After saving a Visual, you can:

• Edit the Visual to modify the prompt, configuration, or report details.

• Add the Visual to one or more RI Boards.

• Clone the Visual to create a copy that can be modified independently.

• Delete the Visual when it is no longer needed.

Related Articles

• Editing an RI Visual

• Understanding RI Boards

• Creating an RI Board