You will need the Reporting permission to use the Query Builder. To use the AI Assistant, you will also need the Read AI Assistant or Write AI Assistant permission, and your church must be on the Core Plus plan.
The Query Builder gives you two ways to build a report. The Query Editor is the classic builder, where you add filters and columns yourself. The AI Assistant lets you describe the report you need in plain language and builds it for you. Both live on the Designer tab in Reporting > Query Builder, and a switch above the builder lets you move between them.
Both tools save to Saved Queries, and most saved reports work the same way afterward. The sections below explain when one is the better choice.
When to use the Query Editor
1. The report will control the People Directory, or sit inside another query.
AI reports are not offered as the saved query in Contacts > Settings > Directory, under either Who should have access to the people directory? or Who should be listed? They also cannot be added with Add subquery inside a classic query, or used in a workflow delay task. Build these reports in the Query Editor.
2. You want to adjust every filter yourself.
In the Query Editor you can click any condition to change it, add parentheses, and set the columns, sorting, and grouping directly. An AI report can only be changed by sending the assistant another message.
3. You want to save AI messages, or the assistant is not available to you.
Building and editing in the Query Editor never uses AI messages. It is also the tool to use if your church is not on Core Plus, if you do not have the Write AI Assistant permission, or if you are on a Core Plus free trial and need to save the report.
When to use the AI Assistant
1. You know the question but not the filters.
Type what you need, such as "members who joined in the last 90 days," and the assistant chooses the fields for you. It also lists the assumptions it made, such as which date field it used, so you can check its work.
2. The question would take many filters to build by hand.
Reports that combine several areas, such as families, attendance, groups, and giving, can take a lot of parentheses and subqueries in the Query Editor. With the assistant, you describe it once and refine it with follow-up messages.
3. You want a count, a total, or a chart.
The assistant can build summary reports like members by campus, giving totals by fund, or small groups without a leader, and can show the results as a chart.
Tip: Not sure which to pick? Start with the AI Assistant to find the answer quickly. If you later need that report for the People Directory or as a subquery, rebuild it in the Query Editor.
Good to know
In the Saved Queries tab, AI reports show an AI label after the name. Select Filter and set AI Report? to Yes to list only AI reports.
Only AI reports that list individual people can be used in workflows, access rules, and bulk actions. Reports that count or total, and all Contributions and Groups reports, are not offered in those places.
Running a saved AI report never uses AI messages. Only the messages you send to the assistant count against your church's monthly allowance.