Can Mail & Deploy run a query I already have as a view?

Yes. Pointing at a view your data team already maintains is usually the better option: the logic stays in the warehouse, under version control, and consistent with every other report built on it.

Does each recipient trigger a separate query?

Yes. Each recipient triggers its own query against the source, so the number of recipients determines the query load.

Can one report combine warehouse data with Qlik or Power BI?

Yes. Multiple sources can be connected at once, and a single template can draw from more than one of them. A report can combine a Snowflake view with a Qlik object or a Power BI dataset in the same document.

Which SQL databases are supported?

Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, Snowflake and Google BigQuery connect directly, and any database with an ODBC driver connects through that driver. If your database is not on that list, the ODBC route is the one to check first.

Does this replace a BI tool?

No. Mail & Deploy produces and distributes documents from your data. It does not replace a BI platform, and it is not designed for dashboards or self-service analytics.

Reporting straight from your database or warehouse

Not every report needs a dashboard behind it. Plenty of recurring reporting is a query, a template and a distribution list - and building a BI layer just to schedule it is disproportionate.

Mail & Deploy connects directly to SQL databases and Snowflake, and to Databricks and other sources via ODBC. You define the dataset once, bind it to a template, and the platform handles generation, personalisation and delivery on a schedule.

Looking for dashboards and self-service analytics? That is not what this is. Mail & Deploy produces and distributes documents from your data - it does not replace a BI platform. If your sources include Qlik or Power BI, one report can draw from all of them.

SourceSnowflakeDatabricks (via ODBC)SQL & ODBC

Connect the source

Mail & Deploy connects directly to the database. On cache rebuild it reads all tables, views and their columns, so report design works against a known structure rather than querying live at every step.

Microsoft SQL Server
MySQL
Oracle
Snowflake
Google BigQuery
any ODBC driver

One thing to know: a field filter applies to the table or view that field belongs to. Related tables are not filtered automatically through foreign keys. Where that matters, put the logic in a view your data team maintains.

More than one source can be connected at the same time, and a single report can draw from several of them - including Qlik^® and Power BI alongside the warehouse. The full list of connectors is on the integrations overview.

Creating a Snowflake datasource in Mail & Deploy: account, username, password, database, schema, warehouse and role — The five-step setup: create the datasource, configure the Snowflake connection, assign permissions, test, then use it in reports.

Define the dataset

You write the query, or point at a view your data team already maintains. The second option is usually the better one: reporting logic that lives in the warehouse stays under version control and stays consistent with everything else built on it.

Queries take parameters. A date range that resolves to 'last completed month' at execution time, or a region value supplied by the bursting rule in step 3, means one query definition serves every run and every recipient.

Charts are produced by the template rather than the source. An Excel chart bound to a data range, or a chart object in the built-in designer, redraws with each execution.

From here on, nothing depends on where the data came from. The template designer, the schedule and the delivery log look the same whether the source is Qlik®, Power BI or a database.

Each additional data source is licensed separately.

Defining a Snowflake dataset in Mail & Deploy: filter preparation action and datasource object selection — A preparation action filters the source field; the datasource object then exposes the Snowflake tables for the report.

Split it by recipient

Pick a column to burst on - region, cost centre, account manager, customer. Mail & Deploy splits the result set by the distinct values in that column, fills one copy of the template per value, and pairs each document with the right recipient.

Distribution task workflow and scheduled tasks overview in Mail & Deploy — The automation defines filters, variables and report actions; the schedule overview shows requested tasks with remaining runtimes.

Schedule and deliver

Reports run on a schedule you define - daily, weekly, monthly or at a fixed time.

Delivery goes to email, file server, FTP, Microsoft SharePoint and Teams, OneDrive, Dropbox, AWS S3, Google Drive, or the Mail & Deploy Hub. Every execution is logged: what ran, what it produced, where it went, what failed.

Execution calendar in Mail & Deploy with monthly schedule, daily timeline and completed email delivery log — Calendar, day timeline and execution log in one place: every run is logged with time, status and recipient.

Keeping warehouse cost predictable

Scheduled reporting consumes compute. On Snowflake that is credits, on Databricks DBUs, and on a managed SQL service it is capacity you have already paid for.

Mail & Deploy queries the source once per recipient. A report with two hundred recipients means two hundred queries. Plan for that when you size the warehouse and schedule the report.

What keeps cost contained is timing. Reports that share a source can be scheduled into the same window, so the warehouse wakes up once rather than several times through the morning.

What you need in place

Mail & Deploy edition: Most setups start with the Standard edition. Which one fits depends on how many recipients you deliver to, how complex the reports are, and whether you use scheduled distribution and self-service. Fifteen minutes on a call settles it faster than a table. Compare editions.
Requirements: Current hardware, software and network requirements are maintained in the documentation. View requirements.
Credentials: a dedicated read-only account or role is the usual arrangement
Permissions: the connected role sees exactly what it is entitled to see

Details per edition are listed under editions and licensing. If any of these are unclear for your environment, that is a fifteen-minute conversation with our team, not a procurement decision.

A worked example

Weekly Supplier Scorecard

Source: Snowflake · view ANALYTICS.REPORTING.SUPPLIER_KPI
Parameters: week = last completed ISO week
Template: Excel, corporate layout, chart bound to data range
Burst on: SUPPLIER_ID → 64 outputs
Schedule: Monday 07:15 CET · one query, 64 documents
Delivery: email to supplier contact · copy to SharePoint
Log: 64 generated · 63 delivered · 1 failed (invalid address)

An illustration of a typical configuration. Sources, columns and delivery are configured per report.