---
description: "Build reports and explore data with AI agents, organize analyses across multiple tabs, and share trusted insights with your team."
title: Workbooks
---

Workbooks allow you to build reports and explore data with AI agents, organize the results of your
analysis, and share trusted insights with your team.

A report inside a workbook and a standalone [exploration](/docs/explore-analyze/explore#saving-explorations)
are the same kind of object — the only difference is whether it's filed inside a workbook.

## Tabs

Workbooks can contain one or more tabs, each providing a different way to query and analyze your data. Tabs enable you to organize multiple analyses within a single workbook, making it easy to explore different aspects of your data or combine insights from different sources.

## New tab page

When you open [Explore](/docs/explore-analyze/explore) or add a new tab in a workbook, Cube shows
the **new tab page** — a single launchpad for starting a report. From here you can search across
your data model, browse starting points by type, or jump straight to pasting a query or asking an
AI agent.

### Searching and browsing

A search box sits at the top of the launchpad. Typing filters every category at once; categories
with no matches appear disabled, so you can tell at a glance which ones hold results.

The category selector lets you switch between starting-point types:

- **View groups** — browse [view groups](/docs/data-modeling/view-groups) as folders. Drilling
  into a group reveals its sub-groups and views.
- **Views** — every [view](/docs/data-modeling/views) in the model. Search also matches a view's
  measures and dimensions; when a view matches through a member, the row notes which one.
- **Workbooks** — drill into an existing workbook and pick one of its reports to reuse its query
  as the starting point for the new report. The workbook you are currently in and empty tabs
  (which have no query to reuse) appear disabled.
- **Source tables** — raw tables from your connected
  [data sources](/admin/connect-to-data/data-sources), browsable by data source and schema.

Click through the list to drill down to an individual view, report, or table. Once you reach a
starting point, the data model sidebar activates so you can continue building your query there.

### Starting from a pasted query or an agent

The launchpad also offers shortcuts at the bottom:

- **Paste semantic SQL query** — opens the SQL panel so you can paste a semantic SQL query. The
  dropdown adds **Paste source SQL query** (raw data-source SQL), **Paste JSON query** (a
  [REST API query](/reference/core-data-apis/rest-api/query-format)), and **Paste GraphQL query** (a
  [GraphQL API query](/reference/core-data-apis/graphql-api)) — the JSON and GraphQL queries are
  converted to a semantic query for you.
- **Ask Cube agent** — opens the chat sidebar so you can describe the report you want in natural
  language.

### Configuring the launchpad

Administrators can tailor the launchpad per deployment under **Settings → Configuration**, in the
**Workbooks and Explore** section. Two settings are available.

**Available tabs** — choose which categories appear on the launchpad. **View groups** and **Views**
are always shown and cannot be turned off; **Workbooks** and **Source tables** can each be enabled
or disabled to simplify the starting points your users see.

**Default view group** — set a default view group so the launchpad opens inside a specific
top-level view group instead of listing all of them, useful for steering users toward a curated set
of governed starting points.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open deployment settings">
    Go to **Settings → Configuration** for your deployment.
  </Step>
  <Step title="Choose the available tabs and default group">
    In the **Workbooks and Explore** section, select the tabs to show and, optionally, enter the
    **name** of the view group the launchpad should open inside. Leave the group empty to show all
    view groups. Save your changes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

When a default view group is set, new Explore and workbook tabs open inside that group. You can
still navigate up to **All view groups** to browse everything. If the configured group no longer
exists, the launchpad falls back to showing all categories.

## Tab types

Workbooks support two types of tabs, each designed for different querying approaches:

### Semantic Query

[Semantic Query tabs](/docs/explore-analyze/workbooks/querying-data) allow you to query your data model through the semantic layer. This ensures all queries use consistent metrics, respect access control policies, and benefit from pre-aggregations for fast performance.

You can query the semantic layer in three ways:

- **Point and click** – Use the intuitive interface to select measures and dimensions, build visualizations, and explore your data interactively
- **AI agent** – Ask the AI agent to build queries and visualizations based on natural language questions
- **Semantic SQL** – Write Semantic SQL queries manually to have full control over your queries while still leveraging the semantic layer

### Source SQL Query

[Source SQL Query tabs](/docs/explore-analyze/workbooks/source-sql-tabs) allow you to query your connected data sources directly, bypassing the semantic layer. This gives you direct access to your raw data and enables deeper exploration beyond what's defined in your data model.

You can query source SQL in two ways:

- **Write SQL manually** – Write standard SQL queries directly against your data source for maximum flexibility
- **Ask AI** – Use the AI agent to help you research your data source, build SQL queries, and refine results in real-time

## Copying and pasting tabs

You can copy a tab from one workbook and paste it into another workbook
using the clipboard.

### Copying a tab

Open the tab options menu (the chevron on the tab in the footer) and
select **Copy to Clipboard**. The tab's query, chart configuration, and
settings are serialized and written to your system clipboard.

### Pasting a tab

Navigate to the target workbook and press **Cmd+V** (macOS) or
**Ctrl+V** (Windows/Linux) while the workbook is focused. A new tab will
be created with the query and configuration from the clipboard.

<Info>
Paste only works via the keyboard shortcut. Make sure the focus is not
inside a text input—otherwise the browser's default paste behavior will
take precedence.
</Info>

You can also copy an exploration from [Explore](/docs/explore-analyze/explore)
and paste it as a new tab in any workbook using the same workflow.

## Duplicating workbooks

You can duplicate a workbook by selecting **Duplicate** from the row
actions menu on the workspace page, from the workbook menu while the
workbook is open, or from a published dashboard's options menu. This
creates a full copy of the workbook, including all its tabs, reports, and
any published dashboard.

A duplicate does not carry the original's sharing over by default. The
copy is visible only to you, plus anyone with access to the folder it is
created in.

If the original is shared — with people, with groups, with your whole
organization, or through signed embedding — the duplicate dialog offers
**Copy sharing and embedding settings**. Selecting it gives the copy the
same audience. The option appears only if you have **Full access** to the
original, since copying its sharing means granting that access again. See
[Duplicates][ref-sharing-duplicates] for what does and doesn't carry over.

## Workbook versions

When you [publish a dashboard][ref-dashboards] from a workbook, Cube
automatically creates a version snapshot. Each time you publish, a new
version is recorded so you can track changes to your dashboard over time.

### Restoring a version

You can restore the state of your workbook from any previously published
dashboard version. Restoring a version rebuilds the workbook with the
charts and configuration from that published snapshot.

<Warning>
Restoring a version replaces **all existing tabs** in the workbook with
the tabs from the selected version. Any current work in the workbook that
has not been published will be lost.
</Warning>

[ref-dashboards]: /docs/explore-analyze/dashboards
[ref-sharing-duplicates]: /docs/organize-content/sharing#duplicates

