How to ask a question in Octane: Basic

This guide will cover basic querying operations and walk you through 5 example questions.

Questions in Octane are how you explore your data.  A "question" is a query that allows you to filter, sort, summarize and visualize data from your tables.

In this guide, we'll show you how to build five foundational questions using simple queries. We will answer:

1. How many fans are in my FanCRM?
2. How many new fans joined in the last 30 days?
3. Where do my fans live?
4. How many fans entered a campaign?
5. When was my Octane database last synced?

🪜 Step-by-Step for Fan Metrics (Questions 1-3)

We'll use the Crm Fans table for these questions.

Step 1: Start a New Question

• Click + New → Question
• Select the Tables tab
• Choose your Database → Crm Fans 

Step 2: Preview the data

• Click the ▶️ Play  button in the top-right of the data section
• This lets you preview results at each stage of building your question, and inspect the fields you're pulling in as you build your query.
  
  

🔢 Question 1: How many fans do I have in my FanCRM?

This first question doesn't need any filtering at all. You want to know the total number of unique fans within your FanCRM. This means you have to sum the total number of unique FanID's in the table.

• Click Summarize
• Choose: Numer of disctinct values of  → Fan ID
• Click Play to preview results
• Click Visualize to see the total number of fans in your FanCRM
• Save the question with a clear name, e.g. "Total number of Unique Fans in FanCRM"

🆕 Question 2: How many new fans have I earned in the last 30 days? 

For this question, you need to filter by the date a new fan  "entered" or was "created" in your FanCRM. And, like the last question, you want to look at unique fans, which means you will have to sum the total number of unique FanID's that fit your filter. 

• Filter by: Creation Timestamp → Last 30 days
• Summarize: Number of distinct values of → Fan ID
• Click Play to preview results
• Click Visualize to see the total number of new fans in the last 30 days
• Save the question with a clear name, e.g. "New fans in last 30 days"

🌍 Question 3: Where do my fans live (by state/province)?

In this question you want to sum the number of fans you have by province/state.

• Summarize: Number of distinct values of  → Fan ID
• Group by: Province
• Click Play to preview results
• Click Visualize and choose a Map as a visualization option
• In Map Settings, switch region to Canada or Australia if needed. (The Map defaults to the USA).
  
  🧠 Optional Tip: Use Filters to isolate specific regions or time periods if desired.

 

🎯 Step-by-Step for Question 4: How many fans entered a campaign

To answer this question, we need to join two tables: Crm Campaigns and App Page Tab Metrics 

Step 1: Join Tables

• Start a new question from Crm Campaigns
• Click the Join (🟢🟢 icon) beneath the data section
• Select App Page Tab Metrics as the table to join
• Join on Page Tab ID (to join two tables, you need one common field)

Step 2: Build the Query

• Summarize Number of distinct values of→ Entry Count (from App Page Tab Metrics)
• Group by: Crm Campaign → Title
• (Optional) Add columns: Business Name, App Type

Step 3: Visualize + Customize

• Visualize: Use Table or try Bar/Column Charts
• Pro Tip: The most relevant chart types appear above the "Other Charts" section
• Rename Headers: Click green column names and update (e.g. change "Distinct values of Entry count" → "Fan Entries")

🕙 Bonus: When was the last database sync?

Octane works on a columnar database structure to make your data easier to query, faster. We sync your Octane database with your core Tradable Bits database daily.  Use this question to see the last time your data synced. 

Start a new question and choose the table Build Time. Then click visualize.

✅ Wrap up

You've just built five key questions to unlock your first insights in Octane. Each one helps you understand:

• Your fanbase size and recency
• Geographic distribution
• Campaign engagement
•  Data freshness

If you're keen to explore even more insights, reach out to your Octane team to explore intermediate and advanced queries.

Still need assistance? Please reach out to your Customer Success Team or contact support@tradablebits.com