Views And Reports

Views and Reports

Discovering Existing Views

NocoDB tables can have multiple views. To see what views already exist on a table, call mcp__nocodb__getTableSchema with the tableId. The response includes a list of views with their names and types.

mcp__nocodb__getTableSchema  tableId: "tbl_abc123"

The schema response contains a views section listing every view configured on that table. Each view has a name, type, and ID.

View Types

NocoDB supports five view types. You cannot create or modify views through the MCP tools, but understanding them helps when discussing data with business users.

When a user asks about a kanban board or calendar view, explain what the view does and note that creating or configuring views is done in the NocoDB web interface.

Building Reports with Aggregate

The mcp__nocodb__aggregate tool is the primary way to build numeric reports. It computes calculations across an entire table or within filtered segments.

Aggregation Types

Basic Aggregation

Calculate a single number across the whole table:

mcp__nocodb__aggregate
  tableId: "tbl_abc123"
  aggregations: [
    { "field": "Amount", "type": "sum" },
    { "field": "Amount", "type": "avg" },
    { "field": "Amount", "type": "count" }
  ]

This returns the total amount, average amount, and record count for the entire table.

Segmented Reports with Filter Groups

Filter groups let you break down numbers by category. Each filter group has an alias (the label) and a where clause (the filter).

mcp__nocodb__aggregate
  tableId: "tbl_abc123"
  aggregations: [
    { "field": "Revenue", "type": "sum" },
    { "field": "Revenue", "type": "count" }
  ]
  filterGroups: [
    { "alias": "North", "where": "(Region,eq,North)" },
    { "alias": "South", "where": "(Region,eq,South)" },
    { "alias": "East", "where": "(Region,eq,East)" },
    { "alias": "West", "where": "(Region,eq,West)" }
  ]

This returns sum and count for each region separately -- one result per filter group.

Report Examples

Sales Summary by Region

mcp__nocodb__aggregate
  tableId: "tbl_orders"
  aggregations: [
    { "field": "Total", "type": "sum" },
    { "field": "Total", "type": "avg" },
    { "field": "Total", "type": "count" }
  ]
  filterGroups: [
    { "alias": "North America", "where": "(Region,eq,North America)" },
    { "alias": "Europe", "where": "(Region,eq,Europe)" },
    { "alias": "Asia", "where": "(Region,eq,Asia)" }
  ]

Present the results as a formatted table with columns for Region, Total Sales, Average Order, and Order Count.

Monthly Active Records

Use date filters in filter groups to segment by time period:

mcp__nocodb__aggregate
  tableId: "tbl_activities"
  aggregations: [
    { "field": "Id", "type": "count" }
  ]
  filterGroups: [
    { "alias": "This Month", "where": "(CreatedAt,isWithin,thisMonth)" },
    { "alias": "Last Month", "where": "(CreatedAt,isWithin,pastMonth)" },
    { "alias": "Past Week", "where": "(CreatedAt,isWithin,pastWeek)" }
  ]

Inventory Counts by Category

mcp__nocodb__aggregate
  tableId: "tbl_inventory"
  aggregations: [
    { "field": "Quantity", "type": "sum" },
    { "field": "Quantity", "type": "min" },
    { "field": "Quantity", "type": "max" }
  ]
  filterGroups: [
    { "alias": "Electronics", "where": "(Category,eq,Electronics)" },
    { "alias": "Clothing", "where": "(Category,eq,Clothing)" },
    { "alias": "Food", "where": "(Category,eq,Food)" }
  ]

Quick Data Summaries with Query

When you need the actual records behind a number (not just aggregates), use mcp__nocodb__queryRecords with sorting and field selection.

Top 10 Highest-Value Orders

mcp__nocodb__queryRecords
  tableId: "tbl_orders"
  fields: ["Customer", "Total", "Date"]
  sort: [{ "field": "Total", "direction": "desc" }]
  pageSize: 10

Most Recent Activity

mcp__nocodb__queryRecords
  tableId: "tbl_activities"
  fields: ["Name", "Status", "UpdatedAt"]
  sort: [{ "field": "UpdatedAt", "direction": "desc" }]
  pageSize: 5

Records in a Specific Status

mcp__nocodb__queryRecords
  tableId: "tbl_tasks"
  where: "(Status,eq,Overdue)"
  fields: ["Title", "AssignedTo", "DueDate"]
  sort: [{ "field": "DueDate", "direction": "asc" }]

Dashboard Pattern

A dashboard combines multiple calls to paint a complete picture. Run these calls together and present all results in one response.

Step 1 -- Get totals and breakdown:

mcp__nocodb__aggregate  (overall totals + filter groups by category)

Step 2 -- Get record count:

mcp__nocodb__countRecords  (total records, plus filtered counts for key segments)

Step 3 -- Get recent and notable items:

mcp__nocodb__queryRecords  (latest 5 records, sorted by date)
mcp__nocodb__queryRecords  (top 5 by value, sorted descending)

Step 4 -- Present everything together as a formatted summary:

• Overall metrics (total, average, count)
• Breakdown by segment (table format)
• Recent items list
• Top items list

Best Practices

• Use aggregate for numbers. When the user asks "how much" or "how many," reach for aggregate first. It is faster and more accurate than fetching all records and counting manually.
• Use queryRecords for detail. When the user wants to see specific records, names, or lists, use queryRecords with field selection and sorting.
• Use filter groups for segmentation. Instead of making separate aggregate calls for each category, put all segments into one call using filterGroups. This is faster and keeps the results together.
• Select only needed fields. When querying records for a report, specify the fields parameter to return only the columns that matter. This keeps the output clean and readable.
• Combine calls for dashboards. A good dashboard is 2-4 calls: one aggregate for the big numbers, one or two queries for detail lists, and optionally a count for a headline figure.
• Format results for readability. Always present report data in tables, bullet lists, or structured summaries. Raw tool output is hard to read.
• Check the schema first. Before building a report, call mcp__nocodb__getTableSchema to confirm field names, types, and available values. Wrong field names produce empty results, not errors.