Do I need to write any SQL for this?

Only the SQL you already use. The Connected Sheets path means you write your query once in Google Sheets (or paste in an existing one), and Chartcastr reads the result range. If you do not have a query yet, the Connected Sheets UI can build a basic one without code.

Why route BigQuery through Google Sheets instead of connecting directly?

It is the fastest and most reliable path for a non-technical recipient list. Connected Sheets handles auth, scheduling, and result caching. Chartcastr reads the cached range, which means no warehouse credits are burned every time someone opens the email.

Can I send to executives who are not in our Slack workspace?

Yes, that is exactly what email delivery is for. Chartcastr renders the chart and AI narrative as an inline-image email that lands in any inbox, Gmail or Outlook, no Slack account required.

BigQuery to a Weekly Executive Email in 10 Minutes, No SQL Editor Required

May 1, 2026•5 min read

Stop hand-crafting Monday morning exec updates. Connect BigQuery to Chartcastr via Connected Sheets, pick a metric, pick a recipient list, and a polished AI-narrated email lands every Monday at 9am.

It is Monday morning. The CEO wants the weekly numbers in their inbox by 9am. You open BigQuery, run the query you have run a hundred times, paste the result into a slide, write a paragraph of context, and email it. It takes 30 minutes. Sometimes you forget. Sometimes you are on holiday.

There is a 10-minute setup that replaces this ritual permanently. Here it is.

What you will end up with

A polished email that lands in the executive's inbox every Monday at 9am, containing:

A chart of the BigQuery metric (revenue, MAU, retention curve, whatever you are tracking)
An AI-written paragraph explaining what changed week-over-week, what looks unusual, and what to look at next
Optional: a sparkline trend, a comparison to the previous period, and an anomaly call-out

No login required. No "click here to view dashboard". The chart is in the email body.

Prerequisites

A BigQuery dataset with the metric you want to report on
A Google Workspace account with Connected Sheets access (any business plan)
A Chartcastr workspace (free trial works)
The recipient email address(es)

That is the whole list. No warehouse credentials to share, no SQL editor to learn, no DBA to chase.

The 10-minute setup

Minute 1–3: Connected Sheets

Open a new Google Sheet. Data → Data connectors → Connect to BigQuery. Pick the project and table. Either select the columns and aggregations you want from the UI, or paste in the SQL you already have. Hit "Apply". The result lands in the sheet as a refreshable range.

Set the refresh schedule to whatever cadence makes sense, for a weekly email, "weekly, Mondays before 8am" is a sensible default. Connected Sheets handles the warehouse hit; Chartcastr will read the cached output.

Minute 4–5: Create a Chartcastr source

In Chartcastr, click "New Source" → Google Sheets, and authenticate with the Google account that owns the sheet. Pick the spreadsheet, pick the tab, pick the result range from Connected Sheets. Chartcastr previews the data so you can confirm the columns are what you expect.

Minute 6–7: Configure the Pulse

Click "New Pulse". Pick the source you just created. Pick the metric column. Pick a chart type, for an exec weekly, a clean line chart with week-over-week deltas is usually right. Toggle on "AI summary" (default on). Optionally toggle "anomaly detection" if you want a call-out when the number deviates from trend.

Minute 8–9: Pick a destination and cadence

Destination: Email. Add the executive's email address (or a small distribution list). Cadence: Weekly, Monday at 9am, in the right timezone (Chartcastr respects organisation timezones, set yours in Settings if you have not already).

Minute 10: Send the test

Click "Send test pulse". The email arrives in seconds. Adjust the subject line, the chart caption, the AI summary tone if you want, there are presets for "exec brief", "team update", "investor friendly". Save.

You are done. Every Monday at 9am from now on, the email goes out. If you leave the company, it still goes out. If the metric spikes or dips meaningfully, the AI summary will say so.

What the AI summary actually does

A common question: "Is the AI bit just a fancy template?" No. The summary block reads the chart's last 6–12 data points, computes the deltas, and writes commentary like:

"Weekly active users hit 24,310, up 6.4% week-over-week and the highest reading since the launch in March. The 4-week trend is up 11%, mostly driven by the bump on Apr 18, likely the email campaign that went out that morning. Worth checking that retention from that cohort holds before assuming the lift is durable."

It is not just "WAU = 24,310, up 6.4%." It is the kind of paragraph a thoughtful analyst would write, and you can tune the tone with a single setting.

What about charts that need joins?

If your metric requires joining multiple BigQuery tables, do the join in Connected Sheets (or in a saved view in BigQuery itself) and point Chartcastr at the result. Chartcastr is not an ETL or modelling tool, it is the delivery layer. Keep transforms in the warehouse where they belong.

What if the data is sensitive?

Email delivery uses inline images, so the chart renders without the recipient ever clicking out to a third-party service. Access controls live in the source, Chartcastr only sees data the connected Google account can already see. Tokens are encrypted at rest. There is a separate page on data classification in our docs if your security team wants to dig in.

The bigger picture

You can apply this same recipe to any BigQuery metric you currently report on manually. Weekly active users. Daily revenue. Monthly churn. Quarterly cohort retention. Each one becomes a 10-minute setup that replaces a recurring 30-minute task forever.

Multiply that across the four or five recurring reports a typical operator owns and you are looking at hours back per week. Not because Chartcastr is magic, but because Connected Sheets + a scheduled Pulse + an AI summary covers exactly the workflow that was consuming the time.

Connect BigQuery via Connected Sheets and ship your first weekly email Pulse. The 10-minute clock starts now.