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Quickrep Reporting Engine

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A PHP reporting engine for Laravel that turns SQL (and Query Builders) into rich, interactive, web-based reports.

What Quickrep is

Quickrep lets report authors focus primarily on data selection (SQL SELECT) while the engine handles:

• interactive tabular reports (paging/filter/sort)
• cards / tree / graph viewers (depending on installed viewers)
• CSV/XLSX exports
• report JSON API

Historically Quickrep assumed a single SQL database (MySQL/MariaDB).
Starting with v1.0.1, Quickrep supports a 3-layer database topology that enables scalable analytics in production systems.

Core Reporting Features

• Write SQL → get interactive report UI
• Server-side paging for large datasets
• Download results (CSV/XLSX)
• JSON API endpoints
• Per-row decorations (links/buttons/html)
• One report = one PHP class (SQL + formatting + behavior)
• Request inputs available inside reports (getInput(), URL segments, etc.)
• Builder support: GetSQL() can return Query Builder / Eloquent Builder

Architecture (v1.0.1)

Quickrep Engine v1.0.1 uses three connections:

Why this topology?

• SOURCE contains materialized views and aggregated analytics (fast & predictable).
• CACHE isolates expensive browsing operations (filtering/paging) from PostgreSQL.
• CONFIG stores report lifecycle metadata and socket/wrench configuration without coupling to analytics.

Key goal: even if analytics systems are overloaded or down, the main application remains operational.

Diagram

Documentation

Current docs (v1.0.1) • Architecture: documentation/01-architecture.md • DB topology: documentation/02-database-topology.md • Creating reports: documentation/03-creating-reports.md • Materialized views: documentation/04-materialized-views.md • Caching (Manticore): documentation/05-caching-and-manticore.md • Failure isolation: documentation/06-failure-isolation.md • Deployment & config: documentation/07-deployment-and-config.md • Troubleshooting: documentation/08-troubleshooting.md

Legacy docs (pre-1.0.1)

If you see references in older blog posts or forks, these legacy doc names map to the new ones: • documentation/Architecture.md → documentation/01-architecture.md • documentation/ControlCaching.md → documentation/05-caching-and-manticore.md • documentation/ConfigFile.md → documentation/07-deployment-and-config.md • documentation/Troubleshooting.md → documentation/08-troubleshooting.md

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Quick Start (Production TopIQ-style)

This is the recommended production setup for high-load LMS analytics: • SOURCE: PostgreSQL appstats (analytics + materialized views) • CACHE: ManticoreSearch manticore (report cache tables) • CONFIG: PostgreSQL appapi via quickrep_config connection (meta/sockets/wrenches)

1) Install

2) Configure DB connections

In your Laravel app (config/database.php) define: • appstats (pgsql) — analytics DB • manticore (mysql) — manticore mysql-protocol endpoint • quickrep_config (pgsql) — points to your main app DB (appapi), with emulate prepares

Example (quickrep_config only):

3) Set env vars

4) Clear config cache

5) Run migrations for meta/sockets

6) Create your first report

Open: • /Quickrep/YourNewReportName • or API endpoint: /api/Quickrep/YourNewReportName?...

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Prerequisites • PHP >= 8.0 recommended • Laravel >= 9.x recommended • PostgreSQL for SOURCE (analytics) • PostgreSQL for CONFIG (main app DB) • ManticoreSearch for CACHE

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Installation (General)

Note: In v1.0.1 topology, quickrep:install is mainly scaffolding. You should configure the three connections explicitly.

Routes

You should see routes similar to:

Example patterns: • Quickrep/{report_key} • QuickrepCard/{report_key} • QuickrepTree/{report_key} • QuickrepGraph/{report_key} • api/Quickrep/{report_key} • api/Quickrep/{report_key}/Summary • api/Quickrep/{report_key}/Download

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Configuration (v1.0.1)

Edit config/quickrep.php.

Required connections

•   QUICKREP_SOURCE_DB_CONNECTION — where report SQL runs (PostgreSQL analytics)
•   QUICKREP_CACHE_DB_CONNECTION — where cache tables live (Manticore)
•   QUICKREP_CONFIG_DB_CONNECTION — where meta/sockets/wrenches are stored (PostgreSQL main app DB)

PgBouncer compatibility

If you use PgBouncer (transaction pooling) or any environment that resets prepared statements, CONFIG DB should enable:

Make Your First Report

Create a report class:

Open: • /Quickrep/YourNewReportName • or API endpoint: /api/Quickrep/YourNewReportName?...

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Writing Reports

GetSQL()

GetSQL() is the core of a report. It may return: • string • array • QueryBuilder • EloquentBuilder • array of the above

Builder example:

Inputs

Use request inputs: • getInput($key) — GET/POST/JSON input • URL segments: • $this->getCode() • $this->getParameters()

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Caching Model (v1.0.1)

In v1.0.1, caching is not just an optimization — it is a core part of performance isolation. • SQL executes in SOURCE (PostgreSQL) • Results are stored in CACHE (Manticore) • UI queries (filter/paging/sort) run against CACHE

This prevents the browser/UI from generating heavy workload on PostgreSQL.

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Failure Isolation

If SOURCE (appstats) or CACHE (manticore) is unavailable, the API endpoints respond with HTTP 503:

This ensures analytics failures do not crash the main application.

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Materialized Views (Recommended)

For predictable performance, build reports on top of materialized views: • precompute expensive joins/aggregations • refresh asynchronously (cron/queue) • avoid heavy computations during report execution

See: documentation/04-materialized-views.md

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Sockets / Wrenches (Advanced Feature)

Quickrep supports a “socket/wrench” concept for dynamic parameterized reports:

In v1.0.1, sockets/wrenches live in CONFIG DB (PostgreSQL / appapi). Migrations create: • quickrep_socket • quickrep_socketsource • quickrep_socket_user • quickrep_wrench • quickrep_meta

This allows interactive parameter selection in reports without hardcoding options.

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Updating Quickrep

In your project root:

If you use view packages like quickrepbladetabular, follow their upgrade notes.

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Uninstall

Troubleshooting

See: documentation/08-troubleshooting.md

Common issues: • prepared statement does not exist → enable PDO::ATTR_EMULATE_PREPARES on CONFIG DB connection • syntax error near "\”` → ensure cache connection is Manticore (MySQL protocol) • report hangs during refresh → use REFRESH MATERIALIZED VIEW CONCURRENTLY

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License

MIT (see LICENSE file if present).

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Why "Quickrep"?

Quickrep was developed by Owlookit LLC to make reporting on complex LMS/CMS/claims datasets simpler and faster by focusing on SQL-driven report definitions.