Natural Language Queries

Ask questions about your data in plain English and get instant answers. Modify interfaces, explore your database, and get insights - all through natural conversation.

What Is Natural Language Querying?

Instead of writing SQL queries, you can simply ask questions in plain English. Our AI understands your questions and:

• Finds the right data
• Generates the necessary queries
• Executes them safely
• Presents results in an easy-to-understand format

Getting Started

Opening the Chat

The chat interface is available when viewing:

• Data Interfaces - Click the chat icon to modify views
• Insights - Use chat to adjust charts and visualizations
• Forms - Modify form fields and behavior

Your First Question

Start by asking simple questions:

• "How many users do we have?"
• "Show me recent orders"
• "What's our total revenue this month?"
• "List all products with low inventory"

Asking Questions About Data

Simple Questions

Ask straightforward questions about your data:

• "How many customers signed up last week?"
• "What's the average order value?"
• "Show me the top 10 products by sales"
• "How many orders are pending?"

Questions with Filters

Add filters to narrow down results:

• "Show me orders from the last 30 days"
• "List products with price over $100"
• "Find users who haven't logged in this month"
• "Show completed orders from last week"

Complex Questions

Ask more complex questions:

• "What's the revenue trend over the last 6 months?"
• "Compare sales by product category"
• "Show me customers who made multiple purchases"
• "What's the conversion rate from signup to first purchase?"

Modifying Interfaces

Modifying Data Interfaces

You can modify data interfaces using natural language:

1. Open any data interface
2. Click the chat icon
3. Describe what you want to change, for example:
   • "Add a search bar"
   • "Hide the price column"
   • "Sort by date descending"
   • "Add a filter for status"

Modifying Charts

Modify insight views and charts:

• "Change this to a bar chart"
• "Add a trend line"
• "Group by month instead of week"
• "Show only the top 5 categories"

Modifying Forms

Update form interfaces:

• "Add a notes field"
• "Make email required"
• "Hide the status field"
• "Change field order"

How It Works

Understanding Your Question

The AI analyzes your question to understand:

• What data you're asking about
• What filters or conditions apply
• How to present the results
• Whether you want to modify something

Executing Safely

All queries are executed safely:

• Preview before execution
• Validation of results
• Error handling
• No data modification without confirmation

Presenting Results

Results are shown in an easy-to-understand format:

• Tables for structured data
• Charts for visualizations
• Summaries for insights
• Clear explanations

Best Practices

Asking Effective Questions

• Be specific - "Show orders from last week" is better than "show orders"
• Mention tables - Reference specific tables when helpful
• Include filters - Add time ranges, categories, or conditions
• Ask one thing - Focus on a single question at a time

Good Question Examples

✅ Good:

• "Show me all orders from the last 7 days with status 'completed'"
• "What's the total revenue for products in the 'Electronics' category?"
• "List the top 10 customers by total order value"

❌ Avoid:

• "Show me stuff" (too vague)
• "Everything about users" (too broad)
• Multiple unrelated questions at once

Modifying Interfaces

When requesting modifications:

• Be clear - "Add a search bar" is better than "make it searchable"
• Be specific - "Hide the price column" is clearer than "remove some fields"
• One change at a time - Focus on a single modification per request

Understanding Responses

Direct Answers

For simple questions, you'll get direct answers:

• Numbers and statistics
• Lists of items
• Yes/no answers
• Summaries

Tables and Charts

For data questions, results are shown as:

• Tables - Structured data you can explore
• Charts - Visual representations
• Summaries - Key insights and takeaways

Clarification Requests

Sometimes the AI needs more information:

• It will ask specific questions
• Provide options to choose from
• Request additional details
• Suggest alternatives

Error Messages

If something goes wrong:

• Clear error messages explain what happened
• Suggestions for fixing the issue
• Alternative approaches
• Helpful guidance

Advanced Features

Session History

Your conversation history is saved:

• View previous questions
• See past results
• Continue conversations
• Reference earlier answers

Multiple Sessions

You can have multiple chat sessions:

• One per data interface
• Separate sessions for different topics
• Switch between sessions
• Each session remembers context

Context Awareness

The AI understands context:

• Remembers your previous questions
• Understands table relationships
• Knows your database structure
• Adapts to your needs

Troubleshooting

Question Not Understood

If your question isn't understood:

• Try rephrasing more clearly
• Be more specific about what you want
• Break complex questions into simpler ones
• Check that table names are correct

No Results Found

If you get no results:

• Check if the table has data
• Verify your filters aren't too restrictive
• Try a broader search
• Ensure table and column names are correct

Modification Not Working

If a modification request fails:

• Be more specific about what to change
• Check if the change is possible
• Try breaking it into smaller steps
• Verify you have permission to modify

Slow Responses

If responses are slow:

• Complex questions take longer
• Large datasets need more time
• Network conditions can affect speed
• Try simplifying your question

Tips and Tricks

Quick Actions

• Use @ to mention specific tables
• Reference previous answers in follow-up questions
• Ask for explanations if results are unclear
• Request summaries for large datasets

Getting Help

• Ask "What can I do?" to see available actions
• Request examples of good questions
• Ask for clarification if confused
• Use the help features in the interface

Related Documentation

• Data Insights - Creating visualizations
• Forms - Managing data entry forms
• Core Tables - Understanding your tables