Ask natural language queries with Sigma Assistant

Sigma Assistant is a natural language query (NLQ) interface that allows you to ask questions about your data and interact with AI-generated responses. Extract factual information from your data, ask questions that generate charts that you can explore in a workbook, or have a conversation with Sigma Assistant to iterate on a specific data analysis task.

Sigma Assistant can answer questions about any data source that you have access to. By default, Sigma Assistant answers questions using data sources configured by your admin, but you can select another data source that fits your analysis before asking your question. Sigma Assistant also supports conversations, so you can ask follow-up questions about the data or the analysis steps performed by Sigma Assistant.

System and user requirements

The ability to use Sigma Assistant requires the following:

• An AI provider must be configured for your organization. See Configure an AI provider.
• You must be assigned an account type with the Use Assistant permission enabled. See Account type and license overview for details.
• To move analysis from Sigma Assistant into a workbook, you must be assigned an account type with the Create, edit, and publish workbooks permission enabled. See Account type and license overview for details.

Limitations

• You cannot select a tagged version of a data model as a source in Sigma Assistant. If a data model is configured or selected by a user, only the published version of that data model is used to answer questions, and only users who have access to the published version of the data model can get answers from Sigma Assistant that reference that data model.
• Sigma Assistant can't perform ad hoc joins to combine data sources, but if a relationship is defined in a Snowflake semantic view or a data model between two data sources, Sigma Assistant can use the relationship to join data sources to answer a question.

Ask natural language queries with Sigma Assistant

To use Sigma Assistant to ask questions about your data:

1. From Sigma Home, click Assistant in the left navigation.

2. In the Ask a question about your data box, enter your question.

   Assistant interprets your question, searches the configured data sources, and selects what it determines to be the best source to answer your question. Assistant uses semantic relevance, data source metadata, and data source usage to select the best data source from the configured data sources you have access to. You can optionally select a specific data source.

3. Sigma Assistant provides a response.

   

   If you want to review the step-by-step decision logic it used to determine the answer, select Analysis breakdown and review the steps that Sigma Assistant took.

   

4. You can continue to ask follow-up questions to refine your analysis or understanding of the data source. For example, you might follow up and ask "What about the West region?" to discover the top 10 most profitable stores in the West region.

   

5. If you have an account type with the Create, edit, and publish workbooks permission enabled, you can continue analysis in a workbook. Hover over a chart or table and click (Explore) to open an exploration in a new tab with the selected output and any underlying data tables.

   

6. If you want to start a new conversation without leaving Sigma Assistant, click () Reset.

Search and explore data sources

Sigma Assistant has access to configured data sources by default. If you know exactly which data source you want to ask questions of, you can select it before asking questions with Sigma Assistant:

1. From Sigma Home, click Assistant in the left navigation.

2. Select +, then search for any data source that you have access to in your organization:

   • Table in your data platform
   • Snowflake semantic view
   • Data model
   • Dataset (deprecated)

   Sigma returns all matching tables, data models, Snowflake semantic views, and datasets that you have access to use, each with an indicator of whether it is configured for Sigma Assistant.

   📘

   Your admin configures sources to be used by Sigma Assistant by default.

   All data access grants that apply elsewhere in Sigma also apply in Sigma Assistant. For example, if row-level security or column-level security is applied to a data source, Sigma Assistant only works with data that you have access to. For a data model, you must have access to the published version.

Interact with warehouse agents in Sigma Assistant

When you ask questions of Sigma Assistant, you can choose a Snowflake Cortex Agent or a Databricks Genie Space in your organization to answer the questions. For requirements and setup steps, see Use warehouse agents with Sigma.

User requirements

• Using warehouse agents for Assistant must be turned on in the AI settings for your organization.
• You must be granted Can use access to the warehouse agent, schema, database or catalog, or connection that contains the agent.
• If you connect to Snowflake using OAuth and want to use a Snowflake Cortex Agent, your role must be granted USAGE privileges on the agent in Snowflake.
• If you connect to Databricks using OAuth and want to use a Databricks Genie Space, your role must have CAN VIEW or CAN RUN on the Genie Space in Databricks.

Each warehouse agent runs using the role configured in the connection to the data platform. For details, see Use warehouse agents with Sigma.

Ask natural language queries of a Snowflake Cortex Agent

In Sigma Assistant, ask natural language queries using a specific Snowflake Cortex Agent:

1. From Sigma Home, click Assistant in the left navigation.

2. In the Assistant header, select the dropdown to choose an agent that you have access to.

3. In the Ask a question... box, enter your question.

4. Sigma Assistant provides a response.

   You can continue interacting with Sigma Assistant. See Ask natural language queries with Sigma Assistant.

Limitations with warehouse agents

When using a Snowflake Cortex Agent or Databricks Genie Space with Sigma Assistant, the following limitations apply:

• Asking questions about a data source is not available.
• Interactions with a warehouse agent are not recorded in the Assistant usage dashboard.
• Questions about data modeled in Sigma, such as a data model defined in Sigma, or a metric defined on a table in Sigma, cannot be accurately answered. A warehouse agent has access only to the data it is granted access to in your data platform.
• Databricks Genie Spaces cannot create charts.