Ask natural language queries with Ask Sigma

Ask Sigma is a natural language query (NLQ) interface that allows you to ask questions about your data and interact with AI-generated responses. You can extract factual information from your data, or ask questions that generate charts that you can then further explore in a workbook.

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The use of AI features is subject to the following disclaimer.

System and user requirements

The ability to use Ask Sigma requires the following:

• An admin must have configured an AI provider. See Manage OpenAI integration.

• You must be assigned an account type with the Use Ask Sigma permission enabled. See Account type and license overview for details.

Limitations

• Ask Sigma cannot perform joins. Ask Sigma selects a single data source with which to answer a data question and cannot combine data from multiple tables, data models, or metrics.
• Ask Sigma can only answer data questions based on data sources in your data platform that your admin has made available to the AI model. See Select data sources to make available to Ask Sigma.
• If you want to embed Ask Sigma in your own portal or site, you must sign your secure embed URLs with JWTs. See Embed Ask Sigma (Beta).

Search data sources

Ask Sigma only has access to the data sources that your admins have selected to make available to Ask Sigma. You can search the data sources that you have access to and see which ones are available in the data catalog.

To search available data sources:

1. From Sigma Home, click Ask Sigma in the left navigation. If you don't see this option, refer to System and user requirements above.

2. Click All data sources, then enter all or part of the name of a table, data model, or dataset to check if it is available to Ask Sigma.

   Sigma returns all matching tables, data models, and datasets that you have permission to use, each with an indicator of whether it is available or unavailable for Ask Sigma.

   

If a source that you want to be available to Ask Sigma is currently unavailable, notify your Sigma admin. Sigma admins choose which data sources to make available to Ask Sigma. See Select data sources to make available to ask Sigma (Beta).

Ask natural language queries with Ask Sigma

To use Ask Sigma to ask questions about your data:

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

2. Type your question in the box in the upper left of your screen.

3. Ask Sigma interprets your question and searches for the best sources to provide an answer:

   1. For questions about data, Ask Sigma searches the data sources you have access to and selects what it determines to be the best source to answer your question. Ask Sigma uses semantic relevance, data validity metadata, and data source usage to select the best data source from among the data sources you have permission to view.
   2. For questions about how to do something or where to find information, Ask Sigma searches the documentation to provide a curated answer.

4. Ask Sigma provides an answer. If your question was about data, Ask Sigma displays the step-by-step decision logic it used to determine the answer.

   

5. [optional] Scroll through the steps or select a specific step in the side panel to examine the decision logic, and modify the choices that Ask Sigma made, if necessary.

   

6. [optional] In any step, click Open in workbook to start an exploration from that point in the analysis.

Continue exploring with related charts (Beta)

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This documentation describes a public beta feature and is under construction. This documentation should not be considered part of our published documentation until this notice, and the corresponding Beta flag on the feature in the Sigma service, are removed. As with any beta feature, the feature discussed below is subject to quick, iterative changes. The latest experience in the Sigma service might differ from the contents of this document.

Beta features are subject to the Beta features disclaimer.

From your initial answer, you can continue exploring the provided analysis. Ask Sigma offers related charts underneath its primary answer to offer avenues to analyze related data.

You can:

• Click View underlying data for the answer chart or for any related chart.
• Click on a related chart to see a detailed view and get more related charts.
• Check the box for any step, answer, or related chart and click Open in workbook to further analyze your data in an exploration.

Troubleshoot Ask Sigma

If you need to consult with technical support about a failing Ask Sigma query, click Download debug in the bottom left corner of Ask Sigma so that you can provide it to our support team. The debug file contains the text of your questions and metadata about your data sources to help troubleshoot the steps that Ask Sigma took to resolve the query.