Create AI columns (Beta)

Create AI columns to enrich your data using natural language prompts. AI columns allow you to construct dynamic prompts that reference specific table columns, preview the resulting JSON or text output on a subset of your data, and then apply the prompt to the entire table.

AI columns can perform tasks like:

• Enrich data with additional context or details
• Generate summaries of text data
• Classify data into categories
• Translate text into different languages

AI columns use Snowflake's AI_COMPLETE function to generate responses.

This document covers how to create AI columns, edit AI columns, and some example AI column prompts.

You can also see AI column usage statistics for your organization, as well as set usage limits for AI columns. To build entire workbooks or apps with AI, see Use AI to build workbooks and apps.

System and user requirements

The ability to use AI columns 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 Create AI column permission enabled. See Account types.
• You must be the workbook owner or be granted Can edit access to the workbook.
• You must have a Snowflake connection with write access enabled. See Connect to Snowflake and Configure write access.
• The user associated with the Snowflake connection must have:
  • The CORTEX_USER or AI_FUNCTIONS_USER database role. See the Snowflake documentation on CORTEX_USER database role and AI_FUNCTIONS_USER database role.
  • The USE AI FUNCTIONS privilege. See the Snowflake documentation on USE AI FUNCTIONS account privilege.

Limitations

• AI columns are only supported for Snowflake connections.
• AI column prompts cannot reference another AI column.
• AI columns cannot be used with actions.
• AI columns cannot be used in input tables.
• If you swap the data source for a table with an AI column, you need to create the AI column again.
• If you materialize a workbook with an AI column that has not finished loading, the materialization will not fail. The materialization will return Null for the AI column rows that have not finished loading.

Create an AI column

To create a new AI column:

1. From the table you want to add the AI column to, select the down arrow to open the column menu.

2. Select Add column via > AI column....

3. If you have have any filters, grouping, or sorting on your table, you are prompted to select one of the following options to add your AI column to:

   • A new child table based on the current table: The AI column is added to a new child element that is based on the current table. The child table's data is a subset of the parent table, and only contains rows that were not excluded from the parent table (e.g. through filters). Selecting this option can improve query speed and reduce compute costs in the data platform.
   • This table: The AI column is added to the currently selected table, and generates output for all rows in the source table, including rows that may be filtered out.

After selecting an option, select Next.

4. Configure your column in the AI column generation modal:
   1. Column name: Enter a name for your AI column.
   2. LLM model: Select a model from the dropdown.
   3. Prompt: Enter your prompt. To reference an existing column in the table, press the = key on your keyboard, then search for and select the column you want to reference. You must reference at least one column in your prompt. See Example AI column prompts.
   4. (optional) Turn on the Response format toggle to format the AI column response as JSON. Enter the following information for each field you want to include in the JSON response:
      • Name: Enter a name for the field.
      • Type: Select a data type from the dropdown.
      • Description: Provide additional context for the LLM on the field's contents and how to format the response. At least one field must be added if Response format is enabled.
   5. Select Preview to preview the output of the first 100 rows of your AI column.
   6. Select Create. The AI column appears in your workbook, either as part of the existing table, or as part of a new child element.

Edit an AI column

To edit an existing AI column:

1. From the AI column, select the down arrow to open the column menu.
2. Select Edit AI column....
3. Make your changes to the AI column configuration.
4. Select Update.

Example AI column prompts

For example, given a large table of sales representative call logs with information about the call participants, duration, and transcripts, you can create an AI column to:

• Summarize lengthy transcripts

  • Example prompt: "Write a brief executive summary of each call, with the following information included in the first sentence: the [Account Name], [Date] and [Call Duration]. Use the [Full Transcript] to summarize what went well, and any potential risks or blockers, in 2-3 sentences."

• Classify calls into categories

  • Example prompt: "Classify the primary conversation topic for each row's [Full Transcript] into one of the following categories: Discovery, Demo, Negotiation, Renewal, Other. Return only the category name."

• Extract information from unstructured text

  • Example prompt: "Extract the any competitor company names mentioned by [External Participants] in the [External Speaker Transcript] and provide a 1-sentence summary for why they were mentioned."

Set AI column token usage limits

Sigma admins can set AI column usage token limits for individual connections. If no token limit is set, the default limit is 10 million tokens per connection per month. See Configure token usage limits for AI columns for instructions on how to set token limits.

View AI column usage information

Sigma admins can view AI column usage information in Usage dashboards. See Usage overview for more information.