When using Analytics Chat or other AI-powered features,
the AI agent relies on your data model to understand your data. You can
optimize your data model to help the AI generate more accurate queries and
provide better insights.
There are two ways to provide additional context to the AI:
- Descriptions — visible to both end users and the AI agent.
- AI context via
meta — only visible to the AI agent, not exposed in the
user interface.
Using descriptions
The description parameter on cubes, views, measures,
dimensions, and segments provides human-readable context that is displayed in
the UI and also consumed by the AI agent.
Use descriptions to clarify the meaning of a member for both your team and
end users:
cubes:
- name: orders
sql_table: orders
description: All orders including pending, shipped, and completed
measures:
- name: total_revenue
sql: amount
type: sum
description: Total revenue from completed orders only
filters:
- sql: "{CUBE}.status = 'completed'"
dimensions:
- name: status
sql: status
type: string
description: "Current order status: pending, shipped, or completed"
Descriptions are a good starting point because they serve double duty — they
help end users understand the data and also give the AI agent context for
query generation.
Using AI context
If you want to provide context to the AI agent without exposing it in the
user interface, use the ai_context key inside the
meta parameter. The meta parameter accepts custom
metadata on views, measures, and dimensions.
ai_context must be defined on views or on individual members
(measures, dimensions). ai_context defined at the cube level is not
consumed by the AI agent.
Use ai_context on views to provide high-level guidance,
and on individual members for member-specific instructions:
views:
- name: revenue_overview
description: Revenue metrics and breakdowns
meta:
ai_context: >
This is the primary view for revenue analysis. It combines
order, product, and user data. Use this view when users ask
about sales, revenue, or product performance.
cubes:
- join_path: order_items
includes:
- total_sale_price
- count
- status
- created_at
- join_path: order_items.products
includes:
- brand
- category
For member-level context, define ai_context directly on the measure or
dimension:
cubes:
- name: order_items
sql_table: ECOMMERCE.ORDER_ITEMS
measures:
- name: total_sale_price
sql: sale_price
type: sum
format: currency
meta:
ai_context: >
Use this measure for any revenue-related questions.
It includes all line items regardless of order status.
dimensions:
- name: created_at
sql: created_at
type: time
meta:
ai_context: >
This is the order creation timestamp in UTC.
For delivery analysis, use delivered_at instead.
You can also override member-level ai_context when including members in
a view — for example, to define synonyms or acronyms that only apply in the
context of that view:
views:
- name: sales_overview
description: Sales metrics and breakdowns
meta:
ai_context: >
This view is for sales performance analysis across brands.
cubes:
- join_path: order_items
includes:
- total_sale_price
- join_path: order_items.products
includes:
- name: brand
meta:
ai_context: >
Common acronyms: LC = Lucky Charms,
HNC = Honey Nut Cheerios.
Descriptions vs. AI context
| description | meta.ai_context |
|---|
| Visible in the UI | Yes | No |
| Used by the AI agent | Yes | Yes |
| Supported on | Cubes, views, measures, dimensions, segments | Views, measures, dimensions |
Use description when the context is useful to both end users and the AI
agent. Use ai_context when you want to provide additional instructions or
context that is only relevant to the AI agent — for example, guidance on
which measures to prefer, nuances about data quality, or business logic that
would be confusing in a user-facing description.
You can use both together. The AI agent reads both the description and
ai_context when generating queries:
cubes:
- name: order_items
sql_table: ECOMMERCE.ORDER_ITEMS
description: Line items for all orders
measures:
- name: total_sale_price
sql: sale_price
type: sum
format: currency
description: Total revenue across all line items
meta:
ai_context: >
This is the primary revenue metric. Always use this
instead of summing the sale_price column directly.
When users ask about "sales", they mean this measure.
Best practices
- Add descriptions to all public members. Descriptions help both end users
and the AI agent understand your data model.
- Use AI context for agent-specific guidance. If you need to tell the AI
agent which measure to prefer or how to interpret ambiguous terms, use
ai_context.
- Define context on views or individual members.
ai_context defined
at the cube level is not consumed by the AI agent. Place it on the view
itself or on individual measures and dimensions.
- Be specific. Vague context like “important metric” is less helpful than
“use this measure when users ask about monthly recurring revenue.”
- Document relationships. Use AI context to explain how cubes relate to each
other and which views to prefer for common questions.
- Keep it up to date. As your data model evolves, update descriptions and AI
context to reflect the current state.