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Quick Start

This guide will walk you through your first experience with Teela, from signing in all the way to saving your results. By the end, you will have asked a question, explored the answer, and learned how to keep your favorite queries at your fingertips.

Let's get started.

Step 1: Sign in to Teela​

Open Teela in your web browser and sign in with the credentials your administrator provided. If you do not have an account yet, reach out to your organization's Teela admin, who can invite you and get you set up.

Once you are signed in, you will land on your home screen where you can see the data connections available to you.

Step 2: Choose a connection​

Everything in Teela is organized around connections: each connection points to a specific data source, like a database or spreadsheet. Before you can ask a question, you need to select which connection you want to query.

  • If your admin has already set up connections, you will see them listed on your home screen. Just click the one you want to explore.
  • If no connections are available, your admin will need to set one up first. Point them to the Admin Setup Guide for step-by-step instructions.

Not sure which connection to pick? Each one has a name and description that should help you identify the right data source for your question.

Step 3: Ask your first question​

With a connection selected, you will see Teela's chat interface. This is where the magic happens. Just type a question in plain English and press Enter.

Here are a few examples to try:

  • "How many orders did we receive last month?"
  • "What are the top 5 products by revenue?"
  • "Show me all customers who signed up this year"
  • "What is the average order value by region?"

You do not need to know anything about the database structure, table names, or SQL syntax. Just describe what you want to know in your own words, and Teela will figure out the rest.

Question suggestions

Not sure what to ask? Look for the suggested questions that Teela offers. These are pre-built prompts based on your data source, and they are a great way to get started and see what kinds of questions work well.

Step 4: Explore your results​

After you ask a question, Teela will return your answer in whatever format fits best, usually a table, a chart, or a text summary.

Here is what you can do with your results:

  • View as a table to see the raw data in rows and columns
  • View as a chart to get a visual representation of the numbers
  • Read a text answer for questions that have a single, straightforward result

Take a moment to look over the results. If something catches your eye or you want more detail, you can dig deeper right from where you are.

Ask follow-up questions​

One of Teela's most powerful features is the ability to have a conversation with your data. After getting an answer, you can ask a follow-up question and Teela will understand the context.

For example:

  1. You ask: "What were total sales last quarter?"
  2. Teela gives you the number.
  3. You follow up: "Break that down by month"
  4. Teela understands you are still talking about sales last quarter and gives you the monthly breakdown.

You can keep going from there, drilling down, slicing the data different ways, or asking entirely new questions in the same conversation.

Step 5: Save what matters with DataClips​

When you find a question you will want to come back to, save it as a DataClip. A DataClip is a saved query that you can re-run anytime with a single click. Think of it as a bookmark for a question and its answer.

To save a DataClip:

  1. After getting a result you like, look for the Save or DataClip option
  2. Give it a name that will help you remember what it does (for example, "Monthly Sales Summary")
  3. That is all there is to it! Your DataClip is saved and ready to use whenever you need it

DataClips are also the building blocks for dashboards, alerts, and scheduled reports. Learn more in the DataClips guide.

Step 6: Build a dashboard​

Once you have a few DataClips saved, you can combine them into a Dashboard: a single screen that shows multiple metrics at a glance.

Dashboards are perfect for:

  • Morning check-ins on your key metrics
  • Sharing a live view with your team
  • Keeping tabs on the numbers that matter most to your role

To create your first dashboard, head to the Dashboards section and start adding your saved DataClips. For a full walkthrough, see the Dashboards guide.

Tips for getting the best results​

Teela is smart, but a little guidance goes a long way. Here are some quick tips to help you get great answers:

  • Be specific about time. "Sales last month" is better than "recent sales."
  • Name what you are looking for. "Top 10 customers by revenue" is clearer than "best customers."
  • Use your business terms. Teela has been trained on your data, so use the same language your team uses every day.
  • Start simple, then refine. Ask a broad question first, then use follow-ups to narrow things down.

For more tips and examples, check out Writing Good Queries.

Where to go next​

You have got the basics down. Here are some great next steps:

If you are an admin setting up Teela for your team, head over to the Admin Guide to configure connections, manage users, and train Teela on your data.

Happy exploring!