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Querying Your Data

Teela makes it easy to explore your data by asking questions in plain English. No SQL knowledge required. Just type what you want to know, and Teela's AI engine, Orko, takes care of the rest.

Asking a Question​

To get started, simply type your question into the chat box. Write it the same way you'd ask a coworker. Here are a few examples to spark ideas:

  • Sales: "What were total sales last month?"
  • Customer data: "Show me all customers in New York who signed up this year"
  • Trends: "How has monthly revenue changed over the past 12 months?"
  • Rankings: "What are our top 10 best-selling products?"
  • Comparisons: "Compare sales in Q1 vs Q2 by region"
  • Counts: "How many support tickets are still open?"

You can be as specific or as broad as you like. If Teela needs more details, it will ask you a follow-up question to make sure you get exactly what you're looking for. See Chat for more on how follow-up questions and clarifications work.

How Teela Processes Your Question​

After you hit Enter, you'll see a progress bar that walks you through what's happening behind the scenes:

  1. Understanding: Orko reads your question and figures out which tables and columns are relevant.
  2. Generating SQL: Orko writes the database query needed to answer your question.
  3. Executing: The query runs against your data source.
  4. Formatting: Teela prepares your results in the best format (table, chart, or text).

This usually takes just a few seconds. If a query takes a bit longer (for example, over a very large dataset), the progress bar keeps you informed so you're never left wondering.

How Results Are Displayed​

Teela picks the best way to show your answer based on what you asked. There are three main formats:

Tables​

When your question returns a list of records, Teela displays the results in a table. Tables come with several handy features:

  • Sortable columns: Click any column header to sort ascending or descending.
  • Search: Use the search box to quickly filter the table for specific values.
  • Pagination: Large result sets are broken into pages so everything stays fast and readable.
  • Column customization: Show or hide columns to focus on the data that matters to you.
  • Export as CSV: Download the full result set with one click (more on this below).

Charts​

When you ask about trends, comparisons, or distributions, Teela often returns a chart. Supported chart types include:

  • Bar charts: Great for comparing categories side by side.
  • Line charts: Perfect for showing trends over time.
  • Pie charts: Useful for showing how parts make up a whole.
  • Doughnut charts: A variation of pie charts with a clean, modern look.

You can request a specific chart type in your question (for example, "Show me monthly revenue as a line chart"), or let Teela choose the best fit automatically.

Text Answers​

Sometimes the answer is just a single value, like a total, an average, or a count. In those cases, Teela displays the answer as a simple, easy-to-read text response. For example: "Total revenue last month was $142,350."

Viewing the SQL Behind Any Result​

Curious about the query Teela wrote? Every result includes a "Show SQL" button. Click it to see the exact SQL that was generated and executed. This is a great way to learn SQL over time, or to verify that Teela interpreted your question correctly. If you want SQL shown automatically for every query, you can enable that in Settings.

Editing SQL Directly​

If you know a bit of SQL and want to tweak the generated query, you can do that too. After clicking "Show SQL," you can edit the query directly in the editor and re-run it. This is helpful when you want to:

  • Add an extra filter or condition
  • Change the sort order
  • Adjust a date range
  • Fine-tune a grouping or aggregation

Once you've made your changes, click Run to execute the updated query.

Pasting Your Own SQL​

Already have a query you'd like to run? You can paste your own SQL directly into the chat box. Teela accepts SELECT statements only: this keeps your data safe by preventing any accidental changes to your database.

Just paste your query, hit Enter, and Teela will execute it and display the results with all the same features (sorting, searching, exporting, and more).

Exporting Results​

You can export any result set from the results area. The download includes all rows from the query, not just the ones visible on the current page.

  • CSV: Available on every query result. Great for sharing with colleagues, opening in Excel or Google Sheets, or keeping a local copy of a report.
  • Excel workbook: Available on investigations ("why" questions). Includes a summary sheet plus a data tab for each query Teela ran during the investigation.
  • PDF report: Available on investigations. A polished, branded report built for sharing with stakeholders who just want the narrative and key findings.

See Getting More From Your Questions for more on investigation exports.

Tips for Getting Great Results​

Here are a few quick tips to help you get the most out of your queries:

  • Use natural date language. Teela understands relative dates like "last October," "this quarter," "the past 30 days," or "year to date." You don't need to spell out exact ranges unless you want to.
  • Name your columns. If you know the exact field name, use it: "Show me the email and signup_date for all users."
  • Ask for what you want to see. If you want a chart, say so: "Show monthly signups as a bar chart."
  • Start broad, then narrow down. Ask a general question first, then use follow-up questions to drill into the details. See Chat for how follow-ups work.

What's Next?​

  • Save a query for later: Learn about DataClips to save, schedule, and set alerts on your favorite queries.
  • Ask follow-up questions: See the Chat page for tips on having a conversation with your data.
  • Build a dashboard: Turn your queries into a visual overview with Dashboards.
  • Customize your experience: Adjust display preferences in Profile and Settings.