Ask Alation¶

Alation Cloud Service Applies to Alation Cloud Service instances of Alation

Overview¶

Ask Alation is an AI-powered search agent that simplifies data discovery by automatically identifying search terms and applying relevant filters based on plain English questions. This allows users to find information directly without having to apply complex catalog filters or memorize technical jargon.

Ask Alation offers the following benefits:

Enables you to ask questions in natural language.

Provides clear, concise answers with direct links to catalog content, reducing the need to browse multiple documents manually.

Allows you to refine the search through iterative follow-up questions to get more accurate results.

Ask Alation differs from semantic search. Semantic search goes beyond simple keyword matching by interpreting the meaning of a search query and returning the closest matches. This works well for many scenarios, but may not help much with complex questions. Semantic search does not inherently understand or apply filters unless users add them manually. For example, if a business user searches for insurance claims dashboard. Semantic search may treat dashboard as a general search term instead of recognizing it as a specific filter category (like BI reports).

Ask Alation is designed not only to interpret more sophisticated questions that may require filters, but also to offer a conversational chat interface. This allows business users to refine their questions iteratively without needing deep knowledge of catalog filters or jargon.

Access Ask Alation¶

Ask Alation search is available exclusively on Alation Cloud Service (ACS).

Limitations¶

Ask Alation is designed for information retrieval and summarization. It cannot perform the following tasks:

Generate or count complete lists of objects based on criteria.
Query data tables directly or perform mathematical calculations/aggregations.
Conduct lineage impact analysis.
Provide instructions for using the Alation platform.
Be invoked via the Search API (UI only).

Enable Ask Alation¶

Server Admins control the availability of the Ask Alation search agent through the Ask Alation Enabled feature configuration.

As a Server Admin, follow these steps to enable Ask Alation and configure who can use it:

Navigate to Admin Settings > Feature Configuration.
Locate the Ask Alation Enabled option.
Turn on the Ask Alation Enabled toggle to enable this search agent for your instance.
Use the Ask Alation is restricted to admin users only option below the Ask Alation Enabled option in the Feature Configuration list to decide who can use the Ask Alation search.
- Turn on the Ask Alation is restricted to admin users only toggle to restrict the feature to Server Admin users only.
- Leave the Ask Alation is restricted to admin users only toggle turned off (default) to make Ask Alation available to all users.

Use Ask Alation for Data Discovery¶

The Ask Alation agent is integrated directly into the Alation search bar on the homepage and at the top of every catalog page.

To use Ask Alation:

Navigate to any Alation page with a search bar.
Hover over the Search Icon.
Toggle Ask Alation on to switch from semantic search to the Ask Alation mode.
Toggle Ask Alation off to switch back to semantic search.

For Alation Analytics, Ask Alation events will show up in Alation Analytics > search_queries.

Search and Refine Results¶

To search and refine the search results:

Type a question in natural language (for example, Find documentation about margins in the insurance glossary).
Review the Summarized Answer provided by the agent.
Click Expand to see all retrieved catalog objects used to form the answer.

Use the chat interface to ask follow-up questions if you need to narrow down the results or clarify your intent.

Provide Feedback¶

You can provide feedback on Ask Alation and your search experience.

To do that, click the Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down button at the end of an answer (search result) to rate the accuracy of the response.

Your feedback helps fine-tune prompts and is not used to train the underlying Large Language Model (LLM).

Data Security and Usage¶

Ask Alation primarily uses AWS Anthropic Claude Sonnet models through the Amazon Bedrock service for inference. While user questions and search results are used as prompts for these models, this information is not shared with third parties or used to train the LLMs. Although data is generally processed within AWS instances in the user’s own geographical region, information from customers in Canada, Singapore, and India may be routed to different countries for inference.

The following is a list of AWS regions where customers are located and the target AWS region to which customer data may be routed for inference.

Origin Region	Target Region (Inference)
US / Canada	US East (Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon)
Tokyo / Osaka	Tokyo, Osaka
Sydney / Melbourne	Sydney, Melbourne
Europe (Frankfurt/Ireland)	Frankfurt, Stockholm, Milan, Spain, Ireland, Paris
Singapore / Mumbai	Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)¶

This section answers common questions about Ask Alation.

What is Ask Alation?

Ask Alation is an AI-powered search agent that helps business users quickly find summarized, trustworthy information from their Alation catalogs using plain English without needing advanced search skills or complex filters.

How to use Ask Alation?

Ask Alation is built into the Homepage search bar and at the top of every catalog page. Click on the search icon and turn on the Ask Alation toggle. Users can toggle the search bar to switch between the traditional ‘search’ mode and the ‘Ask’ mode.

What are the key features of Ask Alation?

Ask questions in plain English.
No need to manually apply complex search filters.
Chat with the Agent to provide quick clarification to refine your search.
Receive summarized answers with supporting links.
Expand to see all retrieved results.
Transparency into the thinking process of the Agent.

How is Ask Alation different from traditional search?

Unlike keyword or semantic search, Ask Alation accepts questions in plain English, automatically identifies search terms, applies relevant filters, and presents summarized answers with supporting links, making the search process simpler and more intuitive.

What is the difference between semantic search (also known as intelligent search) and Ask Alation?

Alation’s search includes both keyword-based and semantic (intelligent) search and remains available in Alation, serving as the foundation for Ask Alation. Semantic search goes beyond simple keyword matching by interpreting the meaning of a search query and returning the closest matches. This works well for many scenarios, but it has limitations when handling more complex questions. For example, semantic search does not inherently understand or apply filters unless users add them manually. If a business user searches for insurance claims dashboard, semantic search may struggle because dashboard is technically a filter category (similar to BI reports), not just a word in the catalog. For users unfamiliar with catalog structures or terminology, applying the right filters can be difficult. Ask Alation is designed to overcome these challenges. It not only interprets more sophisticated questions that may require filters but also offers a conversational chat interface. This allows business users to refine their questions iteratively without needing deep knowledge of catalog filters or jargon.

Who can benefit from using Ask Alation?

Ask Alation is designed for business users, analysts, and anyone who prefers using AI-powered natural language-based search.

How to set up Ask Alation?

See Access Ask Alation and Enable Ask Alation.

What are the benefits of Ask Alation?

Lower learning barriers and reduce frustration
- Ask questions in plain English — no need to configure complex search filters. Ask Alation automatically interprets your intent, detects relevant search terms, and applies appropriate filters for you.
Efficiently find answers
- Get concise, summarized results with direct links to supporting content. No more digging through multiple documents to find what you need.
Continuous feedback and improvement
- Provide feedback and refine your search through follow-up questions. Ask Alation learns from each interaction to deliver more accurate results over time.

Is Ask Alation available for on-premises deployment?

No, Ask Alation is only available on Alation Cloud Service (ACS).

What are some example questions that Ask Alation can handle?

Give me any information relating to Medicare payments in the Snowflake Healthcare schema.
Find documentation about margins in the insurance glossary.
What is the definition of insurance claims?
Find the customer demographics dashboard.
What does ADG stand for in our governance documentation?
SNOWFLAKE.ALATION_EDW.FINANCE.ACCT_DETAILS_MN

Where will the use of Ask Alation show up in Alation Analytics?

Ask Alation events will show up in Alation Analytics > search_queries.

Does Ask Alation work through the Search API?

Ask Alation can only be invoked through the Alation user interface. It cannot be invoked via the Search API.

Will customer information be used to train the LLMs?

User questions and search results are sent to the LLMs as prompts, and such information will not be used to train the LLMs or shared with third parties. See Data Protection from Amazon.

Where is the data processed when using Ask Alation?

Ask Alation primarily uses AWS Anthropic Claude Sonnet models for inference. Although data is generally processed within AWS instances in the user’s own geographical region, information from customers in Canada, Singapore, and India may be routed to different countries for inference. See Data Security and Usage for more details.

What are the safeguards against generating inappropriate content?

Ask Alation adopts AWS Guardrail to protect against harmful content, prompt attacks, and profanity.