Request Topics
This page explains how to talk with Crystal.
Remember
Before you start to talk with your data, please make sure that you have familiarized with the concept of Topic and all that is related to it, as Topics are the foundational units of information that enable meaningful interactions with Crystal.
In particular, you would need to be comfortable with the following concepts:
Objectives, Visualizations, Entities, Time Range Filters, Dynamic Filters
Configured Topics, Auto-generated Topics
If you need, you can deep-dive here before proceeding!
Conversation Basics
Asking a question to Crystal means asking a Topic.
To make a question, you just need to ask for the components of the Topic you have in mind, one after the other, and that's it! You are ready to talk with Crystal.
In particular, in your question:
you must include the Objective (or Visualization) and the Entity (or Entities) for that Topic
you can also optionally include other details such as Time Range and Dynamic Filters
As a best practice, make sure your questions go straight to the point, are clear and concise.
Let's see how to write a question step-by-step!
Remember
The following conversation rules consider the specific logics of both Configured Topics and Auto-generated Topics.
All you need to do is keep them in mind and it will be up to Crystal to provide you with the best type of Topic for your needs!
Introduce Your Question (Optional)
You may start with any natural question formula such as a request, a command or, why not, a greeting!
Examples
"Hey Crystal!"
"Can I see the …"
"Show me the…"
Specify the Topic (Mandatory)
Next, specify the Topic you want to ask for.
This means expressing the Objective and the Main Entity (or Main Entities) that constitute that Topic.
As far as the Objective is concerned, you also have the options to:
name a corresponding Visualization
express the purpose of the Topic with a phrase
As far as the Entities are concerned, you may specify:
a single Main Entity
multiple Main Entities
Examples
" … the Comparison between Sales and Leads … "
"… the Breakdown of Users by Country …"
"Who were the top sellers in the last month?"
Remember
With the new capability Entity-Based Conversation, you should also consider the following new features:
in some specific cases, Crystal is able to infer the Objective and Visualization even though they are not explicit:
if you simply ask "Sales by country", Crystal will directly return a Breakdown Visualization for the Objective Composition
if you simply ask "Total of sales", Crystal will directly return a Scaled-up Number Visualization for Objective Highlight
when the Objective is not specified, Crystal will assume that you are asking for a Composition: therefore, a breakdown will be returned by default (if the underlying data allow it)
Filter by Time Range (Optional)
After specifying the Topic you wish to ask for, you can add a time range to capture a specific moment in time of your data.
Examples
"… in the past six months …"
"… for the last year …"
"… in 2019 ..."
Remember
Each Topic always comes with a Time Filter applied because an analysis that is not restricted in terms of time is not possible. Time Filters are applied by default by the Admin during the Topic Configuration process.
If you do not include a specific time interval in your request, your data will be displayed following the default time range set up by your Admin. However, by specifying another time range in your question, you are changing the default settings.
Filter by Dynamic Filters (Optional)
Finally, if you want to further narrow down the scope of your analysis, you can add a Dynamic Filter, i.e. an Entity used as a Filter instead of as the Main Entity.
To do so, you need to introduce the Filter with the correct preposition (e.g."for", "in", etc) and then add the Filter, by either:
specifying the name of the Filter and the relative Filter Value, i.e. the specific instance for that Entity
specifying only the Filter Value directly, by implying the Filter name
Examples
"… for Country Spain"
"… for Spain"
Remember
Dynamic Filters can be numeric (currencies, item codes, or sizes) or non-numeric (countries, towns, areas, item names, customer names)
You can only choose Filters among the ones that your Admin has configured and made available for the selected Topic
Finally, in the case of numeric Dynamic Filters, you can also specify a condition on the Filter Values such as "greater than", "less than", and "between".
Examples
"List of codes for (number of) products sold..."
"...greater than 200"
"...lower than 200"
"...between 200 and 300"
How does it work?
When you request to apply a Filter in a conversation, Crystal can:
recognize the filter by exact match
for example, when the question is: "Show me the total sales for France," and the filter is "France"
recognize the filter by partial match
for example, when you ask: "Show me the total sales for "Italy", but the set Filter is "North-Italy"
In Brief...
You can refer to this table as a quick guide to ask your questions.
Example
"Can I see the comparison between Sales and Leads in the past six months for Spain and for Italy?"
Please Note
As shown in the example, you can ask for more than one Dynamic Filter at the same time, by concatenating them in the same question.
Simply use the formula "and for" and specify the other Filter(s).
Remember
By specifying the Time Range and Dynamic Filters, you are able to manipulate the Topic as you like.
Otherwise, if you just specify the Topic by expressing the Objective and Main Entities (e.g. "the comparison between Sales and Leads"), you will see the default Time Range and the Filters set by the Admin.
Attention
(*) Crystal can infer the Objectives and Visualizations where not expressed only in few cases (for Composition and Highlight Objectives).
Hence, as a general rule, it is always better to specify the Objective.
In the absence of a clear Objective that cannot be deduced, Crystal will try to return a Composition Objective, i.e. a Breakdown Visualization.
Express Yourself Naturally
With Crystal, you have total freedom of expression!
All because Crystal can:
recognize words and sentences even if spelled wrong or incomplete
recognize words that are not in the current language but are officially used as part of the jargon, for example anglicisms
recognise synonyms and nuances
Advanced Capabilities
When requesting a Topic, you can use some tricks that can come in quite handy.
Deep dive on Crystal's advanced conversational capabilities!
Jump to Section
Keep talking to your data!
Last updated