Analytics Q&A

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Analytics Q&A

    Analytics Q&A allows users to make natural language queries related to various indicators, tables, or columns in the Analytics Center. It supports multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese. This feature is also available in the classic environment via Report Designer.

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    Key Features

    • Intuitive Query Input: As users type, Analytics Q&A suggests recent searches and relevant tables and columns based on input.
    • Table Selection: If the system cannot determine the intended table, it presents up to three likely options for the user to choose from.
    • Dynamic Visualizations: Results are presented in various visual forms including lists, trends, single scores, bar, and pie charts. The appropriate visualization is automatically selected if none is specified.
    • Security Compliance: Visualization results adhere to ACL and reporting security protocols based on user roles.
    • Detail Insights: Users can hover over visualizations for additional breakdown information and access KPI Details by clicking on indicator values.
    • Feedback Mechanism: Users can provide feedback on query results through a thumbs up or down option, enhancing the query log for future improvements.

    Key Outcomes

    Utilizing Analytics Q&A, ServiceNow customers can quickly generate queries and visualize data insights tailored to their specific needs. By leveraging natural language processing, users can improve their data analysis experience, resulting in better decision-making and enhanced operational efficiency.

    You can make natural language queries related to indicators, tables, or columns from the Analytics Q&A in the Analytics Center.

    Analytics Q&A supports the following languages:
    • English
    • French
    • Canadian French
    • Spanish
    • German
    • Japanese

    This feature is not available in sessions that use an unsupported language.

    Note:
    Analytics Q&A is also available in the classic environment, in Report Designer. For more information, see Create a report with Analytics Q&A

    Entering queries

    Figure 1. Analytics Q&A before you enter a query
    Image showing the line for entering queries, a link for pop-up examples, and a link to a keywords guide

    As you type in a query, Analytics Q&A suggests recent searches, indicators, tables, and columns that match what you have typed so far. Only the tables and columns to which you have access are shown. Five suggestions from typing in the word incident

    Selecting from several likely tables

    If Analytics Q&A cannot determine which table you want, it shows you up to three likely tables. In the following screenshot, the user has asked for assets grouped by asset tag and displayed as a bar chart. However, the system cannot determine whether the user is interested in the Asset [alm_asset], the Key Value [cmdb_key_value], or the Tag [label] table.
    Figure 2. Refining search to select table
    The three tables that the system thinks your query might be asking about

    Results

    If your query is successful, Analytics Q&A shows your result as whichever of the following visualizations you specified. If you do not specify a visualization, Analytics Q&A determines which visualization is the most appropriate:
    • List
    • Trend
    • Single score
    • Bar
    • Pie chart visualization

    The results are subject to an ACL security check against your roles. Visualizations based on tables follow Reporting security. Visualizations based on Performance Analytics follow PA security.

    The following example shows the results of a query where you specify a breakdown for grouping the results. Analytics Q&A determines that the query matches an indicator. Because indicators show trends over time, Analytics Q&A determines that a trend line is the appropriate visualization:
    Figure 3. Analytics Q&A results
    Analytics Q&A results with details
    If you do not want to see the change in scores over time, click Click here to see only the current data. Analytics Q&A returns the current values on the underlying table instead of the indicator scores.
    Figure 4. Analytics Q&A latest score results
    The results of a successful query in the Analytics Q&A

    Hold your cursor over the chart to get more information about breakdowns. In a time series trend, you get the values for all the breakdowns on the selected day. In a column chart of the latest scores, you get the score of the breakdown you select. If the result is a visualization for an indicator, click on a value to open the indicator in KPI Details.

    By default, you also see the following details if they apply:
    • Which table you are querying
    • The unit for the values
    • The data aggregation method
    • Which column you are grouping by
    • What date field you are measuring the trend by, and at what frequency
    • Which additional conditions you want to apply to your query
    Lastly, you can send feedback on your query results by selecting thumbs up or down.
    Note:
    If you only select one item from the suggestion or indicator or table, the feedback option is not available. By selecting only one item, you do not use the query parser. By not using the query parser, you do not create a query log. The feedback is attached to the query log, but the log must already exist.

    New queries

    To make a new query or view a list of your KPIs, click Back. Returning to the Analytics Center updates your list of the last five successful queries.

    How to make a valid query

    When you write a query, use special keywords to denote the type and range of information you are looking for, filters you want to apply, and other parameters. To see a full list of keywords and their uses, click How can I improve my results?.

    You can ask your ServiceNow AI Platform administrator to add synonyms and semantic shortcuts for keywords. For more information, see Create an NLQ synonym and Create an NLQ shortcut.

    Figure 5. Keywords guide
    A guide you can open from the Analytics Q&A dialog that explains the keywords