Question Formulation

How can I explore what data is available for questions?

Click the question mark icon at the bottom right to open the Data Explorer and see what information you can ask about - like which customers, products, and business activities are available in your data.

As you type your question, the system will suggest specific items (like customer names or product codes) from your data. You can select these suggestions for more accurate results, or continue typing in plain English.

How do I formulate questions to get the best results?

To get the most accurate and useful results from your business data analysis, here are the key guidelines for formulating effective questions:

Be Specific About What You Want to Analyze

• Products: Use specific product codes when possible (e.g., "Show me profitability for product [PRODUCT_CODE]" rather than "product performance")
• Customers: Mention specific customer names (e.g., "[CUSTOMER_NAME] sales trends" rather than "customer analysis")
• Time Periods: Be clear about timeframes (e.g., "last quarter," "January 2024," "year-to-date")
• Locations: Specify warehouses or branches when relevant (e.g., "Toronto warehouse inventory")

Use Business-Friendly Language

• Financial Metrics: "profit margins," "revenue," "costs," "profitability by customer"
• Operations: "inventory levels," "order fill rates," "supplier performance," "shipment tracking"
• Analysis Types: "trends," "comparisons," "top performers," "aging analysis"

Specify Your Desired Output Format

• For Data Tables: "Show me a table of..." or "Create a CSV with..."
• For Visualizations: "Create a chart showing..." or "Graph the trends for..."
• For Summaries: "Summarize the performance of..." or "Give me key insights on..."

Examples of Well-Formulated Questions

1. Product Analysis: "What is the profit margin for product [PRODUCT_NAME] in Q2 2024?"
2. Customer Performance: "Show me [CUSTOMER_NAME]'s order history and profitability for the last 6 months"
3. Inventory Management: "What are the current inventory levels by warehouse for products expiring in the next 30 days?"
4. Supplier Analysis: "Compare delivery performance across all suppliers for purchase orders placed this year"
5. Trend Analysis: "Create a chart showing monthly sales trends by product category for 2024"

Questions That Work Best

• Include specific business context (products, customers, time periods)
• Focus on actionable business metrics (profitability, performance, efficiency)
• Request specific output formats when you have preferences
• Ask for comparisons or trends when you need analytical insights

Avoid These Common Issues

• Vague requests like "show me some data" or "analyze everything"
• Technical jargon or database terminology
• Questions without clear business context or purpose
• Requests that mix multiple unrelated topics in one question

What should I do if I see "no data returned" for my question?

The system automatically tries different ways to find your answer when the first attempt doesn't work. You can watch the progress in the right panel to see what approaches it's trying. If it still can't find data, try:

• Rephrasing your question with different terms
• Breaking complex questions into simpler parts
• Checking the Data Explorer to confirm the data exists
• Asking for components separately (e.g., ask for revenue and costs separately instead of margin)

Data Analysis and Verification

What can I do if I think a response is incorrect?

Every answer shows you how reliable the information is - whether it's pulled directly from your data, calculated from your records, or interpreted by the system. Click on any fact to see the actual data behind it and verify the numbers yourself. You can also download the supporting data to Excel for your own review.

If you still think something is incorrect, use the flag icon to report it to your Maxa support person. (Please note the full cycle of issues logging is still in progress and will be available in the upcoming product releases)

Performance and Technical

Can I run multiple sessions at the same time?

Yes, you can open Maxa App in multiple browser tabs at the same time.

Can I leave a question running and come back later?

Yes, your conversation will remain accessible in your History. However, average complexity questions typically complete within 60-90 seconds, so you won't need to wait long.

My conversation is marked as expired, what does this mean?

Your conversation expired because your data has been updated with newer information. Start a new conversation to work with the latest data.

Understanding Limitations

What should I know about current system constraints?

• Conversation capacity - The system may reach capacity after 3-4 follow-up questions. If this happens, start a new conversation with your rephrased question
• Complex combined questions - Questions that pull together multiple types of information (like asking about customer profitability, product performance, and supplier delivery times all in one question) may sometimes give unexpected results. Break these into separate, focused questions for better accuracy

We're continuously enhancing the platform's capabilities, and many of these constraints are being addressed in upcoming releases. Your feedback helps us prioritize improvements.

Best Practices

What are the key best practices for using the system effectively?

• Start fresh for new topics - Begin a new conversation when you change subjects to get the best results
• Watch the progress - Check the right panel to see how the system is working through your question
• Verify before acting - Click on key facts to see the supporting data before making important business decisions
• Save what works - Bookmark conversations with successful questions so you can reference them later
• Export when needed - Download detailed results to Excel when you need to do deeper analysis or share with others
• Try rewording - If results aren't what you expected, rephrase your question using different terms

Need More Help?

Contact your Maxa support team for additional assistance, feature requests, or technical issues.

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