# Get started with Genie, the Databox AI Assistant

Genie is Databox's AI-powered data analyst. It helps you explore and analyze your data by asking questions in plain language, without needing technical skills or complex queries. Instead of manually searching for metrics or building visualizations, you can describe what you want to understand and Genie will interpret your request, locate the relevant data, and present the results in a clear and useful format.

By working across the data available in your Databox account, Genie helps you quickly uncover patterns, understand performance, and surface insights that might otherwise take multiple steps to find. This allows you to move from a question to an answer faster, making it easier to investigate trends, explore your data, and better understand what is happening in your business.

Genie is an AI assistant. While it is designed to provide accurate insights, always verify important numbers before making business decisions. AI-generated results may occasionally be incomplete or imprecise.

## Find Genie in Databox

### Open Genie from the sidebar

Genie is always accessible from the navigation bar in Databox.

1. Go to Data [Agentic analytics > New chat](https://app.databox.com/genie).
2. **Enter your prompt** in the chat input.


Genie remains available while you navigate the app, so you can interact with it without leaving your current page.

### Use Genie while working with datasets

When editing or exploring a dataset, you can open Genie with that dataset already loaded as context.

1. Go to Data [Manager > Datasets](https://app.databox.com/data-manager/datasets).
2. Select a dataset and [open it](/view-a-dataset) for editing or exploration.
3. Click **Ask Genie** in the top-right corner.


Genie will automatically use the dataset as context, allowing you to ask questions about the data it contains.

### Use Genie in the mobile app

Genie is also available in the Databox mobile app.

1. Open the **Databox mobile app**.
2. Tap the **Genie icon** (![genie](/assets/genie.acab6966c62495d922e840051aee4010ad195bdbb559133a71137233528f9982.419bb737.svg)) in the bottom navigation bar.
3. **Enter your prompt** to start a conversation.


You can also open Genie directly from [AI Summary](/review-ai-powered-performance-summaries) cards by tapping the input bar, which loads the summary as context for follow-up questions.

Databox also provides mobile home screen widgets that allow quick access to Genie without opening the app.

## Tasks Genie can assist with

Genie helps you explore and work with the data available in your Databox account. By describing what you want in plain language, Genie can retrieve information, analyze performance, and present insights in a clear format.

| Capability | Description |
|  --- | --- |
| Analyze trends and performance | Compare time periods, identify patterns, and highlight meaningful changes in your data. |
| Automate recurring tasks | Turn a request into a [routine](/automate-tasks-with-routines) that runs on a schedule or webhook and delivers results by email or Slack, then list, edit, rename, or pause it later. |
| Query datasets | Read a dataset's schema and run SQL queries against it to answer questions and uncover insights. |
| Build datasets | Create a new [dataset](/view-a-dataset) from the data you describe. Tell Genie what data you need and which data source it should come from, and Genie builds the dataset with everything in it. |
| Find and visualize metrics | Retrieve metrics from your data sources and display them automatically in charts or other visualizations. |
| Create metrics | Generate new metrics from your data sources by describing what you want to measure. |
| Create custom metrics with calculations | Build [custom metrics](/create-a-custom-metric) that combine data using calculations, based on your description. |
| Build dashboards | Create dashboards with the relevant metrics and visualizations based on your request. |
| Create artifacts | Produce a self-contained report, chart, document, or app that stays separate from the chat, so you can view it, refine it, reuse it, or turn it into a [routine](/automate-tasks-with-routines). |
| Create and track goals | Create a [goal](/create-a-goal) with a target for a metric, check progress against it, and see how objectives and sub-goals roll up. Genie also visualizes a goal directly in the conversation — ask it to show you a goal and the progress appears in chat. |
| Search the web and read webpages | Look up information online or read a specific page you point to, and use it as context alongside your Databox data. |
| Work with images you upload | Review a screenshot, chart, or other image you add to the conversation and use it as context for your request. |
| Review what's set up in your account | List connections and datasets, see which integrations are available but not yet connected, and look up a metric's dimensions and their values. |
| Connect a new data source | Suggest an integration you haven't connected yet and place a connect card in the chat. You sign in and authorize the connection, then ask Genie to build with the new data. |
| Use connected external tools | Query and act on tools connected through an [MCP connector](/connect-genie-to-external-tools), alongside your Databox data. |
| Run and save skills | Follow a saved [skill](/extend-genie-with-skills) for a procedure you repeat, or save a new one from a request. |
| Get help with Databox | Receive guidance on Databox features and workflows using information from the knowledge base. |


## Tasks Genie does not support

Some tasks must still be completed directly in the Databox app.

Genie currently cannot:

- Change account settings or create [notifications](/set-up-a-metric-notification)
- Manage [users](/add-a-user) or permissions
- Authorize or disconnect a [data source](/add-a-data-source) on its own — Genie can offer the connection in chat, but you sign in and grant access
- Edit or merge an existing [dataset](/view-a-dataset) — Genie can build a new one, but changing or combining datasets is still done in the Data Manager
- Edit or delete existing [goals](/create-a-goal)
- Rename existing dashboards, datasets, metrics, or goals — Genie can create a new asset with the name you want instead. Routines are the exception.
- Create a [report](/share-or-present-a-report) — Genie can write a summary in chat or build an artifact instead
- Process audio or video


If a request falls outside Genie's capabilities, it will inform you and guide you to the appropriate feature in Databox.

## Writing effective prompts

Prompts that include the following details usually produce better results:

| Include | Example |
|  --- | --- |
| Data source | “Google Ads”, “Shopify”, “HubSpot” |
| Metric(s) | “Sessions”, “Orders”, “Deals Closed Won” |
| Date range | “last 30 days”, “this month”, "Q4 2025" |
| Action or analysis | “show”, “compare”, “break down”, “create a dashboard” |


**Examples:**

- *Show GA4 Sessions for the last 30 days.*
- *Compare HubSpot Deals Closed Won Amount for this quarter vs last quarter.*
- *Create a dashboard with Clicks, Impressions, and Cost from Google Ads.*
- *Identify the week with the highest Shopify Orders in the last 90 days.*
- *Compare LinkedIn Followers growth this quarter vs last quarter.*
- *Break down Facebook Ads Clicks and Amount Spent for the last 60 days.*
- *Select the top 5 KPIs from this dataset and add them to a dashboard.*
- *Help me connect a new Google Analytics 4 property.*


You can also ask follow-up questions in the same conversation to explore the results further. Genie remembers the context of previous prompts and continues the analysis.

## Response modes

A response mode controls how much reasoning Genie applies before answering, which affects how fast the answer comes back and how many [AI credits](/understanding-ai-credits) it uses. Pick the mode your task needs from the dropdown next to the send button.

| Mode | Best for |
|  --- | --- |
| Light | Quick answers at a lower credit cost. Use it for simple lookups, such as retrieving a metric or checking a single value. |
| Standard | The balance between speed and cost, and the right choice for most questions. |
| Deep | More research and more detailed answers, at the cost of a longer wait. Use it for complex questions, such as comparing trends across multiple metrics, investigating why a value changed, or multi-step analysis. |


Yes. Genie responds in the language used in your prompt.

No. Genie analyzes and presents data but does not modify the underlying data.

Genie can analyze the data you're allowed to access within your Databox account, based on the access permissions you've been granted for each relevant data source.

Genie chats remain accessible for one year, giving you time to return to previous conversations and review past responses.

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