Phocas AI gives you quick answers and insights by simply asking a question in your natural languagerelevant to your own business databases. This form of analysis is particularly helpful for new or occasional Phocas users and occasional users, as they are not yet , who aren’t familiar with the functionality of Phocas.Currently, Phocas AI can only return results that can be found using the Analytics user interface. In other words, it can’t do things you can’t do in Phocas. However, it can make use of Custom mode on your behalf - a feature mainly used by more advanced users.Benefit - You can ask a question in your terms and see the steps that were taken to get the results. Learn as you go.
In the Phocas AI button in the top right toolbar above the grid to open the question* panel.
Type a question into the box and click Ask.
Note that you do not have to use a question word or question mark.
Rate the response and ask more questions as required.
Below is a list of sample questions you can ask.Getting the most out of Phocas AI
Phocas AI can’t read your mind - it takes the question you ask and uses probability to infer what you mean. Start by asking good questions, as the less inference required, the greater the chance of a correct answer.
Here are some samples of the types questions to ask:
Show me the best selling product over the last 12 months.Show me the most profitable product over the last 12 months.
Sales reps whose sales value has increased by less than 5% over last 2 quarters
show me customers who bought more in 2022 than 2023
What are the top performing sales reps by orders this year?
What regions are ahead of budget this quarter?
Who sold the most products in UK last month?
Cities with the highest sales between last Black Friday and the end of 02322023. Use reporting value.
Sales in [region] this year.
Which branch had the most sales in August?
Chart sales by branch for the last 12 months.
Chart sales by branch for the last year.
Feedback:
sentence case, should be open verb
can i just press enter rather than clicking ask?
Change to Rate response to ask another question.
confusing for a minute though I had to add my next question here. Change to Any other feedback you’d like to add? Change button to Close/No? Submit?
Maybe have link that opens text box so it’s more discrete. e.g. click here to submit more feedback.
What if I got what I wanted and want to ask another question. I don't want to build upon existing response. Can’t exit and start again. Must submit a response.
Rethink button is more noticeable that X. I have a new question.
Special scenario when no answer? eg what do I rate? is it correct or not? happy because it got the dimension right or sad cause it couldn’t figure out my mistake?
nice
top selling product for the supplier Acme by quantity last week
Plot sales for Engines onto a column chart by month for the last 5 months
Based on the samples above, here are some tips to think about when writing your questions:
Remember to include a date range. For example, compare "What are my sales?” vs “What were my sales last quarter?” The latter question will yield better results.
Specify the stream, if applicable. For example, if you have three budget streams, it’s helpful to specify the one you are interested in.
Use terms from the database where possible. Phocas AI understands synonyms but they are less accurate than explicitly naming the data element of interest, particularly when the term is ambiguous. For example, if the dimension is called Customer, don't use Account.
You can use wildcards, either * or %. For example, “code like PR3986* for august 2023 sorted by cost price descending”.
Your question doesn’t need to be in English - we’ve tested lots of languages with great success.
If you want to view the data in a chart, ask for one. Phocas AI supports most of the standard types of charts, with more coming soon.
Don’t worry too much about spelling unless it’s vital for the question. For example, if you type Cutsomer, Phocas AI will know you mean Customer. However, if you misspell a customer name, Amce instead of Acme, Phocas AI probably won't recognize it.
You don't need to use perfect grammar - capital letters and question marks are not required.
Limitations of Phocas AI
Phocas AI is an extension of Phocas Analytics, a feature-rich tool with many capabilities and options. If you can’t do something in Analytics, Phocas AI can’t do it. Phocas AI supports many of the Analytics features now, with more coming soon.
Phocas AI is in Beta
We’re working hard on testing and improving Phocas AI. This means that sometimes we might make mistakes and comically do the wrong thing. Your feedback is important in helping us to improve.
Is my data safe?
Absolutely. We store your confidential data securely and handle it with great care. See our Security and technology page for more information.
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