Start a new search

You can start a new search from any page in ThoughtSpot by clicking the Search data button in the top navigation bar.

As part of the new Data Fluency features in the 9.2.0.cl release, you can use a new and improved way to search which provides column and data source information. If this beta feature is enabled on your ThoughtSpot cluster, see Starting a new search with Data Fluency for details.

To start a new search:

  1. Select the Search data button from the top navigation bar.

    The Search data page appears.

  2. Choose your sources by selecting Add sources. If you already have sources in the Data panel, select the Choose sources icon Choose sources wrench icon.

    1. Filter through all available sources by using the search bar or tags.

    2. Select your sources.

    3. Select Done.

  3. Add columns to the search bar by typing in the search bar, or by double-clicking columns in the data panel.

    The columns listed in the left panel are grouped together by data sources for discoverability and ease of access. You can also add multiple columns by clicking each column to select it, and then clicking + Add Columns.

  4. Select Enter on your keyboard or select Go to the right of the search bar. As you add items to or remove them from the search bar, press Enter or Go to ensure that ThoughtSpot updates your search.

ThoughtSpot gives your search an automatic title based on your search columns, and displays it as either a table or chart, depending on how it is best represented. You can change the view to fit your needs.

Starting a new search with column and data source overview Beta

With the Data Fluency feature enabled, the Search data page displays a short description of your selected data source or column, which helps you understand the kinds of answers you can expect to get when searching.

Data source information includes:

  • Name

  • Description

  • Created date

  • Tags or classifications (if available)

  • Liveboards created using the data source (if available)

  • Metadata

  • Author

  • Experts (top users)

Column information includes:

  • Name

  • Description

  • Synonyms (if available)

  • Column type

  • Sample values. Note that if the column contains an aggregate formula, or if the data source contains a chasm or fan trap, ThoughtSpot does not show sample values.

  • Answer-level formulas

  • Parameters

To start a new search:

  1. Select Search data in the top navigation bar.

    The Search data page appears with the default data source(s) displayed.

  2. Choose your data source by clicking the name of the current data source, to the left of the search bar.

    The Select data source window appears, with a summary of the data source.

    select data source
  3. (Optional) If you want to select multiple data sources, select the Enable multiple sources toggle icon slider toggle enable 20px to enable multiple sources.

  4. When you have your data sources selected, click Select.

    The Search data page refreshes with your selected data source(s).

    search data page

    Across the top of the left-hand data panel, there are four icons which you can select for different types of information:

    • Popular columns (default): shows columns that are popular with users of the data source.

    • By category: shows columns grouped by category.

    • A to Z: shows columns in alphabetical order by name.

    • i: When a column is selected, it shows an overview of that column.

      data panel key
      If more than one checkbox is selected when you want to see a column overview, the most recently selected one is shown in the column overview. You can click the name of any column to see its overview.
  5. Add columns to the search bar by typing in the search bar, selecting a checkbox, or by double-clicking columns in the data panel.

  6. Click Go to the right of the search bar.

    As you add items to or remove them from the search bar, click Go to ensure that ThoughtSpot updates your search.

ThoughtSpot gives your search an automatic title based on your search columns, and displays it as either a table or chart, depending on how it is best represented. You can change the view to fit your needs.

Beta

Data Fluency is a Beta feature and is disabled by default. To enable it, contact ThoughtSpot Support.