Use your Minds from DataMind Oda

DataMind Oda works with the Minds of your DataMind OS: it asks them questions, reads the tables they can reach and brings the results back to you, with your own account and permissions. This page covers what the two do together and why a request may stop. For Oda itself, see DataMind Oda; to download it, see Get DataMind Oda from Universe.

What DataMind Oda can do with a Mind

What you want	What DataMind Oda does
An answer to a question	Asks the Mind and brings back its answer. A follow-up continues in the same chat with that Mind.
To see what data there is	Lists the Minds your account can use, with their types and descriptions, and the tables and columns a Mind can read.
A look at the numbers	Runs a read-only query on a Mind's tables and shows a preview of the result in the chat.
The full result	Downloads the complete result as a CSV or Excel file.
Documents and definitions	Searches the Mind's knowledge base for the passages that match.

All of this is read-only. DataMind Oda cannot change Minds, dashboards, users or permissions, and it cannot write to company data; that work stays in DataMind OS. Two kinds of Mind are never offered this way: the Warehouse Builder and the Lake Builder. Use them in DataMind OS instead, as Warehouse Builder and Lake Builder describes. For the journey from Oda's side, see Company data, documents and reports.

Ask a question

Ask in your own words and name the Mind, or say what you need and let DataMind Oda choose the Mind that fits.
The question runs as a job on your DataMind server. DataMind Oda checks on it until the answer is ready, and a deep question can take minutes.
Ask a follow-up to continue: DataMind Oda keeps the same chat with the Mind, so the earlier messages stay as context.

A follow-up can continue only a chat of that same Mind. A chat that belongs to a different Mind stops the request with Conversation not found for this Mind.

When a Mind asks a question

A Mind can pause mid-answer with a question. The request waits, and DataMind Oda brings the question to you, with the choices the Mind offers when it has any.
When a Mind asks more than one question, the answers go back together in one message, one numbered line each: 1) for the first answer, 2) for the second, and so on.
If the Mind stops for an approval instead of a question, the request stops and reports The Mind is waiting for an approval. Open the conversation in DataMind to decide. Open that chat in DataMind OS and approve or reject the action there; the request cannot decide it for you.

Previews and exports

A query result first arrives as a preview in the chat. To get everything, ask for the full result as a file.
An export downloads the complete result as a CSV or Excel file. Where the file is saved is covered in Export query results.
Only read queries run. Anything else is refused with Only SELECT queries are supported. To inspect table structure, list the tables and their columns instead.
A Mind that runs queries as each user cannot export: the request is refused with Exporting is not available yet for Minds that run queries as each user. Use a preview query instead.

Permissions

Your role needs both of these, in the desktop app, in VS Code and in Excel:

Permission	What it opens for DataMind Oda
Use DataMind Oda	Signing in to DataMind Oda and chatting with it.
Use Minds from DataMind Oda	The Mind tools themselves: listing Minds, questions, previews, exports and document search.

View Minds is not needed. It opens the Minds area of DataMind OS, while DataMind Oda reaches the Minds your roles can reach whether or not you can open that area.

Without Use Minds from DataMind Oda, DataMind Oda offers none of the tools, and a request is refused with Access denied. Required permission(s): Use DataMind Oda AND Use Minds from DataMind Oda. A request to list Minds is refused rather than answered with an empty list, so a missing permission never looks like having no Minds. Ask your administrator; see Roles and permissions and Who can do what with Minds.

Limits

8 jobs at a time. At most 8 Mind jobs can be open for one account at a time; the count covers jobs started in the last 30 minutes.
60 starts a minute. At most 60 Mind jobs can be started in a minute for one account.
25 seconds a check. While a job runs, DataMind Oda checks on it in steps of up to 25 seconds.
100,000 characters a question. A longer question is refused.
50 rows a preview. A larger result is marked as truncated, so ask for the full result as a file.
1,048,575 rows in an Excel file. For a larger result, choose CSV.
20 passages a search. A knowledge search returns at most 20 passages.

Messages you may see

These are the messages a request can come back with, and what to do.

You may see	What it means and what to do
`Access denied. Required permission(s): Use DataMind Oda AND Use Minds from DataMind Oda`	Your role does not include Use DataMind Oda or Use Minds from DataMind Oda, so none of the tools are offered. Ask an administrator for the missing permission.
`Mind not found or not available to DataMind Oda.`	The Mind is unknown, or it is one DataMind Oda does not offer (a Builder Mind, or one your account cannot reach). List the Minds again and use one the list shows.
`Table not found for this Mind.`	The table is not one the Mind can read. Ask for the Mind's tables again and use a name the list shows.
`Only SELECT queries are supported. To inspect table structure, list the tables and their columns instead.`	The request tried something other than a read query. Only read queries run; to see a table's shape, list the tables and their columns.
`Query rejected: <reasons>`	The query failed a safety check, for example it holds more than one statement or goes over the size limit. The reasons follow the colon. Rewrite it as one read statement.
`Query rejected: could not resolve tables`	The table names in the query could not be read. Rewrite it with the exact names the Mind's table list shows.
`Query rejected: disallowed schema reference`	The query reads outside the data the Mind can reach. Query only the tables that Mind can read.
`Exporting is not available yet for Minds that run queries as each user. Use a preview query instead.`	This Mind runs queries as each user, and exports are not available for it yet. Use a preview query.
`The Mind is waiting for an approval. Open the conversation in DataMind to decide.`	The answer stopped at a decision a person must make. Open that chat in DataMind OS and approve or reject the action there.
`Someone else is writing in this conversation right now. Try again when they are done.`	The Mind's chat is busy with someone else's message. Wait a moment and ask again.
`Conversation not found for this Mind.`	The chat to continue does not belong to that Mind. Start the follow-up as a new chat with the Mind you want.
`DataMind Oda tools are not available while viewing as another user.`	The session views as another user. End the view-as session and use your own account; see Viewing as another user.
`Too many DataMind jobs are open for this account.`	8 Mind jobs are open. Wait for running jobs to finish, and answer or cancel the jobs that wait for input. The refusal tells you when to retry.
`DataMind jobs are being started too quickly for this account.`	Mind jobs are being started faster than 60 a minute. Wait for running jobs to finish, then start only what the task needs. The refusal tells you when to retry.

If a message is not covered here, see Troubleshooting integrations.

Questions, answered

What account do DataMind Oda's Mind questions run under?

Your own DataMind OS account and permissions. DataMind Oda reaches only the Minds and data your roles can reach, and no more. See Who can do what with Minds.

Why is the Warehouse Builder or Lake Builder Mind missing from DataMind Oda?

Those Builder Minds are never offered through DataMind Oda. Use them in DataMind OS; see Warehouse Builder and Lake Builder.

Why is a Mind request refused with "Access denied. Required permission(s)"?

Your role lacks Use DataMind Oda or Use Minds from DataMind Oda; the refusal names both. View Minds is not needed. Ask an administrator to add the missing permission. See Roles and permissions.

A preview stops at 50 rows. How do I get the rest?

Ask for the full result as a CSV or Excel file: the export holds the complete result. Where the file is saved is covered in Export query results.

Why is exporting refused for some Minds?

Not every Mind can export: a Mind that runs queries as each user is refused with Exporting is not available yet for Minds that run queries as each user. Use a preview query instead. Use a preview query for it.

What happens when a Mind needs an approval?

The request stops and reports The Mind is waiting for an approval. Open the conversation in DataMind to decide. Open that chat in DataMind OS; only a person there can approve or reject, so decide it there.

Why does a request say someone else is writing in the conversation?

The Mind's chat is busy at that moment, so the request is refused until it is free. Wait a moment and ask again.

How do I answer a Mind that asks several questions?

Answer all of them in one message, one numbered line each: 1) for the first answer, 2) for the second, and so on.

Why does a request fail while I view as another user?

The Mind tools are disabled in that session: DataMind Oda tools are not available while viewing as another user. End the view-as session and use your own account; see Viewing as another user.

Can DataMind Oda change data or Minds?

No. Only read queries run, and DataMind Oda cannot change Minds, dashboards, users or permissions or write to company data. That work stays in DataMind OS.

How many Mind questions can DataMind Oda run at once?

At most 8 jobs can be open for one account, and at most 60 can be started in a minute. When a limit is reached, requests are refused until the running jobs finish.

Why is a query rejected?

Only read queries run, and every query is checked first. One that reads outside the Mind's data, holds unreadable table names, or fails a safety check, such as more than one statement in one request, is refused with Query rejected and the reason after it. Rewrite it as one read statement over the tables the Mind's list shows.