--- title: Ask Your Data a Question, Get a Dashboard You | Ordinexis description: Ask iKB a plain-language question, get a chart computed by read-only SQL, pin it to a live dashboard and inspect how every number was produced. url: https://ordinexis.com/blog/ask-your-data-a-question-get-a-dashboard-you-can-check-natural-language-dashboards-in-ikb --- 26 Oct 2026 # Ask Your Data a Question, Get a Dashboard You Can Check: Natural Language Dashboards in iKB By Sanjay Willie 4 min read ![Cover image: Ask Your Data a Question, Get a Dashboard You Can Check: Natural Language Dashboards in iKB](https://ordinexis.com/blog/media/aHR0cHM6Ly9vcmRpbmV4aXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMC9uYXR1cmFsLWxhbmd1YWdlLWRhc2hib2FyZC1pa2Itb3JpZ2luYWwucG5nP3c9MTIwMCZxdWFsaXR5PTgwJnN0cmlwPWFsbA) Share On this page Back to top Ask iKB a plain-language question, get a chart computed by read-only SQL, pin it to a live dashboard and inspect how every number was produced. A natural language dashboard in iKB lets your team ask spreadsheets and databases a question in plain language, then pin the answer as a live tile. The rule behind it is simple: the AI proposes, SQL computes. Read-only SQL does the arithmetic, every number traces back to its source, and there is no separate BI tool to run. ## From question to dashboard tile in one step When the Analytics Workspace is enabled for a topic, an Analytics tab appears beside the chat in iKB’s native web chat, once the topic has something to analyse: a processed spreadsheet, or an enabled live database connection with selected tables. Sources include Excel, CSV, JSON files, qualifying PDF tables and authorised databases. Questions work in English or Bahasa Malaysia. Illustrative mock-up with fictitious Northwind Kopi data: a regional sales manager types, “Which region grew fastest from Q2 to Q3? Show it as a bar chart and add it to the dashboard.” iKB replies that Johor grew fastest, from MYR 241k to MYR 286k, up 18.7%, with Penang next at 12.5%. The chart lands on the dashboard as a new tile labelled computed, unverified, citing the “Transactions” sheet in sales_2026.xlsx. ![Diagram for "From question to dashboard tile in one step" in Ask Your Data a Question, Get a Dashboard You Can Check: Natural Language Dashboards in iKB](https://ordinexis.com/blog/media/aHR0cHM6Ly9vcmRpbmV4aXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMC9pbWFnZS0zOGIyMjliZC5wbmc_dz0xMjAwJnF1YWxpdHk9ODAmc3RyaXA9YWxs) She follows up with “only delivery orders”, and the conversation keeps its context. iKB uses a requested chart type when the result supports it, or explains why it kept the automatic chart. If a metric or period is ambiguous, it can ask a clarifying question; missing data or an unsafe query can lead to a refusal rather than an invented figure. ## Numbers computed by SQL, not guessed by the model Behind each answer, iKB’s V7 engine plans from the authorised tables, writes read-only SQL and runs it in an isolated, in-memory DuckDB catalog built only from complete, authorised sources. The database does the arithmetic, and the answer is written from the executed results. Time limits, a cap on query attempts and row and size limits keep each turn predictable. Oversized results are rejected, never silently truncated. Hypothetical scenario: before a budget meeting, a finance lead questions a variance figure. Rather than chasing the spreadsheet’s author, she opens Inspect on the tile: one click shows the read-only SQL, the result rows and the provenance, covering source, completeness, engine, status and last run. For the illustrative growth tile, that reads sales_2026.xlsx, 312,880 rows, complete. If the tile needs changing, workbook tiles are edited simply by asking, while live tiles allow permitted SQL edits. Undo restores the previous version and recomputes it on current data. ![Diagram for "Numbers computed by SQL, not guessed by the model" in Ask Your Data a Question, Get a Dashboard You Can Check: Natural Language Dashboards in iKB](https://ordinexis.com/blog/media/aHR0cHM6Ly9vcmRpbmV4aXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMC9pbWFnZS03YTAxMDkxZC5wbmc_dz0xMjAwJnF1YWxpdHk9ODAmc3RyaXA9YWxs) The “computed, unverified” label is deliberate. Results come from executed SQL but can still be wrong, so a person should review important figures before acting. ## Building a shared, live dashboard your team can use Illustrative mock-up: the “Sales performance, Jan to Sep 2026” overview shows KPI cards for revenue, orders, average basket and active outlets, above a monthly trend against 2025, a channel mix chart, a regional comparison and a top products table. Each tile names its source and computed status; the active outlets card reads live from a MySQL outlets database. ![Diagram for "Building a shared, live dashboard your team can use" in Ask Your Data a Question, Get a Dashboard You Can Check: Natural Language Dashboards in iKB](https://ordinexis.com/blog/media/aHR0cHM6Ly9vcmRpbmV4aXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMC9pbWFnZS0wZmE4YWI5My5wbmc_dz0xMjAwJnF1YWxpdHk9ODAmc3RyaXA9YWxs) Viewers explore without code, using dashboard filters, clicking a chart bar or grid cell to filter, and drilling down. Workbook tiles also offer pinnable pivot tables. Tiles move and resize by mouse or keyboard arrows, stack into one column on phones, and an operations director can put the overview on a meeting-room screen in kiosk mode. Leaving that screen on costs little. Automatic refresh re-runs the stored SQL without calling the model, so an open dashboard uses no AI tokens. Refresh pauses when the tab is hidden and respects a per-topic minimum interval. Live tiles support MySQL, PostgreSQL and SQLite, running in a verified read-only transaction. When a workbook is replaced, tiles whose tables or columns changed are withheld until rebuilt. ## Governance that comes with the dashboard Because the dashboard sits inside iKB, it shares the platform’s sign-in, permissions and audit trail. - **Sharing follows topic access.** Only signed-in people with topic access see a shared dashboard, and access is rechecked for every result, including cached ones. Viewers can filter without changing the saved version, or save a private copy. - **Editing stays controlled.** Only the owner or a topic manager can edit, share or archive. Raw rows and the SQL editor are manager-only by default, switchable per topic, with changes audit-logged. - **Strict PII mode**, set per topic, masks detected personal data, withholds tiles that depend on personal columns and refuses filters on them. It suits an HR topic tracking headcount by department and grade. - **Live links, not files.** Dashboards are shared as permissioned links rather than exports, and every query, model call and setting change is logged. A practical first step: pick one everyday question, such as sales by region or outlets below target. Pin the answer, open Inspect and see exactly how the tile traces back to its source. Products in this article [iKB: Enterprise AI Infrastructure](https://ordinexis.com/products/ikb) Last updated 26 Oct 2026 [All articles](https://ordinexis.com/blog) ## More from the blog. [All articles](https://ordinexis.com/blog) [![Cover image: How iKB Uses SystemOne Decision Models to Make Choices Mid-Question](https://ordinexis.com/blog/media/aHR0cHM6Ly9vcmRpbmV4aXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMC9pa2Itc3lzdGVtb25lLWRlY2lzaW9uLW1vZGVscy1vcmlnaW5hbC5wbmc_dz02NDAmcXVhbGl0eT04MCZzdHJpcD1hbGw) 23 Oct 2026 AI Models ### How iKB Uses SystemOne Decision Models to Make Choices Mid-Question iKB uses SystemOne decision models such as Jev and Clef, plus OpenAI Decisions, to judge evidence and make small classification choices mid-question, with shadow mode, fallbacks and usage records. Read article](https://ordinexis.com/blog/how-ikb-uses-systemone-decision-models-to-make-choices-mid-question) [![Cover image: iKB Rebuilds Its Deep Research Mode to Work More Like a Researcher](https://ordinexis.com/blog/media/aHR0cHM6Ly9vcmRpbmV4aXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMC9hMDk1My1pa2ItZGVlcC1yZXNlYXJjaC1tb2RlLXJlYnVpbHQtYWktZGVlcC1yZXNlYXJjaC1hZ2VudC1vcmlnaW5hbC5wbmc_dz02NDAmcXVhbGl0eT04MCZzdHJpcD1hbGw) 22 Oct 2026 ### iKB Rebuilds Its Deep Research Mode to Work More Like a Researcher iKB’s team rebuilt Deep Research after finding the first version produced summaries, not research. The redesigned AI deep research agent plans sub-questions, reads full sources, checks every quote and reports its own gaps. Read article](https://ordinexis.com/blog/ikb-deep-research-mode-rebuilt-ai-deep-research-agent) [![Cover image: Mental Health Helplines Shouldn’t Record Calls by Default: The Case for AI Voice Agents That Forget](https://ordinexis.com/blog/media/aHR0cHM6Ly9vcmRpbmV4aXMud29yZHByZXNzLmNvbS93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyNi8xMC83NDc3MS1tZW50YWwtaGVhbHRoLWhlbHBsaW5lcy1haS12b2ljZS1hZ2VudHMtbm8tcmVjb3JkaW5nLWJ5LWRlZmF1bHQtb3JpZ2luYWwucG5nP3c9NjQwJnF1YWxpdHk9ODAmc3RyaXA9YWxs) 22 Oct 2026 ### Mental Health Helplines Shouldn’t Record Calls by Default: The Case for AI Voice Agents That Forget A caller in distress should not leave a stored trail linking who they are to what they said. Here is the case for no-storage by default on sensitive AI voice lines, how Saloma AI’s High Privacy mode applies it, and where it stops. Read article](https://ordinexis.com/blog/mental-health-helplines-ai-voice-agents-no-recording-by-default) Demo, pricing or project advice ## Let’s see what AI can do for you. Tell us what’s slowing your team down. We will show you a demo, give you a price and suggest the fastest way to start. [Book a demo](https://ordinexis.com/contact) [Email us](mailto:hey@ordinexis.com)