Asking questions
Files
Excel, Word, PDF and PowerPoint, generated from your answer and ready to send. Also the twenty-four hour rule, which is the one thing on this page you need to remember.
Not every answer stays inside DataBelta. Some of them go to a board meeting, an auditor, or a supplier who will never have an account here. Ask for a file and the answer arrives as a document you can download and send.
Getting a file
- 1Press Widgets beside the composer, hover or tap File, and pick the format.
- 2Ask your question. Say who it is for if that matters, because a request phrased as a summary for the board produces a different document from a request for the raw list.
- 3The file appears in the conversation as a card. Download it, or save it to keep it.
Which format to ask for
| Format | Best for |
|---|---|
| Excel | Rows someone else will filter, sort or work on further |
| A fixed document that must look the same for everyone who opens it | |
| Word | A written report that someone will edit or add to |
| PowerPoint | Slides for a meeting, where the numbers need to be seen from across a room |
What the document contains
Files are generated from the same query as the answer, so nothing is retyped and nothing drifts. They carry your workspace name, and the date they were produced in your own time zone, so a document read a week later still says when its numbers are from.
Saving a file
Save puts it on the Saved Files page, where it can be pinned to your dashboard, and the twenty-four hour clock no longer applies. Saved files count against your workspace storage allowance, which is shown on the Usage tab in Settings.
Unlike a chart or a table, a saved file does not refresh. A document is a record of what was true when it was made, and that is usually the point. To get current numbers, ask again.
Getting a better document
Tell Belta what it is for and it writes accordingly. Ask for a one page summary for the board, or for the full detail with a total per branch, or for slides with one chart per region. The instruction shapes both the content and the layout.