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Quick Start Guide

Welcome to QRY! You're about 5 minutes away from asking your first data question and getting an actual answer (not a support ticket response three days later).

We promise this is actually quick. We timed it. No fluff, no 47-step tutorials. Just the essentials to get you from "What is this thing?" to "Holy cow, it works!"

Step 1: Log In (The Easy Part)​

Navigate to your QRY instance - your admin should have sent you a URL that looks something like:

https://your-company.qry.dev

Got credentials? Log in.

Don't have credentials? Text your admin. They're probably nice people who will set you up.

First Time Here?

New accounts usually come with access to demo databases. It's like a sandbox, but for data nerds. Perfect for practicing without accidentally querying production at 2am.

Step 2: Pick Your Database (Or Let Admin Do It)​

If you're a regular user: Your admin already connected the databases. You'll see them in a dropdown. Pick one and skip to Step 3.

If you're an admin or have superpowers:

  1. Click "Connect Database" in the sidebar
  2. Choose your poison:
    • PostgreSQL (classic)
    • BigQuery (Google's giant warehouse)
    • Starburst (query everything)
    • Snowflake, Databricks, Redshift... (we support them all)
  3. Enter connection details (or select a preset if your admin is organized)
  4. Click "Test Connection" - if it turns green, you're golden
  5. Click "Save"
Permission Reality Check

You only see databases your admin granted you access to. Can't see the finance database? That's by design. Your admin trusts you, but not that much.

Step 3: Ask Your First Question (The Magic Happens)​

This is where it gets fun.

  1. Click "New Conversation" (big button, can't miss it)
  2. Select your database from the dropdown
  3. Type a question like you're texting a really smart coworker:

Try this:

Show me the top 10 customers by total revenue
  1. Press Enter or click Send

What happens next:

  • ✅ QRY reads your question (in plain English, not SQL)
  • ✅ Generates the SQL query behind the scenes
  • ✅ Executes it against your database
  • ✅ Shows you a beautiful formatted table
  • ✅ Adds charts when they make sense

No SQL knowledge required. That's the entire point.

Step 4: Keep the Conversation Going​

The coolest part? QRY remembers what you're talking about. Ask follow-ups without repeating yourself:

Create a bar chart of this data

Boom, chart appears

Now filter to just the last 6 months

Same analysis, narrower timeframe

Export this to CSV

Download starts

It's like chatting with someone who has perfect memory and infinite patience. Unlike Gary from accounting.

Try These Next (Practice Makes Perfect)​

Here are some starter questions to get comfortable. Pick whichever matches your data:

💰 Sales Analysis​

What were total sales for each product category last quarter?
Show me our top 5 products by revenue this month

👥 Customer Insights​

Show me customers who haven't purchased in the last 90 days
List customers with lifetime value over $10,000

📈 Trends & Patterns​

Plot revenue trends by month for the past year
Compare this quarter's sales to the same quarter last year

🔍 Data Exploration (When You Don't Know What's Available)​

Describe the structure of the customers table
What tables do we have in this database?
Show me a sample row from the orders table

Pro tip: If you don't know what tables exist, just ask! QRY can show you around.

Quick Wins: Do This, Not That​

✅ Do This (You'll Love The Results)​

  • Be specific with time: "Q4 2024 sales" beats "recent sales" every time
  • Use table names you know: "from the orders table" helps QRY find the right data
  • Request visualizations: "Create a chart..." or "Plot as a line graph..."
  • Star important stuff: Click ⭐ to bookmark analyses you'll need again
  • Ask follow-ups: Build on previous questions - QRY remembers the context

❌ Not That (Save Yourself The Headache)​

  • Don't be cryptic: "Q4 rev by prod cat" might confuse even smart AI
  • Don't mix databases: One conversation = one database at a time
  • Don't ask for "all the data": Be reasonable. Your DBA will thank you.
  • Don't share your login: QRY handles security. Keep your credentials to yourself.

You're Ready! Now What?​

Congrats, you just asked your first question and got an answer. That's literally the main feature. But there's more cool stuff:

Level Up Your Game​

  1. 📅 Automate Everything: Scheduled Tasks - "Send me this report every Monday"
  2. 📁 Upload Random Files: File Upload - Analyze CSVs without importing them
  3. 🐍 Get Fancy: Python Execution - Statistical analysis and custom visualizations
  4. 🧠 Make It Personal: QRY learns your preferences and terminology over time
  5. 🤝 Collaborate with Your Team: Workspaces - Share conversations and files without the email chaos

Read The Manual (Seriously, It's Good)​

Stuck? Lost? Confused?​

Quick Help:

  • In-App Help: Click the ? icon (top right corner)
  • This Documentation: Browse around, we wrote a lot
  • Your Admin: They set this up, they can probably help

Actual Support:

  • Found a bug? Get in touch
  • Need your admin? Check your company directory
  • Something broken? Email your QRY support contact

The Bottom Line​

You can now ask data questions in plain English and get answers. That's it. That's the whole thing.

Everything else is just making it fancier, faster, or more automated. Start simple, experiment, and have fun with it.

🎉 Welcome to QRY. You're going to save so much time. 🎉

Still Reading?

Seriously, go try it. Ask a question. See what happens. The best way to learn QRY is to use QRY. This documentation will still be here when you need it.

QRYA product of IXEN.