Overview
Global Data Search is the core entry point of the data discovery module. It supports locating required assets within the workspace with one click using natural language or keywords. AI semantic search and keyword search run in parallel, and the results are merged, deduplicated, and sorted by comprehensive relevance, helping you find suitable tables, Notebooks, workflows, dashboards, metrics, agents, and more even when you do not know the exact names.
This document describes how to initiate a global search, read search results, and use AI semantic answers. For details about filter dimensions such as asset type tabs, owners, and time, see Filter by Tag and Category. Prerequisites
You have activated the DataBuddy service and completed workspace initialization.
Search results are filtered by ACL permissions, and only assets that the current account has permission to view are displayed.
Use Limits
Limit | Description |
Search scope | Search scope is limited to assets in the current Workspace. Cross-Workspace search is not supported. |
Search granularity | Table names, view names, column names, object descriptions, comments, and names and descriptions of metrics / semantic models / agents |
Conversation turns | AI semantic answers currently support only single-turn conversations and do not retain multi-turn context. |
Default number of results | By default, the first 20 search results are displayed. Scroll down to load more. |
Operation Steps
Step 1: Initiating a Search
DataBuddy provides two ways to initiate a search:
Top Global Search Box: Enter your search content in the search box at the top of any console page and press Enter. You will be automatically redirected to the full-screen data discovery page.
Left Navigation Data Discovery: Click Data Discovery to go to the full-screen page, and then enter your search content in the top search box.
Search content supports two formats:
Form | Example | Scenario |
Keyword | user_info,olist_orders
| Known exact table names, column names, or object names |
Natural language | Tables related to user orders, Workflows active in the last 30 days
| Uncertain about exact names and prefer to search by business intent. |
The backend first determines whether the input can precisely match an existing object. If a match is found, the exact result is returned directly. Otherwise, the system falls back to AI semantic search. The two search paths may run in parallel, and the results are merged and displayed together.
Step 2: Reading AI Semantic Answers
When the input is closer to a natural language question, an AI semantic answer appears first at the top of the results area:
1. The AI answer is displayed in a word-by-word streaming output format, during which a loading animation is shown.
2. When the answer content reaches the default collapsed length, an Expand button is displayed. Click it to view the full answer.
3. Asset cards related to the question are listed below the AI answer. Click a card to go to its details page.
Tip
The AI semantic answer appears only for natural language searches. When you enter an exact keyword such as a complete table name, the AI answer is usually skipped and the exact match result is displayed directly.
Step 3: Reading the Search Result List
Each search result is displayed as a card, which contains the following fields:
Field | Description |
Asset name | Click to go to the corresponding asset details page. |
Asset type ICON | Indicates the asset type, such as table / view / workflow / dashboard. |
Favorite marker | If the asset has been favorited by the current user, a yellow star is displayed. |
Popularity | Currently represented by page views, and will be switched to the number of queries in the long term. |
Owner | Asset owner |
Last updated | Last update time of the asset, accurate to the day. |
Last viewed | Relative time of the current user's last visit within the last 30 days, for example, "Last visited 2 days ago"; not displayed if never visited. |
Results are sorted by comprehensive relevance by default:
Sorting factor | Weight | Description |
Semantic relevance | 50% | Cosine similarity of AI vector search |
Keyword matching score | 30% | Exact and fuzzy match scores for table names / column names / comments |
Usage popularity | 20% | Query/access counts in the last 30 days |
The page displays the first 20 results by default. Scroll down to load more.
Step 4: Navigating to the Asset Details Page
Click any result card to go to the details page of the corresponding asset. From the details page, you can continue to:
View the asset metadata, including its Schema, Owner, description, lineage, and quality monitoring information.
View preview data (applicable to tables, views, files, and more).
Apply for or manage permissions.
Add or remove favorites so that you can quickly return to them later in Quick Start - Favorites.
The fields on the details page vary slightly by asset. For details, see the documentation of each asset module.
Reusing Searches in Quick Start
Search results from data discovery are linked with Quick Start on the homepage:
Quick Start - Recent: Displays the assets recently accessed by the current user, such as metrics, semantic models, agents, and tables, making it easier to continue previous work.
Quick Start - Favorites: Displays the assets that the current user has favorited, such as metrics, semantic models, and tables. You can remove them from favorites with one click on the card.
Click an asset card in Recent or Favorites to go to the corresponding details page as well.
Verification Result
After completing a search, you can confirm that the search capability is available in the following ways:
1. Enter a business keyword at the top (for example, Order), and at least one related asset will be returned in the result list.
2. Switch to natural language query (for example, What tables are related to orders), and the AI semantic answer area will display streamed answers and related asset cards.
3. Click any card to successfully go to the corresponding asset details page.
FAQs
Q: Why Can't I See a Table I Know Exists in the Search Results?
A: Possible causes are as follows:
The current account does not have permission to view this table: search results are filtered by ACL permissions, and objects without permissions are not displayed.
The current Workspace is not the Workspace where the table resides: Data Discovery searches only within the current workspace, so you need to switch to another workspace before searching.
The Catalog to which the table belongs has not completed metadata collection yet: the metadata of the External Catalog must be synchronized first. For details, see External Data Management. Q: What Is the Relationship Between the AI Semantic Answer and the Asset List Below?
A: The AI semantic answer summarizes asset clues related to the current question in natural language, while the asset list below displays specific asset cards sorted by comprehensive relevance for you to click and access directly. The two complement each other: the answer provides explanations, and the list provides entry points.
Q: Can the Search Result Order Be Customized?
A: The current version sorts results by comprehensive relevance and does not support custom sorting weights yet. The sorting policy will be continuously optimized in the future.
Q: Can Search Be Refined Through Multiple Rounds of Conversation?
A: The current version supports only single-turn conversations. For multi-turn contextual interaction, use Buddy. Additional Notes on Sorting and Statistical Dimensions
Sorting weights are fixed: The comprehensive relevance consists of semantics 50% / keywords 30% / popularity 20%, which remains consistent across all regions and user groups and does not dynamically adjust based on regions or grayscale policies.
Usage Popularity Statistics Criteria: The "usage popularity" of all asset types is uniformly calculated based on the number of queries and visits in the last 30 days, consistent with the description in the sorting factor table.
AI Search Suggestions: The first batch is now available. Relevant query terms are instantly recommended as you type.
Search History & Popular Searches: This feature is not yet available in the current version and will be gradually rolled out in later versions.
References