Guides
Everything you need to go from a connected data source to answers in plain English — how-to guides per data source, how querying and text-to-SQL work, category comparisons, and by-industry playbooks.
Connect your data source
Chat with your Postgres database in plain English
Chat with your Postgres database in plain English. Ask questions, get charts and reports — read-only, schema-aware text-to-SQL on your own AI key.
Chat with your MySQL database in plain English
Chat with your MySQL (or MariaDB) database in plain English. Read-only, schema-aware text-to-SQL — charts and reports on your own AI key, no SQL.
Chat with your SQL Server database in plain English
Chat with your SQL Server (incl. Azure SQL) in plain English. Read-only, schema-aware text-to-SQL — charts and reports on your own AI key.
Chat with your Amazon Redshift data in plain English
Chat with your Amazon Redshift warehouse in plain English. Read-only, schema-aware text-to-SQL — charts and reports on your own AI key, no SQL.
Chat with your BigQuery data in plain English
Chat with your BigQuery data in plain English. Schema-aware text-to-SQL, charts and reports on your own AI key. A read-only service account is the one setup step.
Chat with your Snowflake data in plain English
Chat with your Snowflake data in plain English. Schema-aware text-to-SQL, charts and reports on your own AI key. A read-only role is the one setup step.
Chat with your Databricks data in plain English
Chat with your Databricks (Unity Catalog) data in plain English. Read-only, schema-aware text-to-SQL — charts and reports on your AI key.
Chat with your Google Sheets data in plain English
Chat with your Google Sheets in plain English. Ask questions, get charts and reports — read-only, and free to try on the Free plan.
Analyze a CSV file with AI — ask questions in plain English
Analyze a CSV file with AI. Ask questions in plain English and get charts and reports — types inferred, nothing used to train our models.
Chat with your Excel spreadsheet in plain English
Chat with your Excel spreadsheet in plain English. Ask questions across sheets, get charts and reports — each worksheet read as its own table.
Ask & query
How to query a database in plain English
Ask your database questions in plain English and get charts and answers back — no SQL required. How an AI data analyst turns a question into a reviewable query and a chart.
How to turn a plain-English question into SQL
Turn a plain-English question into correct SQL against your own schema — and see the query plan before it runs. Why schema-aware text-to-SQL beats a generic generator.
Compare
AI data analyst vs general AI assistants
How an AI data analyst differs from a general AI assistant for working with data: live connections, a reviewable query plan, and a semantic layer that remembers your schema.
AI data analyst vs traditional dashboards
No SQL and no modelling to get started — and the things a dashboard still does better. Written for one person setting this up without a data team.
Julius AI alternative for analysts and dbt users
A Julius AI alternative for analysts and dbt users: schema-aware AI data analysis, bring-your-own-key pricing, reproducible answers, and exportable reports.
ChatGPT for data analysis: a database-native alternative
Using ChatGPT for data analysis is great for one-off files. For live databases, reproducible answers, and data you keep private on your own key, here is a purpose-built alternative.
Vanna AI alternative: open-source text-to-SQL vs a finished product
The open-source text-to-SQL framework you host and train, versus a finished product with an editable semantic layer. For one analyst on their own key.
AskYourDatabase alternative: chat with your database on your own key
AskYourDatabase's desktop app is per-seat and supplies the model; Intellrise is $29 flat on your own key. Where MongoDB or its chatbot wins, we say so.
Best text-to-SQL and chat-with-your-database tools in 2026
An honest, category-by-category roundup of text-to-SQL and chat-with-your-database tools in 2026 — open-source libraries, warehouse-native assistants, BI copilots and dedicated products, with what each is genuinely best at.
Julius AI pricing explained — credits, message limits, and what it actually costs
Individual tiers are $20 and $45; a shared workspace is $450. Costed for one analyst, and why credits make the cost hard to forecast — unlike a flat $29.
The Julius AI free plan: what the free credits actually get you
The free plan is $0 and reads files, not databases — Postgres starts at $20 on Plus. And Julius's own pages disagree on how many free credits you get.
Free AI data analysis tools — what each free tier actually gives you
The real limits inside the free tiers of Julius AI, ChatGPT, Deepnote, Hex, Wren AI, Chat2DB and Intellrise: the allowance, whether it reaches your own database, and what happens when it runs out. Every figure read from the vendor's own page on 2026-08-01.
Deepnote pricing explained — what Free, Team and Enterprise actually include
The $39 plan bills at $49, and the connector line sets your tier. What Deepnote costs a single user — and where a notebook is still the better buy.
Wren AI pricing explained — what a credit costs, and what the annual toggle hides
The $179 plan bills at $259 and a credit is ten cents. What Wren costs one person, the flat $29 alternative on your own key, and when Wren is cheaper.
By industry
AI analytics for e-commerce — ask in plain English, no SQL
Ask your store and orders data questions in plain English — revenue, retention and product charts, no SQL. Connecting the database is the one technical step.
AI analytics for SaaS — MRR, churn and retention in plain English
Ask your product, billing and CRM data questions in plain English. AI analytics for SaaS — MRR, churn and retention as charts, no SQL. Connecting is one-time.
AI analytics and client reporting for agencies and consultants
Turn each client's data into charts and reports in plain English. AI analytics for agencies — you connect the source once, the client asks the questions.
AI analytics for finance and operations teams
Ask your finance and ops data in plain English. AI analytics for finance teams — margin, spend, cash and inventory as charts and board-ready exports.
Get your end-to-end AI business intelligence now.
Ask your data questions in plain English — no SQL. Connecting a database is the technical part: a read-only user and network access, once. If your numbers live in a spreadsheet, none of that applies — a Google Sheet connects with no read-only user and no open port, and CSV and Excel uploads work on the 14-day Pro trial. The one thing no plan waives is your own AI provider key, and a Google Gemini key is free to create.
Every new account starts on a 14-day Pro trial with no card. After it lapses, the free tier stays free.