Shared definitions · Building and maintaining assets
Which BI tools' AI assistants read the semantic layer?
11 of 15 tools do, according to their public docs.
Yes: Databricks, Snowflake, Omni, Hex, Sigma, BigQuery, Looker, Tableau, Power BI, Metabase, Alteryx.
The question we asked: Can the built-in assistant read your shared definitions?
Grading standard
The assistant answers using the metrics, dimensions and joins your team defined in the shared layer.
Databricks
Yes
Quoted from Databricks’s docsGenie then uses these definitions when a user asks about these business terms.
Source: docs.databricks.com/aws/en/genie-agents/tune-quality · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by GPT
Snowflake
Yes
Quoted from Snowflake’s docsCortex Agents use these semantic views to enhance data-driven decisions and provide consistent business definitions across enterprise applications.
Source: docs.snowflake.com/en/user-guide/snowflake-cortex/snowflake-cowork · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Omni
Yes
Quoted from Omni’s docsOmni's AI is built on your organization's semantic model — the layer that defines your metrics, relationships, and business logic.
Source: docs.omni.co/ai · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Gemini
Hex
Yes
Quoted from Hex’s docsSemantic models define shared metrics, dimensions, and relationships used across Hex. When configured, agents can use these definitions to answer questions more consistently.
Source: learn.hex.tech/docs/agent-management/context-management/models · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Gemini
Sigma
Yes
Quoted from Sigma’s docsIf you create metrics in your data model, Sigma Assistant uses them to perform aggregate calculations.
Source: help.sigmacomputing.com/docs/data-modeling-best-practices · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
BigQuery
Yes
Quoted from BigQuery’s docsConversational analytics can use measures defined on your graph to help accurately answer questions that involve aggregations.
Source: docs.cloud.google.com/bigquery/docs/graph-chat · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Looker
Yes
Quoted from Looker’s docsIt uses the Looker semantic model — the LookML definitions of your data — as its source of truth to ensure that responses are accurate and consistent.
Source: cloud.google.com/looker/docs/conversational-analytics-overview · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Tableau
Yes
Quoted from Tableau’s docsAgents use trusted business definitions and calculations from semantic models, metadata, relationships, and business preferences in the knowledge graph, rather than relying only on raw data.
Source: help.tableau.com/current/online/en-us/tableau_knowledge_about.htm · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Gemini
Power BI
Yes
Quoted from Power BI’s docsCopilot can answer questions by using existing measures and columns in your semantic model.
Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/copilot-ask-data-question · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Metabase
Yes
Quoted from Metabase’s docsThe semantic layer is a collection of curated tables (together with their segments and measures), metrics, and SQL snippets that people and AI can use to build authoritative questions and dashboards.
Source: www.metabase.com/docs/latest/data-modeling/semantic-layer/library · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
Alteryx
Yes
Quoted from Alteryx’s docsCustom Measures display in Explore Data Insights, Preset Reports, and Custom Reports, where you can curate the analysis further by adding filters and comparing across segments.
Source: help.alteryx.com/aac/en/auto-insights/manage-dataset/custom-measures.html · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by GPT
Mode
No
Quoted from Mode’s docsThough you can include Definitions in your edits, the code contained within a given Definition won’t be included in the context that’s sent to OpenAI or used to generate updated syntax.
Source: mode.com/help/articles/ai-assist · checked Oct 26, 2026 · quoted by Claude
MotherDuck
Redshift
Streamlit