Before you start
- The property needs an active analysis area. If Analyze says "There is nothing to analyze yet", ask your Lens admin. See Semantic Models.
- Ask Lens must be switched on for your account. If it is not, clicking Ask Lens says "Ask Lens is not switched on here"; use Explore instead.
How Lens reads a question
Lens reads your question and proposes an analysis using only the measures and fields your analysis area offers. That proposal is then checked: every measure and field must exist in the area, every value you name (a campaign, a source) must match a value Lens actually has, and the finished analysis must pass the same checks as one you build by hand. Lens never invents a value, a measure or a formula. If a word cannot be matched, Lens asks or says so; it does not guess.
Ask a question
- Go to Analyze and check the area next to Analyzing is the one you want.
- Click in the bar that says Ask Lens about your area, or click one of the example questions on the welcome screen.
- Type a question, for example "orders by source last month compared with the previous month", and click Ask Lens.
- Read the answer. Under "You asked", click How Lens understood your question to see which of your words became which measure, field, value or period, and any words that were not used.
Questions work best when they name a measure ("orders", "revenue"), a period ("last week", "this quarter", "since March 1") and, optionally, a split ("by device", "by campaign") or a comparison ("vs last year").
If you name no period, Lens uses the last 30 days and says so.
Refine the answer
When an answer is on screen, the next question refines it instead of starting over:
- "only paid search" adds a filter.
- "by device" splits it by a field.
- "top 10" ranks the rows.
The bar's hint changes to "Ask about this analysis ... or ask something new" while an answer is on screen.
The suggestions under the bar (Follow up) are refinements this area can actually answer. A question that names its own measure and period starts a new analysis.
When Lens needs more
| Lens shows | What to do |
|---|---|
| Needs one more detail with choices | Your words fit more than one thing, for example a value that exists in two fields. Pick one. Each choice shows a preview of its number. Your current analysis stays as it is until you pick. |
| "Lens couldn't match that to area" | No measure or field matched. Try one of the questions listed under "Questions Lens can answer", or name a measure from the area. |
| Can't answer yet | The question is understood but the area cannot answer it, for example a field that is not available for that measure. Lens lists what it can show instead. |
| No answer with Try again | Lens could not get the answer just now. Try again, or build the analysis in Explore. |
While a new question is pending, Save Analysis and Share are off, because the analysis underneath is not its answer. Click Back to your analysis to return to it.
Check it worked
- The chips under Your analysis show what was run: measures, breakdowns, filters, date range and comparison.
- The line under the number gives the exact dates.
- Click Open in Explore to see and change every part of the analysis by hand.
What Ask Lens does not do
| Asked for | What happens |
|---|---|
| An average per day, week or month | Lens shows each period and the total, and notes that it does not work out the average. |
| What people did next, without naming the steps | Not answered. Name the steps in order to get a funnel, if your area supports funnels. |
| A measure or field the area does not have | Lens says it cannot match it, rather than answer something else. |