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  • Analytics
    • Take a tour of Analytics
    • Work with the grid
    • View a summary of the data
    • Customize your view (Analytics)
      • Change the mode
        • Period mode
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      • Change the properties (Analytics)
      • Change the measures (Analytics)
      • Change the stream
      • Use the activity filter
      • Change the data format
      • Change the period (Analytics)
    • Drill down into your data (view transactions)
    • Filter data (use dimensions)
    • Select data (Analytics)
    • Focus on data (Analytics)
    • Copy or export data
    • Search for data
      • Perform a basic search
      • Perform an advanced search
      • Search for similar or comparative data (right-click filter)
    • Add levels to the grid (grid nesting)
    • Compare data with Matrix mode
    • Get more options for viewing data
    • Visualize your data in a chart
      • Bar and Column charts
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      • Map charts
      • Configure the chart options
      • Select and focus on a chart segment
      • Export a chart as an image
      • Use the chart legend
    • Save favorites and add to dashboards (Analytics)
    • Reset data
    • Phocas AI
  • Flex Modes
    • Switch modes
    • Change the period (Flex Modes)
    • Filter data (Flex Modes)
    • Apply conditional formatting
    • Create a nested view
    • Manage columns (Flex Modes)
    • Save and share a favorite (Flex Modes)
    • View your data in a chart (Flex Modes)
  • Financial Statements
    • Take a tour of Financial Statements
    • Overview of access to financial statements
    • Customize your view (Financial Statements)
      • Change the properties (Financial Statements)
      • Change the measures (Financial Statements)
      • Change the period (Financial Statements)
      • Change the streams and scenarios
        • Change the budget data
      • Change the columns
      • Change the style
      • Change the rows (activity filter)
    • Filter the financial information
    • Select and focus on data (Financial Statements)
    • Copy or export financial information
    • Add a level in a financial statement
    • View financial information in a matrix (change column groups)
    • Add and view comments (Financial Statements)
    • View transactions (Financial Statements)
    • View financial information in a chart
      • Create a Pie and Donut chart (Financial Statements)
      • Create a Value card
      • Export a financial chart widget as an image
    • Save and share favorites (Financial Statements)
    • Add financial analysis to a dashboard
    • Manage financial statements
      • Overview of financial statements and dimensions
      • Create a financial statement
      • Delete a financial statement
      • Customize a financial statement
        • Rename a financial statement
        • Reorder a financial statement
        • Customize account groups
        • Customize calculations
          • Functions for Profit & Loss calculations
          • Formulas for financial ratios
        • Customize headings and spacers
        • Set the revenue row in a Profit & Loss statement
        • Customize columns
        • Customize a Cash Flow statement
          • Common account mapping for Cash Flow statements
        • Rebuild the database
      • Set the financial year end date
      • Map the Retained Earnings account(s)
      • Restrict access to accounts
      • Manage streams and scenarios
        • Manage budget streams (Financial Statements)
      • Create a budget (Financial Statements)
      • Use statistical streams
      • Use multiple currencies
      • Manage dimension groups
      • Map categories from your Chart of Accounts
  • Budgets & Forecasts
    • Overview of key terms and concepts
      • Budgets versus forecasts
      • Users and data access
      • Relationship with the Financial Statements module
      • 3-statement budgeting
      • Filtering methods
      • Demand planning
      • Loan repayments
    • Take a tour of Budgets & Forecasts
      • Explore the budget workbook
      • Explore the forecast workbook
      • Explore the Balance Sheet and Cash Flow budgets and forecasts
    • Customize your view (Budgets & Forecasts)
      • Filter a worksheet (search for items)
      • Group period columns
      • Use layouts
    • Use session filters
    • Edit values in a worksheet
      • Open workbook notes
      • Use keyboard shortcuts
      • Copy and paste values
      • Use comparison rows
      • Use sum and working lines
      • Use formulas
      • Spread totals
      • Revert to the baseline values
      • Edit the Balance Sheet budget
      • View and use headcount data
    • Refresh a workbook
    • Use workflows
      • Contribute to the workflow
      • View the workflow history
      • View workflow comments
    • View budget information in a chart
    • Open baseline, comparative, or opening balance data
    • Review the budget or forecast
      • Add and view cell comments
      • View and restore the cell history
      • View the audit log
      • Compare actuals, budgets and forecasts
    • Export a workbook or worksheet tab
    • Manage budgets and forecasts
      • Create a budget workbook
        • Best practices for efficient budgeting
        • Filtered budget or forecast
        • Budget by region and branch
        • Multi-currency budget
        • Unclassified data
        • Period types in budgets
        • Additional measures for driver-based budgeting
      • Create a forecast workbook
      • Clone a workbook
      • Import a budget or forecast
      • Edit the workbook setup
      • Roll a budget forward
      • Add more detail to a budget or forecast
      • Add worksheet tabs (drivers)
        • Balance Sheet and Cash Flow tabs
        • Manual Entry tab
        • Database tab
        • Headcount tab
          • Headcount tab FAQs
        • Reference tab
        • Lookup tab
        • Allocations tab
        • Scratch Pad tab
      • Manage worksheet tabs
      • Add notes to a workbook
      • Customize the format of measures
      • Manage the workflow
      • Manage user access and notifications
      • Publish a budget, forecast or other worksheet tab
      • Fix the baseline in a budget
      • Delete or restore a workbook
      • Delete a stream (Budgets & Forecasts)
  • Rebates
    • Overview of rebates
    • Get started with Rebates
    • Projects
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      • Parent-child rebate rules
      • Rebates calculation methods
      • Yearly rebates
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      • Whole rule period rebates
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      • Pro rata rebates
    • Calculations
      • Run a calculation
      • Schedule calculations
      • View calculation results and transactions
      • Post calculation results
    • Seasonal calendars
    • Rebates analysis
    • Rebates near miss analysis
  • CRM
    • Overview of CRM
    • Agenda
    • Contacts
    • Accounts
    • Leads
    • Activities
      • Microsoft 365 Outlook calendar integration
    • Campaigns
    • CRM analysis
    • CRM administration
  • Favorites
    • Save a favorite
    • Manage favorites
    • Set a favorite as your default view
    • Use alerts
  • Dashboards
    • Use dashboards
    • Create a dashboard
    • Set a dashboard as your homepage
    • Manage dashboards
  • Administration
    • Overview of access to data (Administration)
    • Users
      • Add, update or delete a user account
        • User maintenance form
        • User permissions
      • Create a user template
      • Manage a user's database access and restrictions
      • Manage user passwords
      • Monitor user activity
      • Lock user accounts
      • Impersonate a user
    • Profiles
    • Folders (Administration)
    • Favorites (Administration)
    • Dashboards (Administration)
    • Subscriptions (Administration)
    • Periods (Administration)
      • Period types
      • Working days
    • Databases (Administration)
    • Sync Sources
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    • Configuration
      • Set up SSO
      • Set up SSO with Microsoft Entra ID
    • Logs
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      • Modify a database
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        • Save your database design
      • Design a financial database
      • Build a database
      • View and revert to older design versions
      • Add a budget file to a financial database
      • Add a budget file to a non-financial database (easy budget upload)
    • Sync
      • Automatically join or split items during Sync (split view)
      • Schedule the sync process
      • Migrate Sync
      • Test the sync process
    • Reserved words and characters
    • End of year maintenance tips
  • OTHER INFORMATION
    • File upload
    • Encrypt (share secrets)
    • Glossary
    • Release notes
      • Analytics release notes
      • Flex Modes release notes
      • Financial Statements release notes
      • Budgets and Forecasts release notes
      • Rebates release notes
      • Administration release notes
    • System requirements
    • Technical limitations
    • Security information
    • Scheduled upgrade and maintenance periods
    • More help and support
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On this page
  • Getting the most out of Phocas AI
  • Limitations of Phocas AI
  • Phocas AI is in Beta
  • Is my data safe?

Was this helpful?

  1. Analytics

Phocas AI

Learn about the Phocas AI tool available in the Analytics module.

PreviousReset dataNextFlex Modes

Last updated 4 months ago

Was this helpful?

Phocas AI gives you quick answers and insights by simply asking a question relevant to your own business databases. This is particularly helpful for new or occasional Phocas users, who aren’t familiar with the functionality. You can ask a question in your terms and see the steps that were taken to get the results. Learn as you go.

Watch these videos:

  • Phocas Demo:

  • Phocas Academy:

Getting the most out of Phocas AI

Phocas AI can’t read your mind - it takes the question you ask and uses probability to infer what you mean. Start by asking good questions, as the less inference required, the greater the chance of a correct answer.

Here are some samples of the types questions to ask:

  • Show me the best selling product over the last 12 months

  • Sales reps whose sales value has increased by less than 5% over last 2 quarters

  • show me customers who bought more in 2022 than 2023

  • What are the top performing sales reps this year?

  • What regions are ahead of budget this quarter?

  • Who sold the most products in UK last month?

  • Cities with the highest sales between last Black Friday and the end of 2023. Use reporting value.

  • Sales in [region] this year.

  • top selling product for the supplier Acme by quantity last week

  • Plot sales for Engines onto a column chart by month for the last 5 months

Based on the samples above, here are some tips to think about when writing your questions:

  • Remember to include a date range. For example, compare "What are my sales?” vs “What were my sales last quarter?” The latter question will yield better results.

  • Specify the stream, if applicable. For example, if you have three budget streams, it’s helpful to specify the one you are interested in.

  • Use terms from the database where possible. Phocas AI understands synonyms but they are less accurate than explicitly naming the data element of interest, particularly when the term is ambiguous. For example, if the dimension is called Customer, don't use Account.

  • You can use wildcards, either * or %. For example, “code like PR3986* for august 2023 sorted by cost price descending”.

  • Your question doesn’t need to be in English - we’ve tested lots of languages with great success.

  • If you want to view the data in a chart, ask for one. Phocas AI supports most of the standard types of charts, with more coming soon.

  • Don’t worry too much about spelling unless it’s vital for the question. For example, if you type Cutsomer, Phocas AI will know you mean Customer. However, if you misspell a customer name, Amce instead of Acme, Phocas AI probably won't recognize it.

  • You don't need to use perfect grammar - capital letters and question marks are not required.

Limitations of Phocas AI

Phocas AI is an extension of Phocas Analytics, a feature-rich tool with many capabilities and options. If you can’t do something in Analytics, Phocas AI can’t do it. Phocas AI supports many of the Analytics features now, with more coming soon.

Phocas AI is in Beta

We’re working hard on testing and improving Phocas AI. This means that sometimes we might make mistakes and comically do the wrong thing. Your feedback is important in helping us to improve.

Is my data safe?

Absolutely. In Phocas, we store your confidential data securely and handle it with great care. See the on our website for more information.

Security and Technology page
Phocas AI
Phocas AI
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