Live queries and data handling — Unity Intelligence

Unity runs queries against the source associated with a visual or dataset. Reports store the definitions needed to repeat those queries: source identity, SQL, field mappings, filters, and presentation.

“Live” describes that connection to the source. It does not mean every result continuously streams updates, every screen shares one transaction, or nothing is stored.

Refresh a report

Open the report and select the page you want to inspect.
Check the active saved filters and temporary chart selections.
Use the visual refresh controls, or Refresh live data on an HTML page.
Wait for the query and rendering states to settle.
Inspect the returned data and effective SQL if a value differs from your expectation.

For an HTML page, one refresh can execute several registered datasets. A visual may keep its previous display while showing that new data is loading. Use the settled result when evaluating the page.

What stays live and what is saved

Item	Behavior
Database-backed visual	Executes its saved query against SQL Server, Snowflake, or Databricks when data is requested.
Imported CSV connection	Queries the imported dataset. Editing the original file on your computer does not update that dataset.
Public-data API connection	Fetches supported provider data through Unity's connector path.
HTML dataset	Executes saved read-only SQL with the applicable model and filter context.
Saved chat answer or inline preview	Retains the answer and result associated with that conversation step.
Report reference file	A saved document or image used as reference; it is not a streaming data source.
Browser screenshot or file preview	A capture of a particular state and time.

Ask a new question or rerun the relevant analysis to get a fresh answer in chat. Reopening an old conversation does not recalculate every previous statement.

Caching and freshness

Some visual execution paths reuse recent results, including a five-minute refresh-cache window in the native visual cache policy. Other paths query again. Do not treat that cache window as a refresh schedule or a universal guarantee for every screen.

Results from different visuals can be requested at different times. If the source changes during a multi-query report refresh, the page is not necessarily a single database snapshot.

Refresh the analysis for the latest available data. Report the date range,
source, and effective filters used. If a result is cached or incomplete,
make that clear before comparing it with the previous answer.

For a reproducible comparison, align source, query, time range, filter values, and execution time.

Row limits and paged results

A returned table is not automatically the complete dataset. SQL Playground starts with a 1,000-row limit. HTML snapshot datasets are bounded, while paged HTML tables retrieve additional result windows.

Use a separate aggregate query for a total across the full dataset. Summing only the rows currently loaded in the browser can produce a partial total.

SELECT COUNT(*) AS order_count, SUM(amount) AS revenue
FROM orders

This example assumes a model entity named orders and a numeric amount field. Replace them with your model's identifiers and apply the intended filters.

An authored TOP or LIMIT is part of the query's meaning. Loading another page does not remove that restriction.

HTML previews use fresh execution

The assistant's HTML preview renders saved source with live dataset execution and saved filters. It may show newer source data than your browser's last render.

Temporary clicks in your open report are not automatically reproduced in an isolated preview. A rendering comparison should use the same page revision, viewport, theme, and effective filter state. See HTML rendering and testing.

Troubleshoot unexpected values

Symptom	Likely place to inspect
An old answer differs from the page	Original chat result versus a newly executed query.
Only one chart seems stale	That visual's refresh state, source, query, and applicable filters.
A table total is too small	A row limit, current result window, authored limit, or filter.
A CSV has not changed	The imported copy is independent of your local file.
Two charts disagree	Grain, joins, reusable measure definitions, source timing, and field mappings.

Use Query inspection to trace the calculation and Filters and interactions to inspect its scope.