Use reference files across a report
Attach documents and templates, inspect their contents, reuse original images, and work across conversations.
Attach reference files to give the assistant material it can use throughout a report: brand guides, example reports, spreadsheets, PDFs, slide decks, HTML templates, and images.
Files belong to the report library. They can be used from other pages and conversations in that report, and are shared with authorized report collaborators.
Add a reference file
- Open Data Chat in the report.
- Click Attach reference files and choose the files.
- Wait for each upload to finish. Use Retry if an upload fails.
- Include a message explaining how the files should be used.
- Send the message, or open Report files to inspect the uploaded material.
You can attach up to 8 files to a message, with a 25 MB limit per file in the UI. Removing a file chip from an unsent message keeps the uploaded file in the report library.
Use the attached report as a layout reference. Inspect the source and
preview the relevant pages before building. Reuse its original logo,
match the spacing and typography, and replace its sample values with
live metrics from this report's data model.
Use Upload File in the report toolbar when you want a CSV to become a queryable data connection. A chat attachment does not automatically become a SQL table.
Supported formats
| Material | File extensions |
|---|---|
| Documents and notes | .md, .markdown, .txt, .pdf, .docx |
| Slide decks and workbooks | .pptx, .xlsx |
| Tabular reference text | .csv, .tsv |
| Web source and structured text | .html, .htm, .css, .json |
| Images | .svg, .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp, .gif |
The available extraction and preview controls depend on the format. For example, a scanned PDF may have a useful page image but no extracted text.
Browse the report library
Open Report files from the toolbar or chat controls. The library lists reference files and reusable report images.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open a file | Opens its viewer. |
| Source | Shows extracted content or source sections. |
| Preview | Shows a supported rendered preview. |
| Images in the file viewer | Lists extracted image assets when the file contains them. |
| Download original | Downloads the uploaded original. |
| Attach | Adds an existing file to the open chat's next message. |
| Refresh files and images | Reloads the report library. |
| Delete from report | Removes the file for the assistant and other report collaborators, subject to editing access. |
The source viewer can move between sections and bounded text or spreadsheet windows. A workbook can be inspected by sheet, row range, and column range.
Reference a file in another conversation
You do not need to upload the same file again. Open it from Report files, attach it to the current message, or identify it by name.
Find the brand guide already in this report. Use its colors and heading
styles on the Details HTML page. Keep the existing queries, filters,
and visual identities.
The assistant receives file metadata and can discover the full report library. It reads relevant material on demand instead of adding every file's full contents to every request.
What the assistant can do
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
ListReportFiles | Find reference files across conversations in the report. |
InspectFile | List sections, sheets, slides, pages, and embedded image assets. |
ReadFile | Read a bounded section, text range, or spreadsheet window. |
SearchFile | Find literal text in the file or a section. |
PreviewFile | Render a supported file section or preview an original image. |
ReuseAsset | Import an original image into the report's reusable asset library. |
The agent tool reference contains the exact parameters for every tool.
Match a template
A useful template workflow inspects both source and appearance. HTML source reveals structure and CSS; its preview reveals spacing and composition. Slide or document extraction can identify positions, text, and embedded assets.
The assistant can then build separate live visuals inside an HTML layout, preview the saved page at a comparable size, and correct visible differences. Matching only the first viewport is insufficient when the reference has lower sections.
Be explicit about what should match: overall layout, exact images, typography, chart treatment, or all of them. Reference-file values remain examples unless you specifically intend to analyze those values.
Reuse exact images
When a file contains the logo or photograph you want, ask the assistant to reuse the original asset. ReuseAsset stores its original bytes as a report image and returns a stable unity-asset: reference that HTML source can use.
Importing the image and placing it on the page are separate steps. The assistant still needs to update the relevant HTML source.
Images already imported into the report remain available if the original reference file is deleted. They remain associated with the report rather than becoming public external URLs.
Preview and extraction limits
Office previews use document conversion, so fonts and print layout can differ from the original application. Spreadsheet inspection exposes stored formulas, cached values, and available formatting; it does not recalculate a workbook or execute macros.
Reference HTML previews use static rendering with scripts and network access disabled. This differs from the supported inline JavaScript in an authored HTML report page.
Large documents are read in sections. If extraction or preview fails, the assistant can use available material and explain the limitation; it should not claim to have visually compared something it could not preview.
File lifecycle
Deleting a reference file makes it unavailable for future reads throughout the report. Old chat references remain in history, and previously reused images remain available.
A draft attachment is therefore different from the stored report file. Before deleting the latter, consider other pages and conversations that may still need it.
Questions about your environment? Contact us.