Prompting Guide

This page explains how the Data Agent interprets requests and how to write prompts that return precise, useful results

The way you phrase a question affects how precisely Copilot Assistant can resolve the request. Include the scope, metric, and time range when they are relevant. For the data behind those concepts, see Data Requirements.

How Copilot Assistant Interprets a Request

Copilot Assistant looks for concepts such as:

Element	Examples
Locations	building, floor, room, zone, east wing, basement
Assets or asset types	sensors, meters, SmartSocket, EnergyMeter, rooms
Metrics	temperature, energy usage, occupancy, CO₂, water consumption
Time ranges	last week, past quarter, between January 1 and December 31, today

The more of these elements you include, the more precisely the request can be scoped. Missing elements can trigger a clarification question.

Write Effective Prompts

Be Specific About What You Want to Measure

Use vocabulary that maps to attributes in the asset model.

The agent maps for example measurement terms to concrete attributes in the database. Using the right vocabulary reduces the risk of ambiguity and disambiguation steps.

❌ Less Effective	✅ More Effective
Show me the data for the building.	Show me the current temperature readings for all assets on the third floor of Building A.
Are there any issues with the sensors?	Which sensors on the second floor have not reported data in the last 48 hours?

Name Known Entities

Mention asset names, asset types, or exact locations when you know them. This reduces ambiguity and can make the response faster.

❌ Less Effective	✅ More Effective
Which rooms are warm?	Which RoomController assets on the second floor are recording temperatures above 24 °C?
Check the sockets.	Retrieve the current power consumption of all assets with asset type SmartSocket in Building A.

Include a Time Range for Historical Queries

Time ranges are important for trend queries. Without one, Copilot Assistant may ask for clarification or apply a short default window.

❌ Less Effective	✅ More Effective
Show me energy consumption for Building B2F.	Show me the total energy consumption for Building B2F for the past quarter.
When was occupancy highest?	What was the peak daily occupancy in Building A during the last quarter?

Larger time ranges can slow down database queries and subsequent result analysis.

Ask One Clear Question at a Time

Copilot Assistant retains context across a conversation. Split a complex request into focused follow-ups instead of combining unrelated metrics and periods in one prompt.

❌ Less Effective	✅ More Effective
Show me energy, occupancy, temperature, and alarms for all buildings for the last year.	Show me total energy consumption per building for the last quarter. Then ask a follow-up about occupancy for the same period.

Define Business Terms

Business terms are useful only when they have a clear mapping to the asset model. Terms such as utilization gap, opportunity, or energy intensity need a defined metric and scope before Copilot Assistant can rank or compare them reliably.

Instead of asking "Which sites show the highest opportunity for improvement?", ask "Which buildings consumed the most energy in the last quarter? Rank them."

Instead of asking "Are there anomalies?", ask "Are there assets in the server room that recorded temperatures above 80 °C last week?"

Useful Patterns

• Use exact asset type names when you know them.

• Provide units such as kWh or °C when multiple attributes could match.

• Follow the suggested prompts to drill down into a result.

• Start broad when exploring an unfamiliar portfolio, then narrow the scope.

• Expand the tool call trace when a result looks unexpected. It shows which assets and measurements were resolved.

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	What can happen	How to improve the request
A business term has no direct mapping	Copilot Assistant asks for clarification or selects the closest available attribute.	Use the attribute or measurement vocabulary defined in the asset model.
A historical request has no time range	Copilot Assistant asks for clarification or applies a short default window.	Specify a period such as last 7 days, past quarter, or previous 2 months.
Several unrelated questions are combined	Results can be incomplete or one request can be deprioritized.	Split the request into follow-up prompts.
A location name is ambiguous	Multiple entities can match and Copilot Assistant asks you to choose.	Provide an asset name, type, or other concrete identifier.
A business conclusion is expected from raw data	Copilot Assistant retrieves and surfaces data, but the business interpretation may remain undefined.	State the metric, comparison, baseline, or decision rule you want to apply.