Guiding users with instructions

Introduction to Databricks Genie

Gang Wang

Senior Data Scientist

The power of instructions

recraft: half: A friendly guide holding a signpost with clear directions, helping travelers find their way, modern flat illustration style

Instructions as "Guardrails"

Instructions should:

Explain how the business uses the data, not just what it is
Resolve ambiguity and enforce business logic
Guide Genie toward consistent, accurate answers

Types of instructions

Four types of effective instructions:

Type	Good	Bad
Metric definitions	"Use `(totalPrice - unitPrice * quantity) / totalPrice` for Gross Margin"	"Calculate profit correctly"
Synonyms	"franchise, store, and shop all refer to `sales_franchises`"	"Refer to the franchise table for store info"
Data quality	"Exclude rows where `paymentMethod` is TEST or VOID"	"Don't show test data"
Formatting	"Round financial figures to two decimal places with $"	"Format numbers nicely"

Adding instructions

Screenshot 2026-04-17 at 10.10.31.png

Adding an instruction:

Open Space settings
Find the Instructions section
Write clear, specific guidance
Genie applies it to all queries in the space

Filters for common parameters

nanobanana: half: E-commerce style sidebar with dropdown filter menus for City, Date Range, and Category

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Create a dropdown filter for:

High-frequency categories
Fields with complex spellings (City, Date)

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Let users type when:

One-off logic or open-ended comparisons
e.g., "Compare London to Paris"

Sharing your space

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hierarchy: Space Owner, Curators, Query Users

Permission levels

Role	Can Do
Owner	Full control, delete space
Curator	Edit examples, instructions
User	Query only

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Tip: Start with query-only access, promote curators as needed

Let's practice!

Introduction to Databricks Genie

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