ASK: Agentic Semantic Knowledge, AI Grounded in Business Reality
Turn natural-language questions into governed, deterministic insights from your enterprise data, without AI hallucinations or custom SQL development.
The AI Challenge in Enterprise Data
Large Language Models (LLMs) are exceptional at processing text, but they struggle with complex enterprise data. When asked a simple business question like "What was our net margin for Q2?", standard AI models often fail because:
They do not understand cryptic SAP table names or legacy field codes.
They do not know which specific joins or business rules apply to your organization.
They guess or hallucinate answers when definitions are ambiguous.
ASK bridges this gap by introducing a business-vocabulary semantic layer. It teaches AI agents what your data actually means before they query it, guaranteeing reliable, audit-ready answers every single time.
Why We Built ASK
Language models are excellent at writing SQL and chaining steps, but they don't know which table answers which business question, what a legacy code like MATNR means, or which join path is correct in an ERP as complex as SAP. Without that context, AI guesses or simply refuses to answer.
We built ASK to close that gap: instead of connecting AI directly to raw SAP tables, we connect it to a business semantic layer that tells it exactly what each piece of data means and which relationships are valid, so every answer is governed, traceable, and trustworthy.
Key Capabilities for Enterprise Decision Makers
Natural Language to Deterministic SQL
Business leaders can ask questions in plain English or Spanish and receive immediate, accurate analytical answers backed by real database logic.
Zero Hallucinations
Because the AI operates strictly within your pre-approved semantic layer, it cannot invent metrics or misinterpret calculations.
Vendor Neutral Open Standard
Built on an open architecture, ASK protects your enterprise against vendor lock-in, allowing you to use your preferred AI models and cloud environments.
Seamless Role Based Access
Integrated with your existing security policies, ensuring business users only see data they are authorized to access.
Native Integration with Onibex Ecosystem
Connects effortlessly with OneConnect to query live SAP data as it streams into your cloud data platform.
The Onibex ASK Platform Suite
The platform provides an intuitive, end-to-end experience for both administrators and business users:
ASK Admin
A visual interface where domain experts define business terms, KPIs, and relationship rules without writing complex code.
Configuration App
Central hub to securely connect your databases, LLM models, and identity providers.
ASK Chat
An interactive conversational assistant where business executives and operational teams get instant answers to critical daily questions.
See ASK in Practice
ASK Admin: Organize Your Business Knowledge in Minutes
Each workspace groups your company's business domains (Sales and Operations, Finance, Production...) and each domain connects the Data Products that answer those questions. Without writing code, your team defines and publishes this semantic layer directly from ASK Admin.
ASK Chat: Ask and Get Instant Answers
Before asking, you pick your workspace, the environment (dev or prod), and the query mode (Flash, Precise, or Smart). The status panel confirms live that the orchestrator is ready, and you jump straight into Chat or Artifacts to generate executive reports from live SAP data.
Why Enterprise Leaders Choose ASK
| Traditional AI Assistants | The Onibex ASK Platform |
|---|---|
| ✕ Query raw schemas, leading to high hallucination rates. | ✓ Grounded in a governed business-semantic layer. |
| ✕ Require users to understand technical table structures. | ✓ Accepts plain-language questions from any business user. |
| ✕ Opaque calculations with no clear data lineage. | ✓ Fully deterministic and traceable SQL execution. |
| ✕ High cost and effort to train custom LLM models. | ✓ Rapid deployment using an open, standardized approach. |
How ASK Works: The Medallion Architecture for Business Intelligence
ASK organizes your enterprise data into three intelligent layers, ensuring AI agents always prioritize business-ready logic over raw database tables:
The Gold Layer (Primary Choice)
Pre-defined, fully resolved business definitions (e.g., "Open Sales Orders", "Customer Credit Aging"). When a user asks a question, the AI agent looks here first to deliver exact, pre-approved business metrics.
The Silver Layer (Smart Fallback)
Standard enterprise entities such as Customers, Products, or Invoices. If a specific Gold business definition isn't found, the agent safely uses these structured building blocks.
The Bronze Layer (Lineage Only)
Raw source tables from your ERP or cloud platforms. ASK hides this complexity from the AI agent to prevent erroneous queries, keeping raw tables exclusively for data lineage and auditing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Conversational AI for SAP
Can I ask SAP questions in plain English, without knowing SQL or the underlying tables?
Yes. Through ASK Chat, any business user types a question in natural language (e.g., "what's our available-to-sell stock?") and gets an immediate answer grounded in real SAP data, with no need to know table names or write queries.
How does ASK prevent the AI from inventing or 'hallucinating' an answer?
ASK forces the AI agent to answer only using a pre-defined, approved business semantic layer (organized into Gold, Silver, and Bronze levels). If a term isn't in that layer, the agent asks for clarification instead of guessing.
How is ASK different from a generic AI chatbot connected to my database?
Generic AI tools read raw technical tables and often fail or hallucinate on SAP data. ASK first translates those tables into governed Business Concepts (like "Sales Order" or "Inventory") defined by your company, and only then lets the AI answer questions about them.
Am I locked into a specific AI provider?
No. ASK is an open, vendor-neutral standard: you can use whichever AI models and cloud environment you prefer, without being tied to a single provider.
Is it safe to give an AI access to my SAP data? Do all users see the same thing?
No, not all users see the same thing. ASK integrates with your existing security policies and roles, so each business user can only see and query the data they're already authorized to access.
Ready to Unlock the Power of Conversational Data?
Transform how your organization interacts with SAP and cloud data.