# Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

> Frequently Asked Questions about how Sisense Intelligence handles your data.

*Source: https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/intelligence-data-handling-faq.htm*

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Last updated: June 11, 2026

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| [Tier](https://www.sisense.com/pricing/#pricing) | [Deployment](https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/introduction-to-sisense-cloud-managed-services.md#ComparisonofManagedCloudandSelfHosted) |
| Launch     Grow    Enterprise | Cloud     On-Prem |

[Which features send data outside of my organization, and what data is sent?](#)

Sisense Intelligence features fall into two categories:

- **Cloud-linked** (data sent to Sisense cloud services and/or an external LLM):

  - Assistant – Sends user prompts, datasource semantic metadata, and (for some requests) aggregated query results.
  - Narrative – Sends aggregated query results.
  - Semantic Enrichment – Sends datasource semantic metadata and sample column values/statistics.
  - Smart Value Matching – Stores selected column values in the vector database for fuzzy matching and similarity search.
- **Local** (run entirely in your environment; no data leaves your organization):

  - Explanation, Forecast, Trend, Exploration Path, Simply Ask (legacy), Knowledge Graph.

A full summary of which features send what data is available in the [feature-level tables](https://docs.sisense.com/main/SisenseLinux/data-flow-per-feature.md).

[How is that data secured?](#)

- Encryption: TLS 1.2+ in transit, AES-256 at rest.
- Isolation: Single-tenant AWS VPC with MongoDB Atlas isolation.
- Access Controls: Role-based access, Single Sign-On (SSO), Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
- Private Access: Secure connectivity to AWS resources.
- Governance: All Generative AI features are opt-in and controlled at system, data model, dashboard, or widget level.

[Can this be turned off so that no data is sent?](#)

Yes. All Generative AI features (those that send data externally) are disabled by default and require admin opt-in. Local features run locally and do not send data outside your environment.

[How would turning off Generative AI affect Sisense’s functionality?](#)

Turning off Generative AI will disable:

- Assistant (natural language query & generative insights)
- Narrative (automated text summaries)
- Semantic Enrichment (metadata-based insights)
- Smart Value Matching (fuzzy/natural language filtering for selected fields)

You will still have access to all local AI features (e.g., Explanation, Forecast, Trend, Exploration Path) which work without sending data externally.

[Do you train on my data?](#)

No. Sisense never uses your data to train models. Sisense uses pretrained language models.

[Where is the Large Language Model (LLM) hosted?](#)

- **Managed LLM:** Hosted by Sisense on Azure (currently for Narrative only; more features coming). See our subprocessors for more information.
- **Bring-Your-Own LLM (BYO-LLM):** You can use your own OpenAI or Azure OpenAI service. LLM API keys are configured directly by your organization.

[What is stored in the Vector Database (VDB)?](#)

- **Few-shot examples:** Pre-curated synthetic data, never customer data.
- **Selected column values:** Only for Smart Value Matching, and only for columns explicitly chosen by a data designer.  
  The embedding model is hosted internally—no external embedding service is used.

[What is Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and does it use my data?](#)

RAG improves natural language query translation by referencing a set of few-shot examples stored in the VDB. These are synthetic samples, not customer data. Only NLQ queries processed through the Assistant or API require RAG.

[Can I control which fields are included in Smart Value Matching?](#)

Yes. Data designers choose exactly which columns to index for Smart Value Matching. No other fields are stored in the VDB for this feature.