Who this is for. Super Admins who configure SmartResearch; managers and agents can view instances. Access. Requires the
SMARTFLOW_MANAGEMENTpermission to reach Agent Co-workers. See the Roles and Access Reference.
A SmartResearch instance is the unit of configuration. It decides which products and connections a question can reach, and it is what you select in the workspace before asking anything. A tenant can run many instances at once.
Open the instance list
In the navigation rail, select Agent Co-workers.
Under Autonomous Planning and Analysis, select SmartResearch.
The Running Instances table opens. The card shows a live count of the instances running in your tenant. To read what the agent does, select Show Description.
Run Again sits below the table. It reopens the setup wizard for the instance, carrying the configuration it already has, so you can rerun it against connections that were not available the first time.
Figure 1. The Running Instances table for SmartResearch.
Running Instances columns
Each column describes one aspect of an instance; SmartResearch Scope is the one that decides what a question can see.
Table 1. Running Instances columns
Column |
What it holds |
|---|---|
Instance Name |
The name shown in the workspace instance selector. |
Description |
Free text. Often empty, which is why names matter. |
SmartResearch Scope |
The agent instances the instance can reach, summarised by product name. This is the column that decides what a question can see. The same product listed twice means two instances of it are in scope. |
External Data Sources |
Which external feeds are in scope. |
Status |
Whether the instance is running. |
Actions |
Stop the instance, or edit its configuration. Stopping asks for confirmation first. The stop control is a red icon whose tooltip reads Delete, but it stops the instance rather than removing it. |
Why a tenant runs more than one instance
One instance is enough when everyone asks about the same data. A second earns its place when two groups need different data in scope, because the instance is what decides what a question can reach.
Table 3. Common reasons for a second instance
Reason |
What it looks like |
|---|---|
Separate entities or regions |
One instance scoped to the North America ERP connection, another to Europe, so neither group sees the other totals. |
Payables and receivables teams |
One scoped to the AP agents, one to the AR agents, so the starter questions and answers stay relevant to each. |
A narrow test scope |
An instance limited to one connection while a new source is being verified, kept apart from the one people rely on. |
The cost of more than one is that the answer depends on which is selected. The same question asked against two instances can return two different totals, both correct.
Scope values
Scope varies widely between instances, and it is the single biggest reason two instances answer the same question differently.
Table 2. Example scope values
Scope |
Meaning |
|---|---|
All |
Every connected product and source. |
No Connections |
Nothing is connected. An instance in this state cannot answer from data. |
AP Helpdesk, SmartVendor |
Scoped to named products. |
AP Invoices |
Scoped to a single product. |
SmartCustomer |
Scoped to the accounts receivable side. |
A named ERP connection |
Scoped to one connected ERP. |
A named agent |
Scoped to one agent. |
An instance whose scope reads No Connections is running but has nothing to answer from. If the workspace returns nothing useful, check the scope here before assuming the question was wrong.
External Data Sources is separate from scope. An instance can be narrowly scoped on products and still carry All external sources.
Actions on an instance
Delete and Edit appear only for Super Admins. Managers and agents see the Running Instances table read-only.
Table 3. Instance actions
Action |
Effect |
|---|---|
Delete |
Stops the running instance. The workspace can no longer answer against it. |
Edit |
Opens the instance configuration, including its scope. |
Stopping an instance affects everyone using it, not only you. Confirm nobody is relying on it before you stop it.
Related information
For more information, see SmartResearch Workspace.
For more information, see What Data SmartResearch Can Reach.