SlateoAPI Reference

Using Slateo with Slack

Learn how teams use the Slack integration to answer data questions directly in channels without switching tools. This guide shows real workflows from data-driven teams.

Overview

The Slack integration brings Slateo into your team's natural communication flow. Instead of switching to a separate tool, team members can:

  • Ask data questions directly in Slack
  • Get SQL results inline in the conversation
  • Share findings without leaving the channel
  • Collaborate on data analysis in real-time

This guide covers how teams use Slateo in Slack for different workflows.

Getting started

Before using Slateo in Slack, make sure the integration is installed.

Installation

If you're an admin:

  1. Go to Admin → Integrations → Slack in Slateo
  2. Click Connect Slack
  3. Approve the Slateo app for your workspace
  4. Choose a default channel for notifications

See the Slack integration guide for detailed setup instructions.

Adding Slateo to channels

Once installed, add @slateo to any channel:

  1. Open the channel
  2. Type /invite @slateo
  3. The bot joins and can respond to mentions

You can add Slateo to public channels, private channels, and direct messages.

Asking questions

Mention @slateo followed by your question in natural language.

Basic questions

@slateo what were our top 5 products by revenue last month?

@slateo show me daily active users for the past week

@slateo how many new signups did we get yesterday?

Slateo will:

  1. Generate SQL based on your question
  2. Execute the query against your data warehouse
  3. Post results inline in the thread
  4. Show the SQL used (so you can verify or modify it)

Follow-up questions

Continue the conversation in a thread:

User: @slateo what were our top 5 products by revenue last month?
Slateo: [Shows results table]

User: @slateo can you break that down by region?
Slateo: [Shows updated results with regional breakdown]

User: @slateo show only the Northeast region
Slateo: [Shows filtered results]

Slateo maintains context within a thread, so it knows which query you're referring to.

Team workflows

Different teams use Slateo in Slack for various purposes.

Product team standup

Channel: #product-standup

Every morning, the team asks:

@slateo show yesterday's key metrics: DAU, WAU, retention, and top features

Slateo posts the results, and the team discusses trends in the thread:

PM: Retention dropped 2% - @slateo can you show retention by cohort?
Slateo: [Shows cohort breakdown]

Engineer: The drop is in the mobile app cohort
PM: Let's investigate the recent mobile release

Sales pipeline review

Channel: #sales-ops

Weekly pipeline review:

@slateo show open opportunities by stage and expected close date

@slateo which deals are at risk of slipping this quarter?

@slateo compare this quarter's pipeline to last quarter at the same point

The team uses these insights to prioritize outreach and forecast revenue.

Marketing campaign analysis

Channel: #marketing-analytics

After launching a campaign:

@slateo how many conversions did we get from the email campaign last week?

@slateo compare conversion rates across all campaigns this month

@slateo show cost per acquisition by channel

Results inform budget allocation and campaign optimization.

Customer support escalation

Channel: #support-escalations

When investigating customer issues:

@slateo show all orders for customer ID 12345 in the last 30 days

@slateo how many users reported the same error code today?

@slateo what's the average response time for support tickets this week?

Support team gets data instantly without waiting for the analytics team.

Advanced usage

Power users can do more with Slateo in Slack.

Saving queries from Slack

If a query is useful, save it for later:

@slateo save this query as "Weekly Pipeline Report"

The query is saved to your Slateo workspace and can be:

  • Re-run from the web app
  • Scheduled for automatic delivery
  • Shared with the team

Scheduling reports to Slack

From the Slateo web app, schedule reports to post in Slack:

  1. Create a report in Slateo
  2. Click Schedule
  3. Choose Slack as delivery method
  4. Select the channel
  5. Set frequency (daily, weekly, monthly)

Example: Post weekly active users to #product-metrics every Monday at 9am.

Using query references

Reference saved queries by name:

@slateo run "Weekly Pipeline Report"

@slateo run "Daily Active Users" for the past 7 days

This is faster than typing the full question again.

Sharing results

Share results from one channel to another:

@slateo share these results to #executive-updates

Slateo posts a summary with a link to the full results.

Best practices

Follow these tips for effective Slack + Slateo usage.

Channel organization

Create dedicated data channels

  • #data-questions - General data inquiries
  • #metrics-daily - Automated daily reports
  • #analytics-requests - Formal analysis requests

Use threads

  • Keep conversations organized
  • Maintain context for follow-ups
  • Avoid cluttering the main channel

Pin important queries

  • Pin frequently-used queries to channel description
  • Update pins as needs change

Question quality

Be specific

  • Good: "Show me daily active users for iOS in the past 30 days"
  • Bad: "Show me users"

Use consistent terminology

  • If your team calls them "customers", use that term
  • Slateo learns from your schema, so use database terminology when possible

Provide context

  • "For the marketing campaign launched last week..."
  • "Compared to the same period last quarter..."

Team etiquette

Don't spam

  • Use threads for follow-ups
  • Avoid asking the same question multiple times
  • Save frequently-used queries instead of re-asking

Share useful findings

  • If you discover something interesting, share it
  • Add context: "This explains the drop we saw in the dashboard"

Help others

  • If someone asks a question you've answered before, reference the saved query
  • Suggest better ways to phrase questions

Performance tips

Limit result size

  • "Show me the top 10..." instead of "Show me all..."
  • Use date filters to avoid scanning huge tables
  • Ask for summaries instead of raw data when possible

Use saved queries for complex analysis

  • For multi-step analysis, use the web app
  • Save the final query and run it from Slack

Schedule regular reports

  • Don't ask the same question every day
  • Schedule it to post automatically

What's next?

Now that you know how to use Slateo in Slack, explore:

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