What does a cited answer from iDBQuery actually guarantee?
A cited answer guarantees that every figure iDBQuery gives you is traceable to the exact source rows it came from, not generated from thin air. You can click through to see the underlying data and the SQL used, so you can verify the number yourself.
A 'cited answer' is iDBQuery's core promise, and it is worth being precise about what it does and does not mean.
What it guarantees:
- Provenance. Every number is tied to the specific rows and source it was computed from, so nothing is invented or half-remembered.
- Transparency. You can see the SQL that produced the figure and the data behind it, so the answer is inspectable, not a black box.
- Traceability. You can audit a number in a report all the way back to its origin, which matters for finance, board reporting and anything that has to stand up to scrutiny.
What it does not do:
- It cannot fix data that is wrong at the source — if the underlying rows are incorrect, the cited answer will faithfully reflect that (and often help you spot it).
- It is a guarantee of traceability, not a compliance certification.
For example, when iDBQuery says 'revenue was 4.2M last quarter', you can open the citation and see exactly which transactions summed to that figure. If a stakeholder challenges it, you show them the rows. That is the difference between an answer you can defend and an answer you simply have to trust.
Updated 2026-06-22