What is a cited answer and why does it matter?
A cited answer is an answer where every number traces back to the exact source rows it came from. iDBQuery shows the query it ran and the specific records behind each figure, so you can verify the result yourself — no black box, no "trust me." It matters because data decisions need proof.
A cited answer pairs the *result* with its *evidence*. When iDBQuery tells you revenue was $4.2M, it also shows you the query it ran and the exact source rows that sum to that number. You can click straight through from the figure to the records behind it.
This matters for three reasons:
- Trust — you don't have to take the answer on faith; you can confirm it in seconds
- Defensibility — when you put a number in a board deck or a regulator's report, you can prove where it came from
- Debugging — if a figure looks wrong, the citation shows you whether the issue is the data, the filter, or the join
This is the core difference between iDBQuery and a general AI chatbot. A chatbot produces fluent text that *sounds* right but can't be checked. iDBQuery answers strictly from your real data and shows its work every time — the SQL, the source, the rows.
Cited answers turn AI-assisted analysis from a novelty into something you can actually run a business on, because every claim is auditable back to its origin.
Updated 2026-06-22