Ask is designed to be iterative. You ask a question, review the answer, then decide whether to keep it, tweak it, or reframe it. This refine–evaluate cycle helps you get to the most useful results quickly.
When no adjustment is needed
Sometimes your first question delivers exactly what you need. In that case, move forward to Step IV: Validate.
Minor adjustments
If the answer is close but not perfect, a small adjustment is often enough.
Rephrase your query with slightly different wording.
Clarify terms or avoid ambiguous phrasing.
Even subtle changes can shift Ask’s interpretation and improve results.
Major adjustments
If the answer seems incomplete, off-target, or incorrect, consider broader adjustments. Common reasons include:
The information isn’t in your dataset (or in the subset you’re searching).
The dataset is too broad or too narrow.
The query is poorly aligned with the kind of answer you want.
There are ways to improve it flow:
Adjust scope – Try searching a more focused subset (e.g., emails in a date range) or expand to the full dataset.
Include duplicates – Ask normally indexes unique / pivot docs only. Adding duplicates may surface more relevant material.
Reframe the question – Phrase it in a different way to match how information might appear in documents.