Understanding query processing flow

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You can write effective queries by understanding how the AI assistant processes your queries.

Step 1: Understanding natural language

When you submit a query, the AI assistant analyzes your input to:

  • Identify the technology: Determines the category of a query, such as application calls, infrastructure components, or events
  • Extract intent: Understands what you want to know (for example, list resources, show metrics, or find errors)
  • Recognize parameters: Identifies time ranges, filters, thresholds, and other constraints

Example:

  • Query: Show me Kubernetes pods with high CPU usage in the last hour
  • Technology identified: Kubernetes pod
  • Intent: List resources with filtering
  • Parameters: CPU metric, threshold (high), and time range (1 hour)

Step 2: Generating API payload

The AI assistant translates your natural language query into a structured API call:

  • Constructs API request: Builds the appropriate Instana API payload
  • Applies filters: Adds tag filters, time ranges, and metric thresholds
  • Formats response: Specifies how data is aggregated and displayed (table, chart, and so on)

Step 3: Displaying data retrieval

The processed query is executed against your Instana environment:

  • Fetches data: Retrieves information from the Instana API
  • Formats results: Presents data in table format
  • Provides context: Shows how the query is interpreted and if any assumptions are made

Multi-agent architecture

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The AI assistant uses a multi-agent architecture powered by a coordinator agent that intelligently routes queries to specialized agents based on your request.

How the coordinator works

The coordinator agent acts as the central orchestrator of the AI assistant:
  • Query analysis: When you submit a query, the coordinator analyzes your natural language input to understand the intent and context.
  • Agent selection: Based on the query type, the coordinator routes your request to the appropriate specialized agent (such as the API agent for data retrieval).
  • Response coordination: The coordinator manages the interaction between agents and ensures you receive a coherent, formatted response.
Currently, the AI assistant only uses the API agent for querying Instana data, with the coordinator managing the overall interaction flow. This architecture enables future expansion to support additional specialized agents as new capabilities are introduced.