> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://basedash.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Connect your data, ask your first question, and share a dashboard

This guide takes you from a new account to a shared dashboard. You'll connect a data source, ask a question in chat, save the answer to a dashboard, and share it with your team.

![The Basedash chat home asking “What questions do you have?” with a message box and suggested questions about the connected data](https://mintcdn.com/basedash/Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR/images/getting-started/quickstart/hero.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR\&q=85\&s=35e8186f035d3025546c98260c10bfec)

**1. Sign up**

[Sign up](https://charts.basedash.com/signup) with your work email and verify it. Every new organization gets a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. The trial starts when you add your first data source.

**2. Connect a data source**

Go to the **Data** page and select **Add data source**, or press <kbd>Cmd/Ctrl</kbd> <kbd>K</kbd> and type "Add data source". Then pick one:

* **A database or warehouse**, such as [Postgres](/docs/data-sources/databases/postgres), [Snowflake](/docs/data-sources/warehouses/snowflake), or [BigQuery](/docs/data-sources/warehouses/bigquery). Enter the connection details, then test and save the connection. Basedash queries it directly.
* **A SaaS tool**, such as Salesforce, Stripe, or HubSpot. Open the [connector](/docs/data-sources/connectors), select **Connect**, and authorize access. Basedash syncs its data into [Basedash Warehouse](/docs/data-sources/warehouses/basedash-warehouse).

If your database is behind a firewall, allowlist `24.199.77.73` or connect through an SSH tunnel. See [Data sources](/docs/data-sources/introduction) for every option.

![The Add a data source page with a search box, MCP connectors, and warehouse connectors such as BigQuery, ClickHouse, Databricks, Redshift, and Snowflake](https://mintcdn.com/basedash/Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR/images/getting-started/quickstart/data-source-gallery.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR\&q=85\&s=f0e3a175d5a588de491dfd55f4f2c019)

> [!NOTE]
>
> Only admins can add data sources. The person who creates the organization is its first admin.

**3. Ask a question in chat**

Open **Chat** and ask a question in plain English, for example "How many new customers did we get each week this quarter?". Basedash looks at your schema, writes the SQL, runs it, and answers with a chart, a table, or a short write-up.

![A chat answer in Basedash with a short summary and a chart of monthly revenue](https://mintcdn.com/basedash/Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR/images/getting-started/quickstart/first-answer.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR\&q=85\&s=f85eaac79c6d9719bf87e26d82fa40ba)

Ask follow-up questions to refine the answer: "Break that down by plan" or "Only include customers in Europe".

**4. Check how the answer was made**

Above each answer, expand **Analyzed for…** to see the steps the AI took, and open **Sources** to see the tables, models, and context it used. Open the chart to see the SQL behind it.

**5. Add the chart to a dashboard**

Select **Add to dashboard** on the chart, then pick an existing dashboard or **New dashboard**. You can also choose **Drafts** to keep the chart for later without publishing it.

![The Add to dashboard menu on a chat chart, listing the Sales overview and Marketing performance dashboards, New dashboard, and Drafts](https://mintcdn.com/basedash/Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR/images/getting-started/quickstart/add-to-dashboard.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Wo2tM2HhZGdlFtFR\&q=85\&s=4110900f69863b25a890f89ef002f350)

You can also ask chat to build a whole dashboard, for example "Build a sales dashboard with revenue, pipeline, and win rate". See [Dashboards](/docs/features/dashboards).

**6. Share the dashboard**

Open the dashboard's share menu and give **Everyone**, a group, or specific members **Can view**, **Can edit**, or **Full access**. See [sharing and collaboration](/docs/features/dashboards#sharing-and-collaboration).

**7. Invite your team**

Go to **Settings → Members**, select **Invite members**, enter email addresses, and choose a role for each person. See [Invite your team](/docs/getting-started/invite-team).

**8. Teach the AI about your business**

Press <kbd>Cmd/Ctrl</kbd> <kbd>K</kbd> and type "AI context" to describe your business, terminology, and key metrics. For metrics your team relies on, define [models](/docs/features/models) so every answer uses the same definition. See [AI context](/docs/features/ai-context).

## Next steps

> **[Concepts](/docs/getting-started/concepts)**
>
> Learn how data sources, models, charts, and dashboards fit together

> **[Automations](/docs/features/automations)**
>
> Send reports and alerts to Slack or email on a schedule

> **[Insights](/docs/features/insights)**
>
> Get AI-written posts about what changed in your data

> **[Slack](/docs/features/slack)**
>
> Ask Basedash questions without leaving Slack


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