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Data connection in nao is key.
It allows you to browse, view, query your data directly in the IDE.
It gives context of your data schema to nao AI featurse.
Data privacy:
When you connect a data warehouse to nao, your connection stays between your computer and the data warehouse. No data content is ever sent to nao servers or the LLM. Only metadata (like table and column names) is used to provide warehouse context to nao features.Read more about how your data is secured in our security documentation.

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Add a data connection

To add a connection:
Go to Settings > Warehouse Connections > Add Connection
Data connection panel

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connection_name
string
required
Display name for this connection inside nao.
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project_ids
string
required
Comma-separated project IDs. Supports wildcards (e.g. project_*) and exclusions (!project-dev).
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region
string
Optional BigQuery location. Leave blank to use the project default.
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datasets
string
Optionally scope access to specific datasets by listing them explicitly.
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authentication_method
string
default:"SSO via OAuth"
required
Choose between SSO via OAuth or Service Account. SSO requires your BQ project ID; service accounts use key files.
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service_account_private_key
file
Required only when Service Account authentication is selected. Upload the JSON key for a service account with at least the BigQuery Data Viewer (Reader) role.
Connect multiple BigQuery projectsSelect multiple project-ids and datasets using the following patterns:
  • Comma separated values (project1,project2): Select specific projects by listing them explicitly (no space after the comma)
  • Wildcard prefix (project_*): Select all projects that start with “project_”
  • Exclusion (!project2): Select all projects except “project2”
Set query size limitsYou can limit the size of queries executed within nao.If you do, nao will perform a dry run of every query, and cancel query execution if it’s above the GB limit. The limit will be effective for both user queries and AI agent queries.Go to Settings → Warehouse Connections and set the query size limit field to the maximum rows you want nao to run automatically.
To check your data is connected, open the left panel then click on the data warehouse icon. Here you will see all the tables from your data connection. When you click on a table, you will be able to preview it directly within nao.
Data preview

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Multiple data connections

You can connect multiple databases at once in nao.
You can choose to:
  • Set a connection as a global connection (available across all folders in nao)
  • Attach a connection to a specific workspace
To do this, hover over a connection and you’ll see the options: “Attach to workspace” or “Make global”
Only one connection is active at once in nao.You can choose the active connection either from the data tree on the left or from the nao settings / data connections menu with the small circles.
Data Multiple connections