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

# Grounding in context

> Ground every query in validated SQL, table metadata, and business rules.

A model knows SQL but it does not know that `revenue` was replaced by `revenue_v2` last March, that "active" excludes trialing accounts, or that MRR is computed net of credits. Grounding provides the missing context. The agent retrieves the relevant context for each question before it writes a line of SQL.

```python theme={null}
from agno.agent import Agent
from agno.knowledge.knowledge import Knowledge
from agno.models.openai import OpenAIResponses
from agno.tools.sql import SQLTools
from agno.vectordb.pgvector import PgVector

knowledge = Knowledge(
    vector_db=PgVector(table_name="dash_knowledge", db_url="postgresql+psycopg://ai:ai@localhost:5532/ai"),
)

agent = Agent(
    model=OpenAIResponses(id="gpt-5.5"),
    tools=[SQLTools(db_url="postgresql+psycopg://readonly@warehouse/analytics")],
    knowledge=knowledge,
    search_knowledge=True,
    instructions="Retrieve relevant query patterns and table notes before writing SQL.",
)
```

`search_knowledge=True` lets the agent pull the matching context per question instead of carrying the entire data dictionary in every prompt.

## The layers worth curating

A production data agent grounds each answer in several layers. The first set is curated and stored in a vector database. The rest are live.

| Layer                   | Source                                               | Curated?                                                                          |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Validated queries       | Known-good SQL for common questions                  | Yes, in `knowledge`                                                               |
| Table metadata          | What each table and column actually means            | Yes, in `knowledge`                                                               |
| Business rules          | Definitions: what "active", "MRR", "churn" mean here | Yes, in `knowledge`                                                               |
| Institutional knowledge | An MCP server into your wiki or docs                 | Live                                                                              |
| Learnings               | Fixes the agent captured from past errors            | Live, see [Self-correcting agents](/use-cases/data-agents/self-correcting-agents) |
| Runtime schema          | `describe_table` at query time                       | Live                                                                              |

## Validated queries are the highest-leverage layer

One known-good query for "monthly recurring revenue" is worth more than a page of schema notes. When the agent retrieves a validated query for a similar question, it adapts a correct shape instead of inventing one. Seed the store with the queries your analysts already trust.

## Grounding vs raw text-to-SQL

| Raw text-to-SQL                           | Grounded data agent                            |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Guesses column meaning from names         | Reads curated table metadata                   |
| Reinvents each query from scratch         | Adapts a validated query                       |
| "Active" means whatever the model assumes | "Active" means what your business rule says    |
| Wrong in a way that looks right           | Wrong in a way you can trace to a missing rule |

## Next steps

| Task                             | Guide                                                                   |
| -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Capture fixes as durable context | [Self-correcting agents](/use-cases/data-agents/self-correcting-agents) |
| Run the SQL safely               | [Safe data access](/use-cases/data-agents/safe-data-access)             |

## Developer Resources

* [Knowledge](/knowledge/overview)
* [Dash: six layers of context](/tutorials/dash/overview)