Execution context is the combination of four settings—data plane, compute pool, database, and schema—that determines where and how your platform operations run. Every query you execute, every dataset you browse, and every audience you build runs within a specific execution context.
Think of it as answering four questions at once: Where does my data live? (data plane), What resources should process it? (compute pool), Which database? (database), and Which schema? (schema).
The four dimensions
| Dimension | What it controls | Example values |
|---|
| Data plane | Where your data physically resides and where queries execute | Narrative DCP, Customer Snowflake, Customer AWS |
| Compute pool | The compute resources allocated to process your queries | Dedicated, Shared, Default |
| Database | The logical database within the data plane | DEFAULT |
| Schema | The schema within the database that scopes visible objects | DEFAULT |
How context affects the platform
Your execution context influences what you see and how operations behave across the platform:
| Feature | How context applies |
|---|
| NQL queries | Queries execute in the selected data plane using the selected compute pool’s resources |
| Dataset browsing | Only datasets registered in the selected data plane are visible |
| Data Studio | Query editor and results operate within the current context |
| Audiences | Audience creation and activation use the selected data plane and compute resources |
Supported providers
Execution context options vary depending on your data plane’s underlying provider:
| Provider | Description | Available compute pools |
|---|
| Snowflake | Customer-hosted Snowflake data planes | Default |
| Narrative (shared AWS) | Narrative’s managed data collaboration platform | Dedicated, Shared |
| Customer AWS | Customer-hosted data planes on AWS infrastructure | Dedicated, Shared |
Default behavior
When you first load the platform, context auto-selects based on what’s available to you:
- Single data plane — Auto-selected. No action needed.
- Multiple data planes — Defaults to the Narrative DCP (data collaboration platform).
- Compute pool — Defaults to the provider’s standard option: Default for Snowflake, Shared for Narrative and Customer AWS.
- Database and schema — Default to
DEFAULT.
For most users with a single data plane, the execution context is set automatically and requires no interaction.
Context persistence
Your execution context is saved to your browser’s local storage. When you return to the platform in a later session, your previous selections are restored automatically. This means you don’t need to re-select your context each time you log in.
Because context is stored per-browser, using a different browser or clearing local storage will reset your selections to the defaults.
Database and schema
The database and schema dimensions currently default to DEFAULT for all data planes. These dimensions exist to support future multi-database and multi-schema configurations, where organizations may need to scope operations to specific databases or schemas within a data plane.
For now, you can leave these at their default values.
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