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NQL queries execute within a single data plane. If your query references datasets that reside in different data planes, the query will fail.
NQL cannot join or query across multiple data planes. All datasets referenced in a query must exist within the same data plane.

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Why this happens

A data plane is the infrastructure where your data physically resides and where queries execute. Narrative’s architecture separates data planes to enable:
  • Data residency compliance — Keep data in specific geographic or organizational boundaries
  • Security isolation — Maintain separate security perimeters for different data sources
  • Infrastructure flexibility — Run data planes on different platforms (Narrative-hosted, Snowflake, Spark)
Because each data plane is an independent execution environment, the query engine cannot access data across data plane boundaries in a single query. For a deeper understanding of data plane architecture, see Data Planes.

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Troubleshooting steps

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1. Identify which datasets are in different data planes

Review your query and identify all datasets referenced. In the Narrative platform:
  1. Navigate to the dataset catalog
  2. Check the data plane assignment for each dataset in your query
  3. Note which datasets belong to different data planes

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2. Modify your query

Once you’ve identified the issue, you have two options: Option A: Query datasets separately Run separate queries against each data plane and combine results outside of NQL: 
-- Query 1: Run against Data Plane A
SELECT user_id, email, created_at FROM "companydata"."dataset_in_plane_a" WHERE ...

-- Query 2: Run against Data Plane B
SELECT user_id, email, created_at FROM "companydata"."dataset_in_plane_b" WHERE ...

-- Combine results in your application
Option B: Move data to a common data plane If you need to join datasets frequently, consider:
  1. Creating a materialized view that copies the necessary data to a single data plane
  2. Working with your Narrative representative to consolidate datasets
Data movement between data planes may have compliance implications. Consult your data governance team before moving data.

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Related content

Data Planes

Understand where your data lives and is processed

Query Processing

How queries flow from submission through execution

Control Plane

How Narrative orchestrates across data planes

NQL Troubleshooting

Overview of common NQL errors