Tableau Software Inc. said it’s planning to build natural language querying capabilities into its data visualization products after announcing the acquisition today of a startup called ClearGraph.

Based in Palo Alto, California, ClearGraph has built technology that enables “smart data discovery” and analysis via spoken commands. Tableau said it bought the company in order to integrate its technology into its own products, so users can interact more easily with their data by asking questions using natural language.

“Natural language queries will make it easier for more people to interact with Tableau, whether you’re an executive who needs an answer quickly, or on a mobile phone and want an answer from your data on the move,” said Francois Ajenstat, chief product officer at Tableau. “The ClearGraph team shares our mission and is aligned with our innovation perspectives on conversational analytics.”

ClearGraph’s technology works by connecting multiple data sources, making insights accessible through “conversational style search.” For example, a user can ask for simple stats such as the “total sales by customers who purchased staples in New York,” in order to quickly get the answers they need. The search can be expanded with additional spoken queries by adding a filter such as “orders in the last 30 days.”

Tableau said ClearGraph’s technology can improve the more it’s used. That’s because semantic data is stored in knowledge graphs that can expand and learn over time. It said the system requires no training, because it can infer users’ intent from their natural-language commands.

The acquisition is a timely one for Tableau, coming just weeks after research firm Gartner Inc. published a report on “augmented analytics,” which it defines as an approach that automates insights using machine learning and natural-language generation. According to that report, augmented analytics is set to become the “next wave of disruption in the data and analytics market,” and Gartner recommends that enterprises should begin planning to adopt the technology as soon as possible. By acquiring ClearGraph, Tableau seemingly becomes well-positioned to emerge as a leading provider of augmented analytics services.

“We founded ClearGraph because we saw a need to bridge the gap between humans and computers through natural language, especially when it comes to exploring data,” said Andrew Vigneault, chief executive officer of ClearGraph. “Tableau is a natural fit for us because we have similar missions, cultures and genuine desire to help more people around the world access, interact with and get answers from their data.”

Vigneault cofounded ClearGraph alongside Ryan Atallah in 2014. The company claims its product is used by “dozens of customers, including large enterprises,” though it didn’t provide names.

As part of the acquisition, ClearGraph’s employees will join Tableau in Palo Alto. Their immediate focus will be on integrating ClearGraph’s natural-language processing technology into Tableau’s own products.

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