Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to the most common questions about Alien Giraffe’s functionality, security, and data handling.

General Questions

Can an Alien Giraffe instance write back to my data sources?

Only if the connections that are configured have write capability. By default, Alien Giraffe encourages read-only configurations for security, but you can enable write operations by configuring your data source connections with appropriate write permissions.

Does the system need to use an LLM?

Yes and No. Alien Giraffe can work in two modes:

• Direct Mode: Work directly from data source configurations without LLM involvement
• Contract Mode: Use data contracts that auto-map from original data sources into target contracts, eliminating the need for LLM processing

This flexibility allows you to choose the approach that best fits your security and operational requirements.

What type of information is sent to an LLM by Alien Giraffe?

For each dataset, Alien Giraffe sends:

1. Dataset Schema - Column names, types, and structure information
2. Sample Data - A representative sample of the dataset for pattern understanding

Important Security Measures:

• PII is automatically de-identified before sending samples to the LLM
• Masking and security configurations are applied before any data leaves your environment
• Only approved, filtered data ever reaches the LLM

For Maximum Security: Configure a local LLM to use with Alien Giraffe, ensuring no data ever leaves your infrastructure.

What happens if someone updates the data source while a session has already loaded a dataset?

This depends on the loading strategy configured for your data source:

Lazy Loading Mode (Default):

• Supported for all data sources
• Data is loaded into memory for performance
• Updates to the source won’t be reflected until you reload
• You need to send explicit instructions to re-load the dataset to see changes

Remote Query Mode:

• Only available for certain data sources (e.g., PostgreSQL)
• Data is queried directly from the source each time
• You always get the latest data automatically
• Real-time updates are reflected in your queries
• Slightly lower performance than Lazy Loading, but latency is minimal when Alien Giraffe is deployed in the same environment as your data sources

Most data sources use Lazy Loading by default for optimal performance. Remote Query Mode can be enabled for supported data sources when real-time data freshness is required.

Security Questions

How does Alien Giraffe protect my sensitive data?

Alien Giraffe implements multiple layers of security:

• Source-Level Filtering - Security rules are applied at the data source before any data is loaded into memory
• Column Blocking - Sensitive columns are excluded entirely from queries
• Data Masking - PII is automatically masked or redacted
• Zero Trust Architecture - No direct database access for AI systems
• Audit Trails - Complete logging of data access patterns

Can I use Alien Giraffe without sending any data to external LLMs?

Yes! Alien Giraffe provides multiple options to prevent data from reaching external LLMs:

1. Local LLMs - Configure Alien Giraffe to use local LLMs that run entirely within your infrastructure
2. Deterministic Mode - Avoid LLM usage altogether by using predefined data contracts
3. Disable Data Sampling - Turn off data sampling so that no sample data is used to generate context for LLMs

These options ensure complete control over your data and can be combined based on your security requirements.

What compliance standards does Alien Giraffe support?

Alien Giraffe is designed to support various compliance requirements including:

• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
• HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
• SOC 2 (Service Organization Control 2)
• Custom organizational data governance policies

Technical Questions

What data sources does Alien Giraffe support?

Currently supported:

• PostgreSQL - Full support with security configurations
• AWS S3 - Parquet, CSV, and JSON files

Coming soon:

• Databricks Delta tables
• Snowflake data warehouses
• Google BigQuery
• Additional database systems

How does performance compare to direct database access?

Alien Giraffe acts as an in-memory database. Once datasets are loaded, performance is as fast as querying your database directly, or even faster depending on the type of database you’re using.

Additional performance features include:

• Query Optimization - Automatic query improvements
• Resource Controls - Prevents runaway queries that could impact performance
• Lazy Loading - Data is loaded only when needed

For most analytical workloads, performance matches or exceeds direct database access with added security benefits.

Can I deploy Alien Giraffe in my own cloud?

Yes! Alien Giraffe can be deployed in your infrastructure using:

• Kubernetes - Full Helm chart support for any Kubernetes cluster
• Docker - Container-based deployment options
• Cloud-Native - Integration with AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure services

See our Deployments section for detailed guides.

Getting Help

How do I get started with Alien Giraffe?

1. Follow our Getting Started guide for a quick setup
2. Configure your first data source in Data Sources
3. Set up AI integration if needed in AI Integration
4. Deploy to production using our Kubernetes guide

Where can I get support?

For technical support and questions:

• 📧 Contact Support for assistance
• 📖 Browse our comprehensive documentation
• 🚀 Schedule a demo to see Alien Giraffe in action

How do I report a bug or request a feature?

Please contact our support team at support@aliengiraffe.ai with:

• Detailed description of the issue or feature request
• Steps to reproduce (for bugs)
• Your current Alien Giraffe version and configuration
• Any relevant log files or error messages