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

# Extract Chat

> Sidebar Chat attaches documents and batches, including analytics over a batch grid.

**Chat** in the sidebar (`/chat/`) is a thread list plus a conversation. It is not the [Chat tab on a document](/chat/deep-reader).

## Start a thread

* **+ New Chat** opens an empty thread (workflow **Extract workspace** by default).
* **Open in chat** on a batch creates a thread with that batch already attached (workflow **Extract batch analysis**).

You can change the workflow from the picker on a new thread:

| Workflow                   | Use it when                                           |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **Extract workspace**      | General questions with optional attached documents    |
| **Extract batch analysis** | A batch is the main context                           |
| **Extract Excel assist**   | Spreadsheet-oriented help (the Excel add-in workflow) |

Unknown workflow values fall back to Extract workspace. Deep Reader and legacy financial chats never appear in this list.

## Attach context

In a thread you can:

* Upload a PDF or image (same 64 MB rule).
* **Link** a document you already have.
* **Attach a batch** from the picker. The assistant sees the live extraction grid — schema, rows, edited cells, tables.

Detaching a batch or document does not delete it from your library.

## Analytics questions

When a batch is attached, you can ask statistical questions: totals, counts, filters, grouping. The assistant writes read-only SQL against a snapshot of the **current** grid. A reprocess or a cell edit is visible on the next turn. There is no sync button.

Answers can name the source document and page. For a single-file question, prefer [Deep Reader](/chat/deep-reader).

<Note>
  Chat spend is billed to the person asking, even when the attached batch belongs to a teammate.
</Note>

## What Chat is not

* It does not replace the schema builder's own AI column.
* It does not run standalone "Summarize" or "Analyze" templates. Those tabs do not exist.
* Spreadsheet SQL over an uploaded `.xlsx` / `.csv` is [coming soon](/digital-documents) — those files cannot be uploaded until digital documents are enabled.