StrataDocs
↑↓ navigate ↵ open esc close

Memory

Memory lets Strata remember facts about you and about the databases you work with, carrying that context across conversations.

Two scopes of memory

Strata maintains two separate memory banks:

  • Personal memory. Facts about you — your role, preferences, how you like answers formatted, recurring projects. Visible in every chat regardless of which database is connected.
  • Connection (database) memory. Facts about a specific SQL Server connection — table conventions, what "active customer" means in your schema, which procedures to prefer for which question. Only loaded when that connection is the active one.

Personal memory persists everywhere; connection memory only activates when the matching database is connected.

How memories are created

Strata adds memories silently during chat using a memory_update block in its response that the renderer hides from you. The most common triggers:

  • You explicitly say "remember that…" or "going forward, always…".
  • The AI infers a stable preference from how you ask repeated questions (for example, you consistently ask for charts in addition to numbers).
  • For connection memory, the AI captures schema conventions it learned during discovery (which column is the primary key, which table is the canonical customer list, etc.).

You never have to do anything for memory to work — it happens in the background.

Viewing your memory

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click Capabilities in the side navigation.
  3. The Memory section shows a count: "_N_ memories stored" (or "No memories stored yet"). The count combines your personal memory and the database memory for the active connection.
  4. Click View all to open the memory modal.

The modal has two tabs:

  • Personal — every personal memory entry, listed one per row.
  • Database — the connection memory for the SQL Server connection you currently have active. If no SQL Server is connected, this tab explains that each database keeps its own memory bank once you connect one in Extensions.

From either tab you can delete individual entries — memories are captured automatically, so the modal lets you remove ones you no longer want rather than hand-edit them. Delete all memories clears both your personal memory and the active connection's database memory at once.

Turning memory off

In Settings > Capabilities, toggle off Allow Strata to access memory. While the toggle is off:

  • Strata still has access to other conversation context (the current chat, your custom instructions, your work style).
  • New memories are not added.
  • Existing memories are not used or read into the AI's context.

Turn the toggle back on at any time — existing memories are preserved while the toggle is off.

Importing memory from another AI

In Settings > Capabilities, the Bring your memory from another AI card starts an import wizard. Paste exported memory text from another assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) and Strata parses it into discrete memory entries you can review before saving.

Memory in custom instructions

Memory is distinct from custom instructions. Both shape Strata's behavior, but:

  • Custom instructions are a single text block you write yourself in Settings > General. They apply to every conversation. Use them for role and tone ("I'm a financial analyst — prefer accounting formats and always show SQL").
  • Memory is a growing list of discrete facts captured over time. Use it for evolving context you do not want to manage by hand.

Privacy and incognito

  • Memory is not updated when you are in incognito chat — no new personal or connection memories are written. Existing memories are still read into context so the AI keeps what it already knows about you; only the writing is skipped.
  • Memory is stored in Strata's platform database, not in the AI model itself.
  • Your admin can lock the memory toggle organization-wide; if your org has done that, the toggle in Settings is disabled and shows a locked badge.

Exporting your memory

Memory is included in the Export your data flow in Settings > Privacy. The exported package lists your personal memory entries (with the date each was saved) in its settings file. See /docs/settings/data-export.

What can go wrong

  • Strata "forgot" something. Memories are facts, not verbatim transcripts — if you told it something in one chat as casual context, it may not have made it into memory. Tell it explicitly: "Remember that our fiscal year ends in March."
  • The View all modal is empty even though you've used Strata for weeks. Memory may be turned off — check the toggle in Settings > Capabilities. If your admin has locked memory off org-wide, the toggle is disabled and shows a locked badge.
  • A memory is wrong. Open the View all modal, click the offending entry, and delete it. Strata stops using it on the next message. (Memories are delete-only — to correct one, delete it and tell Strata the right fact so it captures a fresh memory.)

Related