Choosing the Right Product Surface
Understand when to use Chat, workflows, Docs, Knowledge Bases, databases, Tables, Scheduled Tasks, hosted experiences, and Apps.
SteelEngine combines adaptive AI work, repeatable automation, content, structured data, and user-facing experiences in one workspace. These surfaces work together, but each has a distinct job.
Quick Decision Guide
| If you need to... | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Explore, decide, create, or coordinate work dynamically | Chat | Chat reasons against the current workspace and adapts its approach |
| Run the same production process reliably | Workflow | A deployed workflow executes a defined graph with versioned logic |
| Write, organize, edit, or share human-readable content | Docs | Workspace Docs are first-class files for people and automation |
| Retrieve relevant source material for an AI response | Knowledge Base | Content is processed, chunked, embedded, and searched at run time |
| Organize related structured datasets | Database | A database is the container that groups Tables |
| Store, query, and update structured records | Table | A Table contains typed columns and rows inside a database |
| Repeat an adaptive instruction on a schedule | Scheduled Task | Chat reevaluates the prompt against current workspace state each run |
| Run fixed deployed automation on a schedule | Schedule trigger | The same versioned workflow graph runs on the configured cadence |
| Put one workflow behind a simple chat or form | Hosted Chat or Hosted Form | SteelEngine generates a focused interface for one deployed workflow |
| Build a multi-page dashboard, portal, or internal tool | App | Apps combine widgets, data, and one or more workflow actions |
Chat and Workflows
Use Chat when the work benefits from reasoning, exploration, or coordination across workspace resources. Use a Workflow when the process needs to be repeatable, testable, deployable, and observable.
Chat and Workflows are complementary: Chat can build, edit, test, deploy, and debug a Workflow, while the deployed Workflow becomes the production system that runs repeatedly.
A useful rule: use Chat to determine or change what should happen; use a Workflow when what should happen is already defined.
Docs and Knowledge Bases
Use Docs for content that people or automation need to create, edit, organize, preview, or share. Use a Knowledge Base when agents need retrieval-optimized context from one or many sources.
A Workspace Doc can be added to a Knowledge Base. The Doc remains the human-readable source; the Knowledge Base creates searchable chunks and embeddings from that source.
Databases and Tables
A database is an organizational container. A Table is the structured data store inside it.
Open Databases from the workspace sidebar, select or create a database, then work with its Tables. Workflows, Chat, APIs, and Apps read and write the Table records.
Scheduled Tasks and Schedule Triggers
Use a Scheduled Task when you want Chat to repeat an instruction and adapt to current workspace state. Use a Schedule trigger when you want a fixed deployed Workflow to run on a predictable cadence.
For example:
- “Every morning, review new support issues and decide what needs attention” is a Scheduled Task.
- “Every morning, query this table, transform each row, and write the results to Salesforce” is a scheduled Workflow.
Hosted Experiences and Apps
A Hosted Chat or Hosted Form is a generated interface for one deployed Workflow. It is the fastest way to give people a focused input-and-response experience without designing an application.
An App is a customizable, multi-page experience built from widgets. Apps can combine Tables, charts, KPIs, filters, forms, file uploads, AI chat, and multiple Workflow actions.
Use Hosted Chat or Hosted Form for one Workflow with a simple interface. Use Apps when the experience needs its own layout, navigation, data views, or multiple actions.