Rusty

This a highly experimental tool developed to query NSIP database information using English text. It is highly experimental and is is still in the development and testing phase. It uses a LLM (Large Language Model) that is specially trained to write and execute queries against the NSIP database. It is structured as a question & answer application, so there's no follow-up questions (but you can modify your question). You provide a description of what you are looking for in the database and it produces the data as well as an explanation of the data displayed.

Getting to Know Rusty

Rusty was trained to answer questions for which the answers can be displayed in a table, he was not trained to answer general NSIP or EBV questions. Rusty has access to all the current Katahdin EBV data, he does not have access to raw measurements or historical data. Rusty also has some special knowledge about what trait categories were tested and across flock linkage status for animals. In order to start to use Rusty you need an access token that is associated with your flock and it keeps track of how many questions you have available. Think of it as your secure link to access Rusty, dont share it with other people. Each question Rusty processes cost money, so in order to limit my exposure I need to limit the number of questions that can be asked. Long-term funding and viability of Rusty is something that will have to be addressed in the future. For now, take it for what it is, an experiment in giving non-technical people access to the NSIP data and hopefully learn something about your data while having fun. The basic idea is, you type your question and submit it, Rusty think about it, generates a query to answer your question and returns the data to answer your question. Rusty also provides an explanation describing the data returned. This explanation helps you understand the data and it also helps you ensure that Rusty understood your question. Warning: Rusty can make mistakes, read the explanation to check that your question was understood. Double check results. I do not take responsibility for incorrect answers. Sometimes Rusty gets it wrong but he is never in doubt. Rusty has a few Specialists available to help him answer your questions. You need to pick a Specialist. You can switch between specialists, they have their own personalities and skills. Hopefully you will find one that you get along with. Mistakes:

Misunderstanding: There are times when Rusty will not be answering the question you think he is answering. Read the explanation and think if the result makes sense. Break your question into simpler parts rather than a long sentence that just runs together.
Invalid query: Rusty might understand the question, know how to get the results but he makes a mistake writing the query. You will get an explanation of the result but now data. I will monitor for that and give him some remedial training. Most times you can just resubmit the question and he will figure it out. In some cases you might have to use a different Specialist that is more capable to answer your question.
Lack of Knowledge: It will happen that at some point you will ask Rusty a question that he was not trained to answer. He will try his best to improvise and most of the time he will get it right. Incrementally expanding on a question is one way of working on a complex question and checking along the way to confirm that you and Rusty are still on the same page.

When you ask Rusty for data he does not have access to he will respond in various ways depending on the Specialist you are using and how you phrased the question.

"What color is 6400282018BUL403?" Might result in a dry response stating that Rusty does not have access to color information to suggestions of changes required so we can track colors.

There are other times where Rusty does not have the data but he incorrectly think he can calculate the data. Those cases are a bit harder to spot. Always ask yourself, does this answer make sense.

Flock

Rusty knows your Flock Id and answers questions in context of your flock unless you ask him to do otherwise.

How many lambs were born this year? - Will be answered in context of your flock
How many lambs were born this year in all flocks? - Will be answered looking at all flocks
How many lambs were born this year in flock 640001? - Will be answered in context of flock 640001

On the other hand when referencing a specific animal, Rusty tends to ignore the flock and uses the animal as a starting point.

How many offspring does 6400282018BUL403 have? - Questions is answered for 6400282018BUL403
How many offspring does 6400282018BUL403 have in my flock - Question is answered for 6400282018BUL403 and your flock

The good news is that Rusty will mention in the explanation if he is limiting the query to a specific flock.

Rusty's Knowledge

Rusty thinks he knows everything there is to know but in reality he only knows what he was taught and what he can derive from his understanding of the data. There's some note worthy bits of knowledge that Rusty has that you might have though about.

Test Status - Ask Rusty about the test status of some animals, e.g. "What is the test status of this years lambs?" This will show what category of testing each animal has undergone.
Link Status - Ask Rusty about the link status of some animals, e.g. "What is the link status of this years lambs?" This will show if the animal has linkage for across flock EBVs for various traits.
Grand Parents / Great Grand Parent - To Do
Pedigree & Generation - To Do
Relatedness - To Do
EBV Percentile - To Do
Time & Duration - To Do
Lambing Rate - To Do
Pedigree EBVs - To Do
Group Concatenation - To Do
Data Grouping - To Do
Age Group - To Do