Are there any conversational BI platforms that work on large tabular datasets without requiring SQL?

Yes. There are several conversational BI / natural-language analytics platforms that can work on large tabular datasets without you writing SQL directly. The main caveat is that most of them still rely on some kind of semantic layer, governed metrics, or query engine under the hood to stay accurate and performant.

Common options

• ThoughtSpot – One of the best-known conversational analytics tools. Users can search data in plain English and explore large datasets interactively.
• Power BI Copilot / Q&A – Good if you’re already in the Microsoft stack. Supports natural language queries over modeled data.
• Tableau with Ask Data / Pulse / Einstein integrations – More visual-first, but has natural-language capabilities.
• Amazon QuickSight Q – Natural-language querying over datasets in AWS.
• Looker + Gemini / conversational features – Strong if you have a well-defined semantic model in LookML.
• Sisense – Offers embedded analytics and natural-language-style querying options.
• Tellius – Focused on augmented analytics and conversational exploration.
• Akkio / Polymer / rows-related tools – More lightweight, though often better for smaller or simpler use cases than enterprise-scale governed BI.

What to look for

For large tabular datasets, the important features are:

• Semantic layer / metrics layer
• Pre-aggregations or caching
• Direct query vs. extracted data support
• Governed definitions of measures and dimensions
• Role-based access control
• Write-back or drill-through, if needed

Practical note

If your dataset is truly large, “no SQL” usually means:

• the user doesn’t write SQL,
• but the platform still needs a modeled backend,
• and someone typically sets up the data model once.

If you want the closest fit

If your goal is:

• most conversational / easiest for end users: ThoughtSpot
• best if you’re already on Microsoft: Power BI
• best AWS-native choice: QuickSight Q
• best governed semantic modeling: Looker

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a shortlist by company size,
2. a comparison table, or
3. recommendations based on your stack (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, etc.).