---
title: "Work with notebooks"
slug: "work-with-notebooks"
updated: 2026-10-27T16:22:15Z
published: 2026-10-27T04:48:21Z
canonical: "docs.hunters.ai/work-with-notebooks"
---

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

# Work with notebooks

A notebook is an ordered list of SQL and text cells on the **Search** page (**Notebook** mode). A SQL cell can read an earlier cell's results as a table. A notebook cannot produce widgets or dashboards; build those in SQL mode.

## Cell references

To use an earlier cell's results as a table, write `{{Cell name}}`. Typing `@`, `FROM`, `JOIN` or `INTO` offers a list of earlier cells.

![Cell 2 reading Cell 1](https://cdn.document360.io/5f63f0e0-3c70-4d00-b623-82493be0bde5/Images/Documentation/notebook-cell-reference.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-27T18%3A02%3A32Z&se=2026-10-27T19%3A02%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=yGFxJlfScP594PeL1hjimKuBIpnSnYOAcebiGLcYEt8%3D)

Three rules apply:

1. **The referenced cell must come earlier** in the notebook.
2. **The referenced cell must have been run.** References read its stored result, not its SQL. Until it has run, **Run Query** stays disabled.
3. **References are by name.** Renaming a cell silently breaks every reference to it. Nothing marks the broken SQL; the only sign is that **Save** becomes disabled. Rename cells before you reference them.

Results are not saved with the notebook. After you open or save a notebook, run the cells again, or select **Run All**, before references work. A referenced result is available for about 24 hours.

**Run All** runs the SQL cells from top to bottom and stops at the first failure.

## Switching data type deletes every cell

A notebook runs against one data type. Changing it, even between RAW Data and OCSF Data, replaces the whole notebook with one empty SQL cell, text cells included.

![Switch data type confirmation](https://cdn.document360.io/5f63f0e0-3c70-4d00-b623-82493be0bde5/Images/Documentation/notebook-switch-data-type.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-27T18%3A02%3A32Z&se=2026-10-27T19%3A02%3A32Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=yGFxJlfScP594PeL1hjimKuBIpnSnYOAcebiGLcYEt8%3D)

              Don't save after an accidental switch

              

On a saved notebook, the switch leaves **Save changes** enabled, and one click overwrites the saved notebook with the empty cell. Reload the page and reopen the notebook from the Query Library instead.

## Saving and sharing

- **Save changes** overwrites the notebook. There is no version history.
- **Close** detaches the notebook but keeps the cells on screen. Saving after that creates a **new** notebook.
- Sharing is all-or-nothing for your organization. Others can open and run a shared notebook, and **Save as Copy** to keep their own version, but they see no results until they run it.
- Notebook rows in the Query Library don't show the data type.