Before you start, make sure you have data [indexed into {{es}}](/manage-data/ingest.md) or [install sample data](/manage-data/ingest/sample-data.md). By default, Lens uses [data views](/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views.md) to access your {{es}} data. Data views are created automatically in most cases when you ingest data. You can also [create one manually](/explore-analyze/find-and-organize/data-views.md) to select just the data that you want. Alternatively, you can use the [ES|QL query mode](/explore-analyze/visualize/esorql.md) to query your {{es}} data directly.