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Getting AI to write good SQL

(cloud.google.com)
478 points richards | 1 comments | 16 May 25 21:10 UTC | HN request time: 0.219s | source
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AdrianB1 ◴[16 May 25 23:20 UTC] No.44010668[source]▶
In real life I find using AI for SQL dangerous. It allows people that don't know what they do to write queries that can significantly impact servers. In my world databases are relatively big for most developers, but not huge.

Sometimes when I want to fine tune a query I am challenging AI to provide a better solution. I give it the already optimized query and I ask for better. I never got a better answer, sometimes because AI is hallucinating or because the changes that it proposes are not working in a way that is beneficial, it is like an idiot parrot is telling what it overheard in the brothel - good info if it is a war brothel frequented by enemy officers in 1916, but not these days.

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1. scarface_74 ◴[17 May 25 02:19 UTC] No.44011554[source]▶
> It allows people that don't know what they do to write queries that can significantly impact servers.

At least for the only OLAP DB I use often - Amazon Redshift - that’s a solved problem with Workload Management Queues. You can restrict those users ability to consume too many resources.

For queries that are used for OLTP, I usually try to keep those queries relatively simple. If there is a reason for read queries that consume resources , those go to read replicas when strong consistently isn’t required