Voice of the DBA

Tag: AI

A Prompt AI Experiment

Prompt AI released recently and I decided to try a few things with the tool that might help me in database work. I’ve had to do this task, but I had a customer recently ask me about this as well. They were wondering where they were short FKs.

This post showed what I tried with Prompt AI.

This is part of a series of experiments with AI systems. This is part of a series of posts on SQL Prompt. You can see all my posts on SQL Prompt under that tag.

Help Me Query the Database

In a recent post, I looked at the MSSQL agent in VS Code to query my database. I decided to try a few things with Prompt AI, working inline. First, I connected to the database and then I asked a question of the AI: who hit the most home runs.

From the time I shot the video, I had updated Prompt, and possibly the AI got smarter, because this was the result: I had a qood query.

I wanted more, so I asked for seasons. You can see the prompt at the bottom, but seasons were added.

Click Accept and then run it and I get the correct answer.

How nice would this be for some of the BI analysts to use this to get work done?

Getting Help Fixing the Database

In this db, there aren’t any FKs. I decided to (poorly) ask about this.

Note the misspelling. One of the amazing things is the AI recognizes little errors, just as a human would, and corrects them. I get an OK result, but not great.

I rewrite my prompt to ask which ones “should” have FKs. I get this:

Helpful, but I don’t want to work through this list.

I get this. No code, and I feel like I’m talking to a junior dev who is either trying to avoid work or doesn’t have the understanding that I want work done. I’ll try again.

I get something I can use. I wouldn’t likely create all these at once, I’d test things, I might start to add these as migration scripts I can deploy over time, after I’ve verified this isn’t going to break an app or cause issues. Or there aren’t already data issues.

Still, this is one of those nice time savings for me writing a script to try and create these or working through time one by one. Now I can just set up tests.

Or ask Prompt AI to help

Summary

The new features in Prompt AI let you keep coding inline, but add some AI help to what you do. I’ve seen some neat things, and some frustrating ones, but overall, it’s helpful to produce code.

If you haven’t tried SQL Prompt, download the eval and give it a try. I think you’ll find this is one of the best tools to increase your productivity writing SQL.

Video Walkthrough

This isn’t exactly what is above, because LLMs aren’t deterministic.

September 17, 2025
AI Steals Joy

Take a moment and think about how much work you do each day. If you write code, how much time do you actually spend writing code around meetings, admin work, and other tasks. If you manage systems and develop scripts, how often do you get to work on a script, change it, upgrade it, or add a new feature? I bet it’s a minority of time for most of you. Studies show that many developers spend only an hour or two writing code each day. I would guess it’s lower for sysadmins or DBAs who incorporate coding into their jobs.

Now think about how much you enjoy each thing you do. I assume meetings aren’t the most exciting thing you work on, nor is updating a document for others to read. When I wrote code as the main part of my job, solving the problem, trying different algorithms, experimenting with enhancements, those were the fun times.

Now imagine having a competent AI assistant that works with you. What if the AI does the coding and leaves you with the meetings and writing of specifications? It could happen. While it might be fun to direct a team of agents, you still need to understand software architecture and development, but you might not want to get away from writing code.

As more developers start to use AI agents to get work done, there is rising dissatisfaction among developers because the AI can do quite a bit of the coding, which is the thing that most developers love. The AI doesn’t help with any of the other busy work, though AI agents might do a better job of ensuring docs match committed code (or released code).

What I’d really like is an AI that would take my place at meetings. Maybe do a report for me or take a summary back, get some action items for me. An AI agent could handle things that wouldn’t necessarily be fun for me. Not all tedious things, but it could free up more time for coding.

However, that’s not what the GenAI agents are being positioned to do. They’re stealing the joyous part of development. At least, if managers have their way, that’s the place they’ll use GenAI most.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.

Note, podcasts are only available for a limited time online.

September 15, 2025
T-SQL Tuesday #190–Mastering a New Technical Skill
It’s time for T-SQL Tuesday again and this time Todd Kleinhans has a great invitation that is near and dear to my heart: mastering a new or existing technical skill. That’s been a lot of what I try to inspire people to do at SQL Server Central.

Make a plan and start learning. And respond to Todd’s invitation and write down your plan and share it. Start a blog, use Linked In, whatever. Spread the word on socials as well.

If you want to host, I’m always looking for hosts for T-SQL Tuesday. Ping me on Twitter/X, BlueSky, or LinkedIn.

Mastering a New Tech Skill

Like Todd, I’m interested in AI and I think it will dramatically change the world in the coming future. I also think it’s a bit of a technical skill that is important to learn. I wrote about this a bit in last month’s post.

How do I work with a GenAI model and improve my technical skills? The easy answer is more and more. I’ve been having more conversations with Claude, usually looking for ways to help me solve a problem or write code, and then ask the GenAI to explain things.

However, I wrote awhile ago about an experiment in helping someone else learn something: Can an AI Help Me Find a Job?. For me, I’ve been looking a bit more at DataBricks, as I hear this from clients all the time. I wanted to gain some skill here, so I decided to ask Claude to help me.

I got a good outline of things to do across a few months. I then asked for references and got some:

The next stage for me is to start embarking on this journey a few nights a week and learn some things that might help me both in my job, and potentially in a future position if I need one.

My Complete Outline from Claude

Here’s the end result, with links.

Databricks Learning Outline with Resources

Phase 1: Foundations (1-2 weeks)

Understanding the Basics
- What is Databricks and why it’s used
- Core concepts: clusters, notebooks, workspaces, and Apache Spark
- Databricks architecture and modern data stack integration
Key Resources:
- Databricks Academy (Free): https://www.databricks.com/learn/training/home – All self-paced training across AI, data engineering, and more is now free Databricks Training & Certification Programs | Databricks<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = “[default] http://www.w3.org/2000/svg” NS = “http://www.w3.org/2000/svg” />
- Databricks Learn Hub: https://www.databricks.com/learn
- Getting Started Documentation: https://docs.databricks.com/getting-started/
- Free Edition Signup: https://www.databricks.com/learn/free-edition – Databricks Free Edition has replaced Community Edition Databricks Databricks
Phase 2: Getting Started (2-3 weeks)

Hands-on Basics
- Navigating workspace interface
- Creating and managing clusters
- Working with notebooks
- Basic data import methods
Key Resources:
- Databricks Free Edition Setup: https://docs.databricks.com/aws/en/getting-started/free-edition Databricks Free Edition | Databricks on AWS
- Azure Databricks Free Training: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/databricks/getting-started/free-training Get free Databricks training – Azure Databricks | Microsoft Learn
- Databricks Quickstart Tutorials: https://docs.databricks.com/getting-started/quick-start.html
- Apache Spark Documentation: https://spark.apache.org/docs/latest/
Phase 3: Data Analysis Fundamentals (3-4 weeks)

Core Analytics Skills
- Data exploration and cleaning
- Working with different data formats
- Basic SQL and PySpark operations
Key Resources:
- Databricks SQL Documentation: https://docs.databricks.com/sql/
- Delta Lake Documentation: https://docs.delta.io/latest/
- PySpark Documentation: https://spark.apache.org/docs/latest/api/python/
- Sample Datasets: https://docs.databricks.com/discover/databricks-datasets.html
Phase 4: Intermediate Techniques (4-5 weeks)

Advanced Analytics
- Complex transformations and ETL
- Streaming data and machine learning
- Performance optimization
Key Resources:
- Structured Streaming Guide: https://docs.databricks.com/structured-streaming/
- MLlib Documentation: https://spark.apache.org/docs/latest/ml-guide.html
- Performance Tuning Guide: https://docs.databricks.com/optimizations/
- Databricks Machine Learning: https://docs.databricks.com/machine-learning/
Phase 5: Production and Best Practices (2-3 weeks)

Professional Development
- Job scheduling and workflows
- Security and monitoring
- Integration patterns
Key Resources:
- Databricks Workflows: https://docs.databricks.com/workflows/
- Security and Access Control: https://docs.databricks.com/security/
- Best Practices Guide: https://docs.databricks.com/best-practices/
Additional Learning Platforms:
- Coursera Databricks Courses: https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=databricks Best Databricks Courses & Certificates [2025] | Coursera Learn Online
- Udemy Databricks Courses: https://www.udemy.com/topic/databricks/ Top Databricks Courses Online – Updated [September 2025]
- DataCamp: https://www.datacamp.com/ (search for Databricks courses)
- LinkedIn Learning: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/ (search for Databricks)
Certification Path:
- Databricks Certification Overview: https://www.databricks.com/learn/training/certification Databricks Certification | Databricks
- Free Certification Overview Courses: Databricks now offers free certification overview courses for data analysis, data engineering, and machine learning Getting Databricks Certified Is Now Easier With Free Overview Courses
Community and Support:
- Databricks Community Forum: https://community.databricks.com/ Databricks Community
- Databricks Blog: https://www.databricks.com/blog
- Stack Overflow: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/tagged/databricks
Getting Started Steps:
1. Sign up for Databricks Free Edition: Visit the Databricks Free Edition signup page and pick your preferred signup method Databricks Free Edition | Databricks on AWS
2. Access free training: Free unlimited access to training content on Databricks Academy provides on-demand learning experiences for all skill levels Databricks Launches Free Edition and Announces $100 Million Investment to Develop the Next Generation of Data and AI Talent – Databricks
3. Join the community: Connect with other learners and experts
4. Start with sample datasets: Practice with built-in datasets before using your own data
The great news is that all self-paced training across AI, data engineering, and more is now free for learners Databricks Training & Certification Programs | Databricks, making it easier than ever to get started with Databricks!
September 9, 2025
Learning a New Language

This week, there are two interesting articles in the newsletter. The first is a markdown getting started article, which helps you learn how to format your documents. At first, I wasn’t sure I liked markdown, but I’ve come to prefer it for a lot of documents. It’s easy to use, and it makes using Git for docs very easy. Plus, I can mix in markdown and HTML as needed, which I really appreciate. I think most people who collaborate and update any documents in a team should learn to use markdown instead of Word, Notepad, etc.

The second one that caught me eye is one on Power Query. I don’t know Power Query, but there was a piece on the 13 things John Kerski wishes he knew when he started. I didn’t really do more than skim this since I am not writing any Power Query right now. What was interesting to me is that I’m not sure I’d bookmark this if I were actually writing Power Query in Power BI as part of my job.

Maybe I would, but as I start to use a GenAI more and more to get me started with different projects or requirements, I’m finding it as a way to kickstart me in learning something new. It’s not perfect, and I have to test the results I get. Learning to judge the quality is part of my job, but that’s different than trying to learn something new from scratch. That’s a similar view to what I’ve heard from a few people. This podcast with Kent Beck showcases this view (starts at 6:12).

In the real world, when I wanted to learn something new, I often looked for a book or a few magazine articles that might get me some basics in a new area. In the digital world, I used to do the same thing, but in the last 20 years, I’ve been looking for an article or a “start in 30 days” book that might give me some basic skills. Then I could experiment and extend what I learned to get work done, likely asking friends or someone in a forum how to do the thing I need.

Now I ask a GenAI and go from there. I no longer worry about learning the specifics of a language, as I have a good idea in general of the things I need to do. What I’m using the GenAI to do is implement some details, and then I go back and check things. It’s like having an intern who can do a first draft while I work on something else.

Except it’s way faster.

GenAI models aren’t perfect, and they make mistakes. However, the more I use them, the more I enjoy them, and I find enough small time savings that I want to use them more.

Steve Jones

September 6, 2025