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This somewhat already exists in the form of semantic layers, which if done well can handle many of the queries necessary in the course of business without busin
by totalhack 3y ago
This somewhat already exists in the form of semantic layers, which if done well can handle many of the queries necessary in the course of business without business users needing to know any SQL. There will still be cases where you need direct SQL, and AI tools can help the development process there at a minimum.
- pietz 3y agoYes, there will be cases where you need SQL knowledge. There will also always be cases where knowing exactly how a database works under the hood is necessary. I think this is somewhat of a weak argument because you can always construct an example of how something may be helpful for a small group of people. The relevant question is: How many people who work with databases need to have a lot of experience with SQL? My argument is that while the answer today is "most," the answer in a couple of years might be "very few."
- totalhack 3y agoSure, AI will assist more and more in the cases where people must write SQL or manage a database, perhaps to the point you suggest. But my point was actually that more people think they need to know SQL today than is actually the case. Excluding people that manage databases or cases that go direct to SQL for things like complex ETL, your average business user / marketer / etc should not be asked to write SQL or have to ask someone else to write SQL for them. Use a semantic layer instead with a UI on top and it's almost as easy as natural language. Here is a example of one I made below, but there are others out there with more support. At my company, and the last few I've worked for, we use this approach for ~all day to day querying and a chunk of backend SQL replacement. https://github.com/totalhack/zillion https://github.com/totalhack/zillion