How I Am Using AI
The hottest buzzword of the last 5 or so years, Artificial Intelligence, AI. There is simply no escaping it, AI permeates nearly every facet of our daily lives. While maybe you're not using a fancy tool such as Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini, chances are if you've got a smartphone you're using some aspect of it and maybe don't even realize it. Siri on the iPhone is truly a personal digital assistant. "Hey Siri, set a reminder for me to do XYZ task later." Autocomplete and grammar suggestions happily assist in crafting that document or email. Even within SSMS, the tool used to manage SQL Server is wading into the AI waters with some of their new features in version 22.
This Old Curmudgeon
I feel that I am in a strange point in my life and career. The Internet was just starting to get its foundation when I was a junior in high school. In the time when youths begin thinking about and laying out potential career goal, this new fangled technology is going to revolutionize how we conduct business, learn, go about our daily lives. I saw it as the future and wanted in! Every moment I could steal with the brand new Windows 3.1 workstation in the library, I was on it. While not connected to the web yet, it was still exposure. Naturally progressing towards a degree in IT, I began college in the fall of 1995.
Now fully equipped with Windows 95 workstations and a full T1 data line, the World Wide Web was opened to me! I remember quite well my first web search was "Magic the Gathering" and I recall being stunned at the content it found. Message boards, chat rooms, images, and so much more. I was all for the new and exciting.
So why do I share all of that under that heading? I used to be thoroughly excited about the future of technology, what can the latest and greatest do for me? However I am on the back half of my career turning 50 in a couple months and it feels as if I'm evolving into the old guy saying "Back in my day....." or "you kids stay off my lawn!" Things that used to roll off my back irritate me to no end, I look forward to 9:30 bed times and I definitely don't need some piece of software doing my job for me. That's the attitude I've had about AI for the last several years as it's gaining prominence. I'm on my metaphorical front porch screaming at the clouds.
Now fully equipped with Windows 95 workstations and a full T1 data line, the World Wide Web was opened to me! I remember quite well my first web search was "Magic the Gathering" and I recall being stunned at the content it found. Message boards, chat rooms, images, and so much more. I was all for the new and exciting.
So why do I share all of that under that heading? I used to be thoroughly excited about the future of technology, what can the latest and greatest do for me? However I am on the back half of my career turning 50 in a couple months and it feels as if I'm evolving into the old guy saying "Back in my day....." or "you kids stay off my lawn!" Things that used to roll off my back irritate me to no end, I look forward to 9:30 bed times and I definitely don't need some piece of software doing my job for me. That's the attitude I've had about AI for the last several years as it's gaining prominence. I'm on my metaphorical front porch screaming at the clouds.
I'd wager to say that in my most workplaces today, the upper management folks are pushing for AI usage.
"Start using AI tools"
"Ok, how would you like me to do that?"
"Just start using them. Work more efficiently!"
I think this was my first stumbling block. The direction with which to use the tools is non existent. Not entirely, but by and large. Executives want to be seen as cutting edge so they point the finger and say figure it out. Sure, but in what capacity?
In reading and learning about tools, end users touted all of the things it could do, the code it could help write. People going on and on about all they could do and in my mind I'm thinking about the jobs it would potentially eliminate. Admittedly, the content I read about code and so forth that it generates, a human SHOULD still fully review it and make sure that it's accurate. However at least on the surface though, I could see how these types of tools would start making some of my tasks potentially obsolete. Therein lies where I got nervous and cranky about it. I take immense pride in the work and code I produce and now it's going to be done faster? Maybe not even need my intervention? My walls went up and I wanted nothing to do with it.
"Start using AI tools"
"Ok, how would you like me to do that?"
"Just start using them. Work more efficiently!"
I think this was my first stumbling block. The direction with which to use the tools is non existent. Not entirely, but by and large. Executives want to be seen as cutting edge so they point the finger and say figure it out. Sure, but in what capacity?
In reading and learning about tools, end users touted all of the things it could do, the code it could help write. People going on and on about all they could do and in my mind I'm thinking about the jobs it would potentially eliminate. Admittedly, the content I read about code and so forth that it generates, a human SHOULD still fully review it and make sure that it's accurate. However at least on the surface though, I could see how these types of tools would start making some of my tasks potentially obsolete. Therein lies where I got nervous and cranky about it. I take immense pride in the work and code I produce and now it's going to be done faster? Maybe not even need my intervention? My walls went up and I wanted nothing to do with it.
Begrudgingly Coming Around
I will state here that in my workplace, we are only permitted to use Copilot and the built in Gemini functions in the Chrome browser. So while I am using some AI tools, it's not the big, paid for, ultra fancy options.
About 6 months ago, I had some problem that was giving me fits (can't recall now exactly what it was) that simple Google Fu couldn't locate a solution for. I furtively clicked on the Copilot app on my desktop and began typing out the issue I was encountering. While it did not outright state "Here's your fix" it DID provide some useful snippets of TSQL to use and walked me through some steps to try. Over the course of the next 45 minutes or so, I'd have a virtual chat with Copilot providing results, letting it know what I'm trying and so forth. Ultimately in this particular scenario, we went down a rabbit hole of wrong paths and were nowhere close to solving the issue. However, it provided me some new useful scripts to use that I recognized as potentially helping me in the future.
After that first interaction, my stance softened a little. I began to use it more, specifically when it came to having to lay out some details in order to ask the question; things that you cannot put into a quick Google search. I started providing it information such as "I have this version of SQL server on this hardware, when I do X I get Y error. Here's everything I've tried so far. Can you help me figure out where I should be looking?"
About 6 months ago, I had some problem that was giving me fits (can't recall now exactly what it was) that simple Google Fu couldn't locate a solution for. I furtively clicked on the Copilot app on my desktop and began typing out the issue I was encountering. While it did not outright state "Here's your fix" it DID provide some useful snippets of TSQL to use and walked me through some steps to try. Over the course of the next 45 minutes or so, I'd have a virtual chat with Copilot providing results, letting it know what I'm trying and so forth. Ultimately in this particular scenario, we went down a rabbit hole of wrong paths and were nowhere close to solving the issue. However, it provided me some new useful scripts to use that I recognized as potentially helping me in the future.
After that first interaction, my stance softened a little. I began to use it more, specifically when it came to having to lay out some details in order to ask the question; things that you cannot put into a quick Google search. I started providing it information such as "I have this version of SQL server on this hardware, when I do X I get Y error. Here's everything I've tried so far. Can you help me figure out where I should be looking?"
This is how I am primarily using the tool today. As a conversationalist who maybe has the answers to my bugs locked away in there and I need to coax it out. At least three times this week I have gone to it and said something along the lines of "I have this query and I am expecting it do this and it's not behaving that way. Can you help point me in the direction of where thought process is falling off?" Now, of course it's mostly patronizing, starting off with a response such as "Wow, that's a great idea, you're making intelligent choices." So you know, a little go boost. And yes I know you can kind of disable those types of features. Though a little pat on the back, even virtually never hurts.
So now I bounce ideas off of Copilot before I start coding something complex. I had to write a.....close your ears fellow DBAs.....looping cursor script this week. I know the syntax for it, that's not the issue. The issue was some conversions of data types I'd need to do within there plus doing some dynamic SQL. I wrote out a portion and asked Copilot about if I was on the right track. It said it would work, but here was a better way and provided an example. It was pretty close and I only had to modify a bit of it to make it fit.
Did it speed up this process? Yes. Did it write the whole thing for me? Nope. Most of that still came out of my brain. Could it have? Maybe, if you provided enough of the context.
So now I bounce ideas off of Copilot before I start coding something complex. I had to write a.....close your ears fellow DBAs.....looping cursor script this week. I know the syntax for it, that's not the issue. The issue was some conversions of data types I'd need to do within there plus doing some dynamic SQL. I wrote out a portion and asked Copilot about if I was on the right track. It said it would work, but here was a better way and provided an example. It was pretty close and I only had to modify a bit of it to make it fit.
Did it speed up this process? Yes. Did it write the whole thing for me? Nope. Most of that still came out of my brain. Could it have? Maybe, if you provided enough of the context.
Another Tool in the Belt
About a year or so ago, I was on one of my anti-AI rants in a blog comment section with my database idol Mr. Brent Ozar. I was (properly) scolded by him. The response boiled down to basically, if I have a power drill in my toolbox but refuse to use it opting instead to drill the hole by hand, how does that help? How much longer will the project take? The drill won't finish a woodworking project for you, but it can make it go faster! That's the analogy that drove it home for me. Yes, AI is a phenomenally powerful tool that can help you speed up your work, but it will not eliminate it entirely. Just as we have developed new and powerful tools that help in constructing a house, an AI model is a tool that should live in your tool belt.
It's also about knowing when to use it. Just like you wouldn't use a hammer to cut a 2x4 board in place of a saw, use AI where it makes sense. Have you got a mundane task you perform regularly and manually? Maybe start a conversation with your AI tool and see if it has suggestions on a better way, work with it to develop a new piece of code or process. Don't simply reach for AI because it's there, determine if what you're asking is the correct use of it. Certainly if you're paying by the search for it.
It's also about knowing when to use it. Just like you wouldn't use a hammer to cut a 2x4 board in place of a saw, use AI where it makes sense. Have you got a mundane task you perform regularly and manually? Maybe start a conversation with your AI tool and see if it has suggestions on a better way, work with it to develop a new piece of code or process. Don't simply reach for AI because it's there, determine if what you're asking is the correct use of it. Certainly if you're paying by the search for it.
Conclusion
AI continues to develop at breakneck speed. Even in the days when the internet was coming to full fruition and the technology sector was booming, I've not seen something advance so rapidly. And it will only become more and more prevalent. I have given in and allowed myself to start adopting it. I think it could have some great benefits when it comes to not only our work lives, but personal as well. I urge caution though. Do not become so comfortable with it that you just blindly trust everything it spits out. Execute critical thinking and reasoning alongside what the tool provides.
I don't know if we'll ever get to a Terminator style dystopia where a fully sentient Skynet takes over, but I'm hedging my bets and being nice to the machines now.
I don't know if we'll ever get to a Terminator style dystopia where a fully sentient Skynet takes over, but I'm hedging my bets and being nice to the machines now.
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