Write SQL with Gemini assistance

Preview — Gemini Code Assist

This feature is subject to the "Pre-GA Offerings Terms" in the General Service Terms section of the Service Specific Terms. You can process personal data for this feature as outlined in the Cloud Data Processing Addendum, subject to the obligations and restrictions described in the agreement under which you access Google Cloud. Pre-GA features are available "as is" and might have limited support. For more information, see the launch stage descriptions.

This document describes how you can use Gemini, an AI-powered collaborator in Google Cloud, to help you do the following in AlloyDB for PostgreSQL:

• Generate SQL queries using natural language prompts.
• Complete SQL queries in the query editor.
• Explain SQL queries in the query editor.

Learn how and when Gemini for Google Cloud uses your data.

This document is intended for database administrators and data engineers who are familiar with AlloyDB, and somewhat familiar with SQL and data analysis. If you're new to AlloyDB, see AlloyDB overview.

Before you begin

1. Ensure that you have set up Gemini in Databases.
2. To complete the tasks in this document, ensure that you have the necessary Identity and Access Management (IAM) permissions.
3. Confirm access to AlloyDB Studio. If you don't have access to AlloyDB Studio, then see AlloyDB Studio required roles and permissions

4. Optional: If you want to follow along with the examples in this document, create the Singers table using the following schema:

   CREATE TABLE Singers (
     BirthDate  TIMESTAMPTZ,
     SingerId   BIGINT PRIMARY KEY,
     FirstName  VARCHAR(1024),
     LastName   VARCHAR(1024),
     SingerInfo BYTEA
   );
   

   After you create the Singers table, click refreshRefresh to update your database schema.

To disable Gemini features in AlloyDB, repeat these steps, and then deselect the Gemini features that you want to disable.

Required roles and permissions

Caution: Users with broad database access could experience data loss when using Gemini in Databases. We recommend that you use an account with fewer database privileges when using Gemini in Databases.

To use Gemini with AlloyDB, you need the following permissions:

• alloydb.clusters.get
• alloydb.databases.list
• alloydb.instances.executeSql
• alloydb.instances.list
• alloydb.users.list

You can get this permission through the roles/alloydb.admin role. If you don't have this role, contact your Organization Administrator to request access. You might also be able to get the required permissions through custom roles or other predefined roles.

Additionally, ensure that you have database-level permissions for the database that you're using for authentication.

Generate SQL queries using natural language prompts

As an early-stage technology, Gemini for Google Cloud products can generate output that seems plausible but is factually incorrect. We recommend that you validate all output from Gemini for Google Cloud products before you use it. For more information, see Gemini for Google Cloud and responsible AI.

You can give Gemini natural language comments (or prompts) to generate queries that are based on your schema. For example, you can prompt Gemini to generate SQL in response to the following prompts:

• "Create a table that tracks customer satisfaction survey results."
• "Add a date column called birthday to the Singers table."
• "How many singers were born in the 90s?"

If your schema changes, such as addition of a new table or column, then you must click refreshRefresh to update your schema before using Gemini.

Note: When you enter a prompt for Gemini in AlloyDB, information about your database's schema is included with the prompt. This can include table and column names, data types, and column descriptions. Your database schema and data remain in AlloyDB and aren't sent to Gemini.

To generate SQL in AlloyDB with Gemini assistance, follow these steps:

1. In the Google Cloud console, open the AlloyDB page.

   Go to AlloyDB

2. Select a cluster from the list.

3. In the navigation menu, click AlloyDB Studio.

4. Select a database and user, and enter the user's password.

5. Click Authenticate. The Explorer pane displays a list of the objects in your database.

6. To query your database, click the New SQL editor tab. Make sure that SQL generation is enabled.

7. To generate SQL, type a comment in the query editor starting with -- followed by a single-line comment, and then press Return.

   For example, if you enter the prompt -- add a row to table singers and press Return, then Gemini generates SQL that's similar to the following:

   INSERT INTO Singers (SingerId, FirstName, LastName, BirthDate)
   VALUES (1, Alex, 'M.', '1977-10-16');
   

   To continue the example using the Singers table, if you enter the prompt -- show all singers born in the 70s, then Gemini generates SQL that's similar to the following:

   SELECT *
   FROM Singers
   WHERE Singers.BirthDate
   BETWEEN '1970-01-01' AND '1979-12-31'
   

   Note: Gemini might suggest different syntax each time that you enter the same prompt.

8. Review the SQL suggestion and take any of the following actions:

   • To view the options for accepting the SQL generated by Gemini, hold the pointer over the query. The following options are displayed:
     • Accept: To accept the suggested query, press Tab, then click Run.
     • Accept word: To accept the suggested query partially, press Control+Right arrow. (or Command+Right arrow on macOS), then click Run.
   • To edit the original SQL, press Tab, edit the SQL, and then click Run.
   • To dismiss the suggestion, press Esc or continue typing.

Help me code tool

To use the Help me code tool, follow these steps:

1. In the Google Cloud console, open the AlloyDB page.

   Go to AlloyDB

2. Select a cluster from the list.

3. In the navigation menu, click AlloyDB Studio.

4. Select a database and user, and enter the user's password.

5. Click Authenticate. The Explorer pane displays a list of the objects in your database.

6. To query your database, click the New tab.

7. Click pen_spark Help me code next to the query editor.

8. In the Help me code window, enter a prompt. For example, add a row to table singers and click Generate.

   Gemini generates SQL that's similar to the following:

   INSERT INTO Singers (SingerId, FirstName, LastName, BirthDate)
   VALUES (1, Alex, 'M.', '1977-10-16');
   

   Note: Gemini might suggest different syntax each time that you enter the same prompt.

9. Review the generated SQL and take any of the following actions:

   • To accept SQL generated by Gemini, click Insert to insert the statement into the query editor. Then click Run to execute the suggested SQL.
   • To ask Gemini to generate a new query, click Edit. After you've edited your prompt, click Update. You can then decide to accept the new generated statement or dismiss the suggestion.
   • To dismiss the suggestion, close the Help me code window.

Complete SQL statements in the query editor

To help you write SQL code, Gemini in AlloyDB provides AI-assisted code completion suggestions. With Gemini enabled, when you enter text in the AlloyDB Studio query editor, Gemini predicts and autofills SQL code.

To use inline code suggestions, follow these steps:

1. In the Google Cloud console, open the AlloyDB page.

   Go to AlloyDB

2. Select a cluster from the list.

3. In the navigation menu, click AlloyDB Studio.

4. Select a database and user, and enter the user's password.

5. Click Authenticate. The Explorer pane displays a list of the objects in your database.

6. To query your database, click New SQL editor tab. Make sure that SQL completion is enabled.

7. Enter a query and a space or newline at the end of the line. As you enter text, Gemini shows suggested SQL that's based on the supported objects in the selected database's schema.

   For example, to add a row to the Singers table, begin to write the following SQL: INSERT INTO Singers.

   Gemini suggests SQL that's similar to the following:

   INSERT INTO Singers
   (SingerId, FirstName, LastName, BirthDate)
   VALUES
     (1, 'Marc', 'Singer', '1970-03-24')
   

   Note: Gemini might suggest different SQL syntax each time that you enter the same SQL statement.

8. Review the SQL suggestion and take any of the following actions:

   • To accept SQL generated by Gemini, press Tab, and then click Run to execute the suggested SQL.
   • To edit the SQL generated by Gemini, press Tab, edit the SQL, and then click Run.
   • To dismiss the suggestion, press Esc or continue typing.

Explain SQL statements in the query editor

You can use Gemini in AlloyDB to explain SQL queries in natural language. This explanation can help you understand the syntax, underlying schema, and business context for complex or long queries.

1. In the Google Cloud console, open the AlloyDB page.

   Go to AlloyDB

2. Select a cluster from the list.

3. In the navigation menu, click AlloyDB Studio.

4. Select a database and user, and enter the user's password.

5. Click Authenticate. The Explorer pane displays a list of the objects in your database.

6. To query your database, click the New tab.

7. In the query editor, paste the query.

8. Highlight the query that you want Gemini to explain, and then click pen_spark Explain this query.

   The SQL explanation appears in the Gemini Chat window.

What's next

• Read Gemini for Google Cloud overview.
• Learn how Gemini uses your data.
• Learn how to analyze your data in Google Cloud using Gemini.