At its Cloud Next conference, Google announced a significant update to its fully managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS), AlloyDB, which enables developers to embed natural language questions in SQL queries. This new AI-powered capability is expected to give AlloyDB an edge over PostgreSQL and other compatible offerings like Amazon Aurora.

When Google launched AlloyDB in May 2022, the open-source PostgreSQL was gaining popularity due to its transactional and analytical capabilities, extended support for spatial data, broader SQL support, enhanced security and governance, and expanded support for programming languages. Google saw an opportunity to offer a cloud-based alternative as a service, but rival Amazon Aurora and Microsoft Azure's Database for PostgreSQL also entered the market. The challenge for Google is to make its offering stand out, and the new AI-powered natural language query capability is a significant step in that direction.

The AlloyDB AI query engine allows developers to use natural language expressions inside SQL queries, making it easier to build applications that understand end-user input. According to Bradley Shimmin, lead of data and analytics practice at The Futurum Group, this means developers can now embed free-text questions inside SQL queries, even if those depend on less-structured data such as images and descriptions. This capability eases the burden on developers, who need to be very precise when writing SQL statements.

For example, instead of writing a complex SQL statement, a developer using AI Query could give a narrative description of what they were looking for, such as "list all the customers near the Charles River." ISG Software Research's executive director David Menninger sees the natural language capability as a productivity tool for developers, allowing them to write queries more quickly and easily. "It's often easier to write a natural language query than to write out a SQL statement. It may not be the final SQL statement, but what's generated can be edited so it moves the development process along more quickly," Menninger said.

The natural language capability also makes data more accessible for end-users, according to Menninger. "You don't necessarily need an analytics tool. You can simply ask the database some questions and get responses. And developers can embed these capabilities in the applications they create, benefiting end-users," he explained.

In addition to the AI query engine, Google also announced that its Agentspace service can now search structured data in AlloyDB. Agentspace, launched in December, is intended to help enterprises build agents that can search data stored across various sources. These agents can also be programmed to take actions based on the data held at different sources within an enterprise. dbInsights' chief analyst Tony Baer said the extension of Agentspace to AlloyDB is a logical move, as Google expects that enterprises will use agents to work or interact with their data in the future.

Other database updates announced at Cloud Next include updated support for migrations, added support for running Oracle's Base Database service, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) support for Gen AI Toolbox for Databases. The update to migrations comes in the form of the Google Database Migration Service (DMS) now supporting SQL Server to PostgreSQL migrations for Cloud SQL and AlloyDB. The GenAI Toolbox for Databases is an open-source server designed to streamline the creation, deployment, and management of AI agents capable of querying databases.

Industry analysts see the addition of MCP support as a significant move, as it has become a standard means of linking up models, tools, and data resources in support of agentic processes. For Menninger, MCP is the emerging standard that enterprises are starting to use to provide context to agents in order to enhance their performance.

Overall, the updates to AlloyDB demonstrate Google's commitment to making its DBaaS offering more competitive in the market. By adding AI-powered natural language query capabilities and extending Agentspace to AlloyDB, Google is positioning itself as a leader in the cloud database market. As the use of generative AI capabilities continues to grow, AlloyDB's new features are likely to attract more developers and enterprises to the platform.