Beyond SQL Generation: How to Teach Agents What Your Database Means

AI models can generate syntactically correct SQL but often fail to return meaningful results because they lack business context. Kris Jenkins, Lead Developer Advocate at Snowflake, presents a solution using semantic models and the OSI (Open Semantic Interface) standard. These tools provide AI agents with a structured understanding of what database tables represent, how entities relate, and what business rules apply — bridging the gap between SQL syntax knowledge and domain-aware query generation. The talk covers how to implement semantic models declaratively, why the OSI standard matters, and how to build a reliable AI-powered database analyst.