AskDB

02Key decisions

1. Decision 01

   Enforce read-only access at two layers

   SQLGlot parses each response and rejects multiple statements, writes, and schema changes. SQLite connections open in read-only mode; PostgreSQL sessions set read-only transactions. SQL edited in the interface goes through the same checks.

   Trade-off

   Read-only access prevents writes, but does not decide which data a user should see. PostgreSQL still needs a dedicated role with appropriately limited read permissions.

2. Decision 02

   Make failed attempts inspectable

   Validation and database errors go back to the model with the failed SQL, with two repairs allowed by default. Streamed events expose progress and attempts, so a user can see how an answer was reached or why it failed. Blocked statements are never executed.

3. Decision 03

   Evaluate returned data, not SQL wording

   The evaluation harness compares the rows returned by generated SQL with those returned by reference queries. It exercises the same pipeline as the API and command line, so different query formulations can be accepted when they produce equivalent results.

   Trade-off

   The bundled evaluation covers 35 Chinook questions. It provides a repeatable check on that dataset, not evidence of accuracy across arbitrary business databases.