{"id":6460,"date":"2026-02-12T09:35:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T17:35:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/?p=6460"},"modified":"2026-02-13T10:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T18:50:36","slug":"build-intelligent-apps-with-sql-join-the-sql-ai-datathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/build-intelligent-apps-with-sql-join-the-sql-ai-datathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Build Intelligent Apps with SQL: Join the SQL + AI Datathon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2026\/02\/sql-ai-datathon-v1.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6472 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2026\/02\/sql-ai-datathon-v1-1024x683.webp\" alt=\"sql ai datathon v1 image\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2026\/02\/sql-ai-datathon-v1-1024x683.webp 1024w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2026\/02\/sql-ai-datathon-v1-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2026\/02\/sql-ai-datathon-v1-768x512.webp 768w, https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2026\/02\/sql-ai-datathon-v1.webp 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/sql-ai-datathon\"><strong>SQL + AI Datathon<\/strong> <\/a>is a hands\u2011on challenge designed to show how the foundations for building modern, intelligent applications with SQL. Over a set of guided missions and a focused open hack, you\u2019ll learn how to combine SQL with embeddings, semantic search, and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to build real AI\u2011powered experiences.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The SQL + AI Datathon puts SQL at the center of the architecture.<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll learn how to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use SQL as a reliable, secure data source for AI workloads<\/li>\n<li>Implement RAG (Retrieval\u2011Augmented Generation) so AI responses are grounded in your data<\/li>\n<li>Build AI experiences that scale from prototypes to real applications<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Who Should Participate?<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/sql-ai-datathon\">SQL + AI Datathon<\/a> is designed for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Developers curious about AI<\/li>\n<li>Developers building AI applications with real data<\/li>\n<li>Anyone interested in trying out the new AI Features in SQL Server 2025<\/li>\n<li>Any beginner thinking about how to get started with data powered AI applications for free<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Learn Along the Way with the Reactor Series<\/h2>\n<p>To help you succeed, the Datathon is supported by a <a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/sql-ai-datathon\/reactor\"><strong>livestream series<\/strong><\/a> that walks through each mission step\u2011by\u2011step. These sessions cover environment setup, core SQL + AI concepts, and practical implementation tips aligned with the Datathon missions.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you attend live or watch the recordings, the series is designed to reduce friction and help you move from idea to implementation faster.<\/p>\n<h2>How the Datathon Works<\/h2>\n<p>The Datathon is structured around <a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/microsoft\/sql-ai-datathon\/tree\/main\/missions\/\"><strong>four guided missions<\/strong><\/a>, each building on the last. Together, they take you from foundational concepts to a complete SQL + AI application. Choose Python or C#, use a provided dataset, and build everything in a developer friendly workflow on GitHub.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mission 1: Embeddings &amp; Semantic Search<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Learn how to generate embeddings, store them in a table, and implement semantic and vector search to retrieve relevant data based on meaning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mission 2: Retrieval\u2011Augmented Generation (RAG)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Combine retrieval with AI models to generate responses that are accurate, contextual, and grounded in your database.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mission 3: AI Workflows<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Orchestrate workflows using notebooks and lightweight agent patterns, treating queries as tools in an AI pipeline.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mission 4: Full Application<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Bring everything together by building a simple full\u2011stack application that exposes data through APIs and integrates AI\u2011powered experiences.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Join the Open Hack<\/h2>\n<p>Take part in an Open Hack add your own creative twist by\u00a0<strong>February 26 at 11:59 PM PT <\/strong>to be eligible for judging for a ticket to <a href=\"https:\/\/fabriccon.com\/program\/sqlcon-tracks\" rel=\"nofollow\">SQLCon 2026<\/a>!<\/p>\n<p>You\u2019ll choose <strong>one<\/strong> project type, using <strong>SQL Server 2025, or Azure SQL<\/strong> <strong>Database<\/strong> as your data source:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>RAG\u2011Based Chatbot Agent<\/strong>\nBuild a chatbot that answers questions by retrieving data before generating a response.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Semantic Search Tool<\/strong>\nCreate a natural language search experience backed by embeddings, with AI\u2011generated summaries of results.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Ready to Build?<\/h2>\n<p>Explore the <a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/sql-ai-datathon\">Datathon repository<\/a>, join the <a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/sql-ai-datathon\/reactor\">Reactor sessions<\/a>, and start building intelligent apps powered by SQL.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The SQL + AI Datathon is a hands\u2011on challenge designed to show how the foundations for building modern, intelligent applications with SQL. Over a set of guided missions and a focused open hack, you\u2019ll learn how to combine SQL with embeddings, semantic search, and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to build real AI\u2011powered experiences. The SQL [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5335,"featured_media":81,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-azure-sql"],"acf":[],"blog_post_summary":"<p>The SQL + AI Datathon is a hands\u2011on challenge designed to show how the foundations for building modern, intelligent applications with SQL. Over a set of guided missions and a focused open hack, you\u2019ll learn how to combine SQL with embeddings, semantic search, and Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to build real AI\u2011powered experiences. The SQL [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5335"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/devblogs.microsoft.com\/azure-sql\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}