On Innovation in Database Query with Natural Language SQL and AI: Q&A With Thomas How
Speedminer’s Thomas How on their award-winning, innovative Query with AI, recognized in the InterSystems Impact Award 2025
Q1. What specific features of Speedminer’s AI platform contribute to corporate and technological innovation, and how do they address data governance and security?
Thomas How: Speedminer’s AI platform boasts a private AI chatbot, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and vector search, natural language-to-SQL (NL2SQL), customer relations management (CRM) and human resources (HR) AI tools, AI meeting minutes, machine learning & visualization, and computer vision. These features not only streamline data operations but also ensure secure on-premise operations, deep data analysis, and seamless integration with enterprise systems, all while maintaining robust data governance and security.
Q2. How did the opportunity to simplify complex data querying and reporting in healthcare give rise to Speedminer’s Query with AI tool, and what challenges did you and your team face?
Thomas How: We recognized the significant challenges and inefficiencies in generating reports within healthcare IT departments. This insight led to the development of the “query with AI” tool, which simplifies data querying and reporting through human language interaction. The primary challenge was ensuring the tool’s accuracy and reliability, which they tackled by building a robust framework over a six-month period.
Q3. What innovations did you introduce into Speedminer’s development? How did these innovations, particularly NLP capabilities, help customers in Malaysia and Indonesia? And what role was played by the InterSystems IRIS data platform?
Thomas How: We advanced natural language processing (NLP) capabilities into our query technology, enabling users to query and manipulate data using natural language. This innovation significantly reduced the complexity and time required for data analysis and report generation. For customers in Malaysia and Indonesia, this innovative solution facilitated efficient dataset merging and the creation of predictive models, such as a decision tree for scholarship applications and data visualization for hospital operations.
InterSystems IRIS was a key component in Speedminer’s innovation, used to ensure data interoperability and governance, unify multiple AI models, and reinforce security and business intelligence capabilities. It enabled the efficient integration and processing of various data sources, supporting the Query with AI tool’s ability to handle complex data models and provide affordance for accurate, human-language queries. In healthcare analytics projects, InterSystems IRIS helped us create and use complex data models and implicit joins in SQL queries, improving the efficiency and accuracy of our NL2SQL tool. This reduced the time and effort we needed to generate reports and enhanced patient care quality.
………………………………………
Thomas How is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and founder of Speedminer Sdn. Bhd., with over 30 years of IT experience specializing in AI, Big Data Analytics, Business Intelligence, and Data Warehousing.
A Principal Data Scientist and recipient of MDEC’s Best Student Award, he holds a Master of Data Science (Global) from Deakin University and has completed advanced programs from top institutions including MIT, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Texas. Thomas has led high-impact digital transformation projects across multiple continents and is a frequent speaker and trainer for MDEC, MOSTI, INTAN, and universities. Under his leadership, Speedminer has won numerous awards including the InterSystems READY Summit Impact Award, MSC-APICTA, PIKOM, and Red Herring Asia. He also played a key role in healthcare interoperability, earning multiple compliance certifications through MSC Malaysia IHE Connectathons, and continues to drive innovation in data governance, enterprise architecture, and AI adoption in both public and private sectors.
……………………………………….
HEALTH TECH
Organization: Speedminer
Innovation Name: Query with AI
Regional Winner – APAC
The Query with AI tool translates natural language requests into complex SQL database queries, empowering non-technical users to generate accurate and efficient reports
in a fraction of the time. By saving up to five hours per report, Query with AI allows
IT departments to focus on more strategic tasks, while also addressing critical issues
in healthcare, such as delayed lab test results, to patient care improvements and operational efficiencies. Beyond healthcare, the tool streamlines administrative tasks across various industries, reducing the burden on IT and enhancing overall productivity. With its unparalleled accuracy and ease of use, Speedminer’s Query with AI is poised to transform the way organizations interact with their data.
Sponsored by InterSystems and selected by an independent panel of judges from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).