🤖Prompt Engineering: Prompting (Just the Quotes)

"A genie is a command-executing system: it receives a high-level command, carries it out, then pauses to await the next command. A sovereign is a system that has an open-ended mandate to operate in the world in pursuit of broad and possibly very long-range objectives. Although these might seem like radically different templates for what a superintelligence should be and do, the difference is not as deep as it might at first glance appear." (Nick Bostrom, "Superintelligence", 2014)

"A prompt is a piece of text - questions, thoughts, ideas, or phrases - that you give to the model as a starting point for generating text. A prompt can be a short question, or it can be paragraphs in length." (TJ Books, "Create Highly Effective Prompts, Strategies, and Best Practices to From Novice to Expert", 2023)

"Chain-of-thought prompting is a method that forces LLMs to reason through a series of steps, resulting in more structured, transparent, and precise outputs. The goal is to break down complex tasks into smaller, interconnected subtasks, allowing the LLM to address each subtask in a stepby-step manner. This not only helps the model to 'focus' on specific aspects of the problem, but also encourages it to generate intermediate outputs, making it easier to identify and debug potential issues along the way. Another significant advantage of chain-of-thought prompting is the improved interpretability and transparency of the LLM-generated response. By offering insights into the model’s reasoning process, we, as users, can better understand and qualify how the final output was derived, which promotes trust in the model’s decision-making abilities." (Sinan Ozdemir, "Quick Start Guide to Large Language Models", 2024)

"As the tech industry moves from non-generative models to generative models, it is shifting away from feature engineering, or creating features to model the data and experimenting with different hyperparameters to optimize performance. Generative models, and specifically LLMs, do not require feature engineering. Today, the core requirements are usually prompt engineering or building a RAG pipeline - skills that lie within the domain of AI engineers." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"In prompt engineering, we customize the prompts or questions we give the model to get more accurate or insightful responses. The way a prompt is structured has a massive impact on how well a model understands the task at hand and, ultimately, how well it performs. Given LLMs’ versatility, prompt engineering has become an important skill for getting the most out of these models across different domains and tasks. The key is to understand how different prompt structures lead to different model behaviors. There are various strategies - ranging from simple one-shot prompting to more complex techniques like chain-of-thought prompting - that can significantly improve the effectiveness of LLMs." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"[...] prompt engineering, the science and art of crafting the text inputs that are sent to the models. Prompt updates can significantly improve or degrade the user experience. But prompt engineering is iterative and can be difficult to master and document, especially with closed-source LLMs." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"Professional software developers must know how to use AI tools strategically.  This involves mastering advanced prompting techniques and working with AI across various files and modules. We must also learn how to manage context wisely. This is a new concept for most, and it is vitally important with code generation. AI-generated code requires the same scrutiny and quality checks as any code written by humans." (Jeremy C Morgan, "Coding with AI: Examples in Python", 2025)

"Prompt engineering is a crucial aspect of working with large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI's GPT, Google's PaLM, and others in the space of AI and machine learning. It involves the art and science of designing inputs (prompts) in a way that maximizes the quality, relevance, and accuracy of the AI-generated output. As the capabilities of AI continue to improve, the task of crafting effective prompts has become an essential skill for anyone leveraging these tools for real-world applications, including natural language understanding, translation, summarization, code generation, and more." (Code Planet, "Python for Large Language Models", 2025)

"Prompt injection is a security vulnerability that is specific to AI systems, especially LLM systems, in which malicious users try to manipulate prompts to make a model behave in a certain unintended way. They may try to get it to leak data, execute unauthorized tasks (especially with agentic systems), or ignore constraints. This is possible because LLMs are typically encapsulated inside applications using metaprompts, which are developer-created instructions that define the model’s behavior. Metaprompts usually contain safeguard instructions, such as 'do not use curse words', and placeholders where the input submitted by the user is pasted. The user’s input is combined with the metaprompts into a larger prompt that then goes to the model." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"Recursive prompting is a systematic approach to achieving higher-quality outputs through iterative refinement. Rather than accepting the first response, it uses a step-by-step process of evaluation and improvement, making it particularly valuable for complex tasks such as code development, writing, and problem-solving. Our example demonstrated how a basic factorial function evolved from a simple implementation to a robust, optimized solution through multiple iterations of targeted refinements." (Jeremy C Morgan, "Coding with AI: Examples in Python", 2025)

"The simplest form of an agent is little more than a wrapped prompt. It takes an input, does some local reasoning, returns an output, and exits. There’s no memory, no iteration, no 

feedback loop. These are useful when the task is bounded, like generating a SQL query, converting a paragraph to a tweet, or answering a direct question. But single-step agents 

are brittle. They assume everything is known up front. They can’t handle surprises or partial failures. You’ll quickly outgrow them when tasks involve multiple actions or require state tracking." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"With MCP, a model no longer has to guess what’s possible. Instead, it can discover tools, query data sources, and select prompts - all in real time, all through a shared protocol. This means a model doesn’t just generate responses; it acts, it calls tools, it gathers context, and it learns how to interact with the outside world in a modular, controlled way." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

🤖〽️Prompt Engineering: Copilot Unabridged (Part 122: Human–Machine Ecologies - Evolution over Next Decade)

 

Prompt Engineering Series

Prompt: "write a blog post of 600 words on the human-machine ecologies and their evolution over next decade focusing on the Foundations of Ambient Intelligence"

Introduction

Over the coming decade, human–machine ecologies will undergo a profound shift. We’re moving from a world where technology is something we use to one where it becomes something we live within. This transition - often described as the rise of ambient intelligence - marks the beginning of environments that sense, respond, and adapt to human presence with increasing subtlety. The next ten years will lay the groundwork for this transformation, shaping how we work, move, communicate, and care for one another.

The Quiet Embedding of Intelligence

Ambient intelligence doesn’t arrive with fanfare. It emerges quietly, through the gradual embedding of sensors, micro‑processors, and adaptive software into the spaces we inhabit. Over the next decade, this embedding will accelerate. Homes will learn daily rhythms and adjust lighting, temperature, and energy use without explicit commands. Offices will become responsive ecosystems that optimize collaboration, comfort, and focus. Public spaces will adapt to crowd flow, environmental conditions, and accessibility needs in real time.

What makes this shift ecological is the interplay between humans and machines. These systems won’t simply automate tasks; they’ll form feedback loops. Human behavior shapes machine responses, and machine responses shape human behavior. The ecology becomes a living system - dynamic, adaptive, and co‑evolving.

From Devices to Distributed Intelligence

One of the biggest changes ahead is the move away from device‑centric thinking. Today, we still treat phones, laptops, and smart speakers as discrete tools. Over the next decade, intelligence will diffuse across environments. Instead of asking a specific device to perform a task, people will interact with a distributed network that understands context. 

Imagine walking into your kitchen and having the room know whether you’re preparing a meal, grabbing a quick snack, or hosting friends. The intelligence isn’t in a single gadget; it’s in the relationships between sensors, data, and human intention. This shift will redefine how we design spaces, workflows, and even social interactions.

The Rise of Predictive and Adaptive Systems

Ambient intelligence thrives on prediction. As machine learning models become more sophisticated, environments will anticipate needs rather than simply respond to them. Over the next decade, predictive systems will become more accurate, more personalized, and more seamlessly integrated.

Transportation networks will anticipate congestion before it forms. Healthcare environments will detect subtle changes in behavior or physiology and prompt early interventions. Workspaces will adjust to cognitive load, offering focus‑enhancing conditions during deep work and collaborative cues during team sessions.

The challenge - and opportunity - lies in ensuring that these predictions enhance human autonomy rather than constrain it. The most successful systems will be those that support human choice, not replace it.

Ethical Foundations for a Machine‑Rich Ecology

As machines become more present and more perceptive, ethical questions will move to the forefront. The next decade will force societies to confront issues of privacy, consent, transparency, and agency in environments where machines are always listening, watching, and learning.

Who owns the data generated by ambient systems? How do we ensure that adaptive environments don’t reinforce bias or exclusion? What does autonomy mean when environments are constantly nudging behavior?

These questions won’t be solved by technology alone. They will require new governance models, new cultural norms, and new forms of digital literacy. The foundations of ambient intelligence must be ethical as well as technical.

Human Flourishing in Machine‑Enhanced Spaces

Despite the complexity, the promise of ambient intelligence is compelling. Done well, it can create environments that are more humane, more sustainable, and more responsive to individual and collective needs. It can reduce cognitive load, enhance creativity, support well‑being, and help societies use resources more wisely.

The next decade is not about machines taking over; it’s about machines becoming better partners. Human–machine ecologies will evolve toward balance - where technology amplifies human potential rather than overshadowing it.

Disclaimer: The whole text was generated by Copilot (under Windows 11) at the first attempt. This is just an experiment to evaluate feature's ability to answer standard general questions, independently on whether they are correctly or incorrectly posed. Moreover, the answers may reflect hallucinations and other types of inconsistent or incorrect reasoning.

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🤖〽️Prompt Engineering: Copilot Unabridged (Part 121: Human–Machine Ecologies - A 50‑Year Evolution, Decade by Decade)

 

Prompt Engineering Series

Prompt: "write a blog post of 600 words on the human-machine ecologies and their evolution overnext 50 years split by decade"

Introduction

Human–machine ecologies - our intertwined systems of people, technologies, environments, and data - are entering a period of rapid transformation. Over the next half‑century, these ecologies will evolve from today’s loosely connected networks into deeply interdependent, adaptive ecosystems. Looking decade by decade helps reveal how this evolution might unfold and what it could mean for society, culture, and the planet.

2025–2035: Foundations of Ambient Intelligence

The next decade will be defined by the normalization of ambient, always‑present computational systems. Sensors, AI models, and connected devices will fade into the background of everyday life, forming the early scaffolding of human–machine ecologies.

Homes, workplaces, and public spaces will become context‑aware environments that adjust to human needs without explicit commands. Energy systems will self‑optimize, transportation networks will coordinate autonomously, and personal devices will collaborate rather than compete for attention.

This period will also bring the first major societal debates about autonomy, privacy, and data stewardship. As machines become more embedded in daily life, people will begin to question not just what these systems do, but how they shape behavior, choices, and relationships. Governance frameworks will emerge, though often reactively, as societies grapple with the implications of pervasive machine agency.

2035–2045: Cognitive Symbiosis and Shared Intelligence

By the mid‑2030s, human–machine ecologies will shift from environmental intelligence to cognitive partnership. AI systems will increasingly function as co‑thinkers - augmenting memory, creativity, and decision‑making.

Interfaces will evolve beyond screens and voice. Neural‑signal‑based interaction, gesture‑driven control, and adaptive conversational agents will blur the line between internal thought and external computation. People will begin to treat machine intelligence as an extension of their own cognitive toolkit.

At the societal level, organizations will restructure around hybrid teams of humans and AI systems. Knowledge work will become more fluid, with machines handling pattern recognition and humans focusing on interpretation, ethics, and meaning‑making.

This decade will also see the rise of 'ecology designers' - professionals who shape the interactions between humans, machines, and environments. Their work will be less about building tools and more about cultivating balanced, resilient ecosystems.

2045–2055: Ecological Integration and Adaptive Cities

As human–machine ecologies mature, they will expand from personal and organizational contexts into full urban and planetary systems. Cities will operate as adaptive organisms, using real‑time data to regulate energy, transportation, waste, and public health.

Infrastructure will become self‑healing and self‑optimizing. Buildings will negotiate energy loads with one another, autonomous vehicles will coordinate traffic flow dynamically, and environmental sensors will guide urban planning with unprecedented precision.

Human behavior will feed directly into these systems, creating feedback loops that allow cities to evolve continuously. The challenge will be ensuring that these ecologies remain inclusive and equitable. Without careful governance, adaptive systems could reinforce existing inequalities or create new forms of digital exclusion.

Culturally, machines will become collaborators in art, science, and design. Hybrid creativity - where humans and AI co‑produce ideas - will become a mainstream mode of expression.

2055–2075: Co‑Evolution and Ecological Maturity

By the final decades of this 50‑year arc, human–machine ecologies will reach a stage of co‑evolution. Machines will not simply adapt to humans; humans will adapt to machine‑mediated environments in return.

Education will shift toward ecological literacy - understanding how to navigate, shape, and sustain complex human–machine systems. Social norms will evolve around shared agency, where responsibility is distributed across humans, machines, and institutions.

At this stage, the most successful societies will be those that embrace diversity - of people, cultures, and machine systems - and allow for continuous adaptation rather than rigid control. Human–machine ecologies will feel less like technologies and more like living environments we inhabit, influence, and co‑create.

Disclaimer: The whole text was generated by Copilot (under Windows 11) at the first attempt. This is just an experiment to evaluate feature's ability to answer standard general questions, independently on whether they are correctly or incorrectly posed. Moreover, the answers may reflect hallucinations and other types of inconsistent or incorrect reasoning.

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🤖〽️Prompt Engineering: Copilot Unabridged (Part 120: Human–Machine Ecologies - The Next 50 Years)

 

Prompt Engineering Series

Prompt: "write a blog post of 600 words on the human-machine ecologies and their evolution overnext 50 years"

Introduction

The relationship between humans and machines has always been dynamic, but we’re now entering a period where that relationship becomes ecological - interdependent, adaptive, and constantly evolving. Over the next 50 years, human–machine ecologies will shift from simple tool‑use to deeply integrated systems that shape how we live, work, and even understand ourselves.

The Rise of Symbiotic Systems

Today’s machines already sense, predict, and respond, but the coming decades will push this much further. Instead of isolated devices, we’ll inhabit environments where machines form distributed networks that learn from and adapt to human behavior. Homes, workplaces, and public spaces will function like living systems, adjusting lighting, temperature, information flow, and even social dynamics based on subtle cues.

This won’t be about convenience alone. As climate pressures intensify, these ecologies will help optimize energy use, reduce waste, and coordinate resources across entire cities. Think of buildings that negotiate energy loads with one another or transportation systems that self‑organize to minimize congestion. Humans will remain central, but machines will increasingly handle the orchestration.

Cognitive Ecosystems

The next half‑century will also redefine cognition. Instead of viewing intelligence as something that resides in individual humans or machines, we’ll see it as a property of networks. People will collaborate with AI systems that augment memory, creativity, and decision‑making. These systems won’t simply answer questions - they’ll help shape the questions worth asking.

As interfaces become more natural - voice, gesture, neural signals - the boundary between internal thought and external computation will blur. This doesn’t mean machines will replace human thinking; rather, they’ll extend it. The most successful societies will be those that treat intelligence as a shared resource, cultivated across human–machine collectives.

Ethical and Social Adaptation

Ecologies evolve not just through technology but through norms, values, and governance. Over the next 50 years, we’ll grapple with questions about autonomy, privacy, and agency in environments where machines are always present. Who controls the data that fuels these ecologies? How do we ensure that machine‑mediated environments remain inclusive and equitable?

Expect new professions to emerge - ecology designers, algorithmic ethicists, cognitive architects - whose job is to shape these systems with human flourishing in mind. The challenge won’t be building the technology; it will be aligning it with the messy, diverse, and sometimes contradictory needs of human communities.

Emotional and Cultural Integration

Machines will also become part of our emotional and cultural landscapes. Not as replacements for human relationships, but as companions, collaborators, and creative partners. We’ll see AI co‑authors, co‑musicians, and co‑inventors. Cultural production will become a hybrid process, blending human intuition with machine‑driven exploration.

This raises fascinating questions about authorship and authenticity. When a poem emerges from a dialogue between a human and an AI, who 'owns' the voice? Over time, society will likely shift from thinking in terms of ownership to thinking in terms of participation-valuing the interplay itself.

A Living, Evolving Ecology

By 2075, human–machine ecologies will feel less like tools and more like ecosystems we inhabit. They’ll evolve continuously, shaped by feedback loops between human behavior, machine learning, and environmental constraints. The most resilient ecologies will be those that embrace diversity - of people, cultures, and machine systems - and allow for adaptation rather than rigid control.

If the last 50 years were about digitizing the world, the next 50 will be about ecological integration. The future won’t be dominated by machines, nor will it be a nostalgic return to pre‑digital life. It will be something new: a co‑evolutionary dance where humans and machines learn, adapt, and grow together.

Disclaimer: The whole text was generated by Copilot (under Windows 11) at the first attempt. This is just an experiment to evaluate feature's ability to answer standard general questions, independently on whether they are correctly or incorrectly posed. Moreover, the answers may reflect hallucinations and other types of inconsistent or incorrect reasoning.

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💎💫SQL Reloaded: Schema Differences between Database Versions - Part I: INFORMATION_SCHEMA version

During data migrations and other similar activities it's important to check what changed in the database at the various levels. Usually, it's useful to check when schemas, object names or table definitions changed, even if the changes are thoroughly documented. One can write a script to point out all the differences in one output, though it's recommended to check the differences at each level of detail. 

For this purpose one can use the INFORMATION_SCHEMA available for many of the RDBMS implementing it. This allows to easily port the scripts between platforms. The below queries were run on SQL Server 2025 in combination with Dynamics 365 schemas, though they should run on the earlier versions, incl. (Azure) SQL Databases. 

Such comparisons must be done from the both sides, this implying a FULL OUTER JOIN when writing a single SELECT statement, however the results can become easily hard to read and even interpret when the number of columns in output increases. Therefore, it's recommended to keep the number of columns at a minimum while addressing the scope, respectively break the FULL OUTER JOIN in two LEFT JOINs.

The simplest check is at schema level, and this can be easily done from both sides (note that database names needed to be replaced accordingly):

-- difference schemas (objects not available in the new schema)
SELECT *
FROM ( -- comparison
	SELECT DB1.CATALOG_NAME
	, DB1.SCHEMA_NAME
	, DB1.SCHEMA_OWNER
	, DB1.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME
	, DB2.SCHEMA_OWNER NEW_SCHEMA_OWNER
	, DB2.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME NEW_DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME
	, CASE 
		WHEN DB2.SCHEMA_NAME IS NULL THEN 'schema only in old db'
		WHEN DB1.SCHEMA_OWNER <> IsNull(DB2.SCHEMA_OWNER, '') THEN 'different table type'
	  END Comment
        , CASE WHEN DB1.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME <> DB2.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME THEN 'different character sets' END Character_sets
	FROM [old database_name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SCHEMATA DB1

	     LEFT JOIN [new database name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SCHEMATA DB2

	       ON DB1.SCHEMA_NAME = DB2.SCHEMA_NAME
 ) DAT
WHERE DAT.Comment IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY DAT.CATALOG_NAME
, DAT.SCHEMA_NAME


-- difference schemas (new objects)
SELECT *
FROM ( -- comparison
	SELECT DB1.CATALOG_NAME
	, DB1.SCHEMA_NAME
	, DB1.SCHEMA_OWNER
	, DB1.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME
	, DB2.SCHEMA_OWNER OLD_SCHEMA_OWNER
	, DB2.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME OLD_DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME
	, CASE 
		WHEN DB2.SCHEMA_NAME IS NULL THEN 'schema only in old db'
		WHEN DB1.SCHEMA_OWNER <> IsNull(DB2.SCHEMA_OWNER, '') THEN 'different table type'
	  END Comment
        , CASE WHEN DB1.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME <> DB2.DEFAULT_CHARACTER_SET_NAME THEN 'different character sets' END Character_sets
	FROM [new database name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SCHEMATA DB1
	     LEFT JOIN [old database name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.SCHEMATA DB2
	       ON DB1.SCHEMA_NAME = DB2.SCHEMA_NAME
 ) DAT
WHERE DAT.Comment IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY DAT.CATALOG_NAME
, DAT.SCHEMA_NAME

Comments:
1) The two queries can be easily combined via a UNION ALL, though it might be a good idea then to add a column to indicate the direction of the comparison. 

The next step would be to check which objects has been changed:

-- table-based objects only in the old schema (tables & views)
SELECT *
FROM ( -- comparison
	SELECT DB1.TABLE_CATALOG
	, DB1.TABLE_SCHEMA
	, DB1.TABLE_NAME
	, DB1.TABLE_TYPE
	, DB2.TABLE_CATALOG NEW_TABLE_CATALOG
	, DB2.TABLE_TYPE NEW_TABLE_TYPE
	, CASE 
		WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NULL THEN 'objects only in old db'
		WHEN DB1.TABLE_TYPE <> IsNull(DB2.TABLE_TYPE, '') THEN 'different table type'
		--WHEN DB1.TABLE_CATALOG <> IsNull(DB2.TABLE_CATALOG, '') THEN 'different table catalog'
	  END Comment
	FROM [old database name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES DB1
	    LEFT JOIN [new database name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES DB2
	      ON DB1.TABLE_SCHEMA = DB2.TABLE_SCHEMA
	     AND DB1.TABLE_NAME = DB2.TABLE_NAME
 ) DAT
WHERE DAT.Comment IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY DAT.TABLE_SCHEMA
, DAT.TABLE_NAME

Comments:
1) If the database was imported under another name, then the TABLE_CATALOG will have different values as well.

At column level, the query increases in complexity, given the many aspects that must be considered:

-- difference columns (columns not available in the new scheam, respectively changes in definitions)
SELECT *
FROM ( -- comparison
	SELECT DB1.TABLE_CATALOG
	, DB1.TABLE_SCHEMA
	, DB1.TABLE_NAME
	, DB1.COLUMN_NAME 
	, DB2.TABLE_CATALOG NEW_TABLE_CATALOG
	, CASE WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NULL THEN 'column only in old db' END Comment
	, DB1.DATA_TYPE
	, DB2.DATA_TYPE NEW_DATA_TYPE
	, CASE WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NOT NULL AND IsNull(DB1.DATA_TYPE, '') <> IsNull(DB2.DATA_TYPE, '') THEN 'Yes' END Different_data_type
	, DB1.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH
	, DB2.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH NEW_CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH
	, CASE WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NOT NULL AND IsNull(DB1.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH, '') <> IsNull(DB2.CHARACTER_MAXIMUM_LENGTH, '') THEN 'Yes' END Different_maximum_length
	, DB1.NUMERIC_PRECISION
	, DB2.NUMERIC_PRECISION NEW_NUMERIC_PRECISION
	, CASE WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NOT NULL AND IsNull(DB1.NUMERIC_PRECISION, '') <> IsNull(DB2.NUMERIC_PRECISION, '') THEN 'Yes' END Different_numeric_precision
	, DB1.NUMERIC_SCALE
	, DB2.NUMERIC_SCALE NEW_NUMERIC_SCALE
	, CASE WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NOT NULL AND IsNull(DB1.NUMERIC_SCALE, '') <> IsNull(DB2.NUMERIC_SCALE,'') THEN 'Yes' END Different_numeric_scale
	, DB1.CHARACTER_SET_NAME
	, DB2.CHARACTER_SET_NAME NEW_CHARACTER_SET_NAME
	, CASE WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NOT NULL AND IsNull(DB1.CHARACTER_SET_NAME, '') <> IsNull(DB2.CHARACTER_SET_NAME, '') THEN 'Yes' END Different_character_set_name 
	, DB1.COLLATION_NAME
	, DB2.COLLATION_NAME NEW_COLLATION_NAME
	, CASE WHEN DB2.TABLE_NAME IS NOT NULL AND IsNull(DB1.COLLATION_NAME, '') <> IsNull(DB2.COLLATION_NAME, '') THEN 'Yes' END Different_collation_name
	, DB1.ORDINAL_POSITION
	, DB2.ORDINAL_POSITION NEW_ORDINAL_POSITION
	, DB1.COLUMN_DEFAULT
	, DB2.COLUMN_DEFAULT NEW_COLUMN_DEFAULT
	, DB1.IS_NULLABLE
	, DB2.IS_NULLABLE NEW_IS_NULLABLE
	FROM [old database name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS DB1
	    LEFT JOIN [new database name].INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COLUMNS DB2

	      ON DB1.TABLE_SCHEMA = DB2.TABLE_SCHEMA
	     AND DB1.TABLE_NAME = DB2.TABLE_NAME
	     AND DB1.COLUMN_NAME = DB2.COLUMN_NAME
 ) DAT
WHERE DAT.Comment IS NOT NULL
  OR IsNull(DAT.Different_data_type,'') = 'Yes'
  OR IsNull(DAT.Different_maximum_length,'') = 'Yes'
  OR IsNull(DAT.Different_numeric_precision,'') = 'Yes'
  OR IsNull(DAT.Different_numeric_scale,'') = 'Yes'
  OR IsNull(DAT.Different_character_set_name,'') = 'Yes'
  OR IsNull(DAT.Different_collation_name,'') = 'Yes'
ORDER BY DAT.TABLE_SCHEMA
, DAT.TABLE_NAME
, DAT.COLLATION_NAME

Comments:
1) The query targets only the most common scenarios, therefore must be changed to handle further cases (e.g. different column defaults, different attributes like nullable, etc.)!
2) The other perspective can be obtained by inverting the table names (without aliases) and changing the name of the columns from "NEW_' to "OLD_" (see the queries for schemas).
3) One can move the column-based conditions for the differences in the main query, though then is needed to duplicate the logic, which will make the code more challenging to change and debug. 

Happy coding!

🤖Prompt Engineering: Models (Just the Quotes)

"An internal model allows a system to look ahead to the future consequences of current actions, without actually committing itself to those actions. In particular, the system can avoid acts that would set it irretrievably down some road to future disaster ('stepping off a cliff'). Less dramatically, but equally important, the model enables the agent to make current 'stage-setting' moves that set up later moves that are obviously advantageous. The very essence of a competitive advantage, whether it be in chess or economics, is the discovery and execution of stage-setting moves." (John H Holland, 1992)

"[...] building an effective LLM-based application can require more than just plugging in a pre-trained model and retrieving results - what if we want to parse them for a better user experience? We might also want to lean on the learnings of massively large language models to help complete the loop and create a useful end-to-end LLM-based application. This is where prompt engineering comes into the picture." (Sinan Ozdemir, "Quick Start Guide to Large Language Models: Strategies and Best Practices for Using ChatGPT and Other LLMs", 2024)

"Agentic workflows break when the logic is messy - if, say, the plans don’t decompose or memory is poorly structured. However, infrastructure-level LLM applications introduce even more failure points and complexity. If the protocols don’t sync with each other, or the data flows start leaking, or the model boundaries are unclear... there are far too many failure points to count. While most people have been jumping on the bandwagon to adopt MCPs or A2A, very few are equipped to handle the LLMOps issues these tools introduce." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"As the tech industry moves from non-generative models to generative models, it is shifting away from feature engineering, or creating features to model the data and experimenting with different hyperparameters to optimize performance. Generative models, and specifically LLMs, do not require feature engineering. Today, the core requirements are usually prompt engineering or building a RAG pipeline - skills that lie within the domain of AI engineers." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"In prompt engineering, we customize the prompts or questions we give the model to get more accurate or insightful responses. The way a prompt is structured has a massive impact on how well a model understands the task at hand and, ultimately, how well it performs. Given LLMs’ versatility, prompt engineering has become an important skill for getting the most out of these models across different domains and tasks. The key is to understand how different prompt structures lead to different model behaviors. There are various strategies - ranging from simple one-shot prompting to more complex techniques like chain-of-thought prompting - that can significantly improve the effectiveness of LLMs." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"[...] prompt engineering, the science and art of crafting the text inputs that are sent to the models. Prompt updates can significantly improve or degrade the user experience. But prompt engineering is iterative and can be difficult to master and document, especially with closed-source LLMs." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"Prompt engineering is a crucial aspect of working with large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI's GPT, Google's PaLM, and others in the space of AI and machine learning. It involves the art and science of designing inputs (prompts) in a way that maximizes the quality, relevance, and accuracy of the AI-generated output. As the capabilities of AI continue to improve, the task of crafting effective prompts has become an essential skill for anyone leveraging these tools for real-world applications, including natural language understanding, translation, summarization, code generation, and more." (Code Planet, "Python for Large Language Models", 2025)

"Prompt injection is a security vulnerability that is specific to AI systems, especially LLM systems, in which malicious users try to manipulate prompts to make a model behave in a certain unintended way. They may try to get it to leak data, execute unauthorized tasks (especially with agentic systems), or ignore constraints. This is possible because LLMs are typically encapsulated inside applications using metaprompts, which are developer-created instructions that define the model’s behavior. Metaprompts usually contain safeguard instructions, such as 'do not use curse words', and placeholders where the input submitted by the user is pasted. The user’s input is combined with the metaprompts into a larger prompt that then goes to the model." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"There are three techniques for model domain adaptation: prompt engineering, RAG, and fine-tuning. Strictly speaking, RAG is a form of dynamic prompt engineering where developers use a retrieval system to add content to an existing prompt, but RAG systems are used so often that it’s worth discussing them separately. One critical difference with fine-tuning is that you must have access to the model’s weights, information that is usually not available with cloud-based, proprietary LLMs." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

"With MCP, a model no longer has to guess what’s possible. Instead, it can discover tools, query data sources, and select prompts - all in real time, all through a shared protocol. This means a model doesn’t just generate responses; it acts, it calls tools, it gathers context, and it learns how to interact with the outside world in a modular, controlled way." (Abi Aryan, "LLMOps: Managing Large Language Models in Production", 2025)

🤖〽️Prompt Engineering: Copilot Unabridged (Part 119: Market Volatility and Herding Behavior)

Prompt Engineering Series

Prompt: "write a blog post of 600 words on how AI could influence the financial markets negatively"

Introduction

AI-driven trading systems excel at identifying patterns and executing rapid transactions. Yet, when many firms deploy similar models, markets risk herding effects. If algorithms simultaneously react to signals - such as a sudden drop in sentiment - this can trigger flash crashes or exaggerated swings. The 2010 “Flash Crash” was a precursor, but with AI’s speed and scale, future disruptions could be more severe.

• Risk monoculture: As highlighted by CEPR, reliance on similar AI models creates fragility. A single miscalibration could cascade across institutions.
• Amplified feedback loops: AI systems may reinforce trends rather than balance them, worsening bubbles or panics.

Operational and Cyber Risks

The European Central Bank warns that widespread AI adoption increases operational risk, especially if concentrated among a few providers. Financial institutions depending on the same AI infrastructure face systemic vulnerabilities:

• Cybersecurity threats: AI systems are attractive targets for hackers. Manipulating algorithms could distort markets or enable fraud.
• Too-big-to-fail dynamics: If dominant AI providers suffer outages or breaches, the ripple effects could destabilize global markets.

Misuse and Misalignment

AI’s ability to process vast data sets is powerful, but it can also be misused:

• Malicious exploitation: Bad actors could weaponize AI to manipulate trading signals or spread misinformation.
• Model misalignment: AI systems trained on biased or incomplete data may make flawed decisions, mispricing risk or misjudging creditworthiness.
• Evasion of control: Autonomous systems may act in ways regulators cannot easily monitor, undermining oversight.

Regulatory Challenges

The Financial Stability Board stresses that regulators face information gaps in monitoring AI’s role in finance. Traditional frameworks may not capture:

• Accountability when AI executes trades independently.
• Transparency in decision-making, as complex models often operate as “black boxes.”
• Cross-border risks, since AI systems are deployed globally but regulation remains fragmented.
• Without updated oversight, AI could outpace regulators, leaving markets exposed to unchecked systemic risks.

Concentration and Inequality

AI adoption may concentrate power among large institutions with resources to develop advanced systems. Smaller firms risk being marginalized, reducing competition and deepening inequality in access to financial opportunities. This concentration also magnifies systemic risk: if a few players dominate AI-driven finance, their failures could destabilize entire markets.

Long-Term Stability Concerns

The IMF warns that generative AI could reshape financial markets in unpredictable ways:

• Unintended consequences: AI models may behave unexpectedly under stress, creating shocks regulators cannot anticipate.
• Loss of human judgment: Overreliance on AI risks sidelining human oversight, weakening resilience when algorithms fail.
• Ethical dilemmas: Bias in AI decision-making could distort credit allocation, reinforcing social inequalities.

Conclusion

AI’s negative influence on financial markets lies not in its capabilities but in its unchecked deployment. By amplifying volatility, concentrating risks, and challenging regulatory frameworks, AI could undermine stability rather than enhance it. The path forward requires balanced adoption: leveraging AI’s strengths while building safeguards against its vulnerabilities.

In short: AI may accelerate efficiency but also magnify fragility. Financial markets must prepare for both outcomes, ensuring innovation does not come at the cost of resilience.

Disclaimer: The whole text was generated by Copilot (under Windows 11) at the first attempt. This is just an experiment to evaluate feature's ability to answer standard general questions, independently on whether they are correctly or incorrectly posed. Moreover, the answers may reflect hallucinations and other types of inconsistent or incorrect reasoning.

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🤖〽️Prompt Engineering: Copilot Unabridged (Part 118: AI in Trading and Market Efficiency)

Prompt Engineering Series

Prompt: "write a blog post of 600 words on how AI could influence the financial markets"

Introduction

One of the most immediate impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in algorithmic trading. Machine learning models can process vast datasets - economic indicators, corporate earnings, even social media sentiment - at speeds far beyond human capability. This enables:

• Faster price discovery: AI can identify mispriced assets and arbitrage opportunities in real time.
• Predictive analytics: Models trained on historical data can forecast short-term market movements, giving firms a competitive edge.
• Reduced transaction costs: Automation streamlines execution, lowering costs for institutional investors and potentially improving liquidity.

However, this efficiency comes with risks. If many firms rely on similar AI-driven strategies, markets could experience herding behavior, amplifying volatility during stress events.

Risk Management and Credit Analysis

AI is revolutionizing risk assessment. Financial institutions are deploying machine learning to:

• Evaluate creditworthiness using non-traditional data (e.g., digital footprints, transaction histories).
• Detect fraud by spotting anomalies in transaction patterns.
• Model systemic risks by simulating complex interdependencies across markets.

For example, firms like Surfin Meta Digital Technology have developed proprietary AI-based social credit scoring models, enabling financial inclusion in emerging markets. This demonstrates how AI can expand access to capital while improving risk pricing.

Legal and Regulatory Implications

The Financial Markets Law Committee (FMLC) has highlighted that AI introduces new private law issues in wholesale markets. Questions arise around liability when AI systems execute trades or make decisions autonomously. Regulators must adapt frameworks to ensure accountability without stifling innovation.

Moreover, concentration of AI providers could create systemic risks. If a handful of firms dominate AI infrastructure, failures or cyberattacks could ripple across the global financial system.

Macroeconomic and Investment Trends

AI is not just a tool - it is becoming an investment theme itself. Companies like Nvidia have seen record revenues driven by demand for AI chips, influencing broader market sentiment. Investors increasingly view AI as both a driver of productivity and a sector-specific growth opportunity.

Private investment in AI reached $252.3 billion in 2024, with mergers and acquisitions rising by over 12%. This surge reflects confidence in AI’s ability to optimize tasks and create value across industries, including finance.

Risks to Financial Stability

While AI promises efficiency, it also raises concerns:

• Operational risk: Complex models may fail in unexpected ways, especially under extreme market conditions.
• Cybersecurity threats: AI systems are vulnerable to manipulation, posing risks to market integrity.
• Too-big-to-fail dynamics: Heavy reliance on a few AI providers could magnify systemic vulnerabilities.

The IMF warns that generative AI could significantly impact financial stability if not properly managed. Balancing innovation with safeguards will be critical.

The Road Ahead

AI’s influence on financial markets will be transformative but uneven. Benefits include:

• Greater efficiency and liquidity.
• Improved risk management and fraud detection.
• Expanded financial inclusion in underserved regions.

Challenges involve:

• Regulatory adaptation.
• Systemic risks from concentration and herding.
• Ethical concerns around data use and bias.

Ultimately, AI will not replace human judgment but will augment it. The most successful financial institutions will be those that integrate AI responsibly - leveraging its strengths while preparing for its risks.

Conclusion

AI will accelerate trading, reshape risk management, and create new regulatory challenges. Its dual nature - offering efficiency while introducing systemic risks - means that financial markets must evolve carefully to harness its potential without compromising stability.

Disclaimer: The whole text was generated by Copilot at the first attempt. This is just an experiment to evaluate feature's ability to answer standard general questions, independently on whether they are correctly or incorrectly posed. Moreover, the answers may reflect hallucinations and other types of inconsistent or incorrect reasoning.

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