Amazon releases SQL generator for Marketing Cloud platform

Amazon Ads introduced a SQL generator for Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) during CES 2025, announced four weeks ago on January 15. The tool enables marketers to generate SQL queries through natural language processing, transforming what traditionally required manual coding into an automated process.

According to Paula Despins, Vice President of Ads Measurement at Amazon, the new capability integrates with the company's existing marketing infrastructure, allowing advertisers to develop insights from AMC signals. The system processes natural language inputs to create SQL queries, with the stated goal of reducing query development time from hours to minutes.

The technical implementation focuses on cross-channel audience creation. The generator produces SQL queries based on natural language descriptions of desired audience segments. These segments can incorporate multiple data points, including streaming TV impressions, audio ad exposure, and product page interactions.

L'Oréal US has participated in beta testing of the new capability. According to Brendan Frawley, Vice President at L'Oréal US, "Our beta tests have shown the SQL generator to be a significant time saver for our technical team. We were able to more quickly create and test audiences with the ease of no coding beyond validation."

The system's architecture enables various use cases. For instance, advertisers can create queries to identify customers who have viewed product pages and seen streaming TV advertisements but haven't made purchases within a 30-day period. The generator then produces the necessary SQL code to construct these audience segments.

The technology supports multiple advertising channels, including streaming TV, audio, and digital platforms. Queries can be used to build custom audiences for activation across Amazon's advertising ecosystem, from awareness campaigns on streaming TV to conversion-focused product advertisements.

Tinuiti, an advertising agency, has been testing the capability. Robert Avellino, Vice President of Innovation and Growth at Tinuiti, reported that the tool has enabled their teams to transform complex audience concepts into actionable insights more efficiently.

Technical specifications of the system include:

• Natural language processing capabilities for SQL query generation
• Integration with Amazon Marketing Cloud infrastructure
• Cross-channel audience segment creation
• Support for streaming TV, audio, and digital advertising channels
• Step-by-step instruction generation for query creation
• Validation mechanisms for generated queries

The SQL generator represents part of Amazon's broader artificial intelligence integration across its advertising services. The company has implemented AI capabilities in various areas, including creative generation for images, video, and audio content, as well as campaign optimization and relevancy models in the Amazon DSP.

Implementation timelines indicate the SQL generator will become available to all AMC customers during the first quarter of 2025. This rollout follows a beta testing period that included major advertisers and agencies.

The development addresses specific technical challenges in advertising data analysis. Traditional SQL query creation required specialized knowledge and significant time investment. The natural language interface aims to reduce these technical barriers while maintaining the capability to create complex audience segments.

Market response has focused on the tool's potential impact on workflow efficiency. Early adopters report reduced time requirements for query development and increased accessibility of advanced audience targeting capabilities across organization levels.

This technological advancement occurs within the context of increasing demand for data-driven advertising solutions and the need for more efficient ways to process and utilize customer signals across multiple advertising channels. The system's development reflects the advertising industry's movement toward automated solutions for data analysis and audience segmentation.

The SQL generator will be accessible to all Amazon Marketing Cloud customers in early 2025, marking a significant change in how advertisers can interact with and utilize their marketing data for campaign optimization and audience targeting.