Enterprise natural-language analytics depends on governed business
meaning, yet ontology and semantic-layer construction remains labor intensive. A two-
phase architecture was implemented: a semantic-layer-mediated agent with5
deterministic SQL compilation and verified-query reuse, followed by a ten-stage
generation pipeline using database evidence, function–name pairs, and natural-
language–SQL pairs with human review before publication. The agent achieved 92.2%
execution accuracy on 193 TPC-DS questions under verified reuse. The pipeline
reproduced the manually constructed reference ontology and semantic layer and
performed reliably on third-party benchmarks, while the agent demonstrated strong
compiler reliability and vocabulary robustness.
Watch the team present this project at 00:03:25 in the session recording here.
Keywords: semantic layer, ontology, text-to-SQL, deterministic compilation, human-in-
the-loop, verified queries, enterprise analytics, Open Semantic Interchange
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Agar’s work spans applied AI and data science, with focus areas in supply chain, digital manufacturing, and physical AI. Her work focuses on translating emerging technologies into practical applications for complex operational environments.
She brings more than a decade of industry experience in analytics, optimization, digital transformation, and AI product development. Her experience includes leadership roles at Caterpillar, where she has led initiatives across digital manufacturing, supply chain, enterprise data, and analytics, including AI-enabled simulation and digital twin applications.
Dr. Agar has taught at the University of Chicago since 2019 and currently teaches Machine Learning, Python for Analytics, Supply Chain Optimization, and Capstone courses. Her teaching focuses on connecting technical foundations with real-world problems through hands-on work, industry applications, and practical decision-making.
Dr. Agar holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, as well as B.Sc. degrees in Industrial Engineering and Computer Engineering from Cankaya University. She is also an inventor on a U.S. patent and has received Caterpillar’s CEO Award and Outstanding Achievement in Analytics Award.