AI Agents Cut Database Migration Work 164x Faster

Cockroach Labs used AI coding agents to add IBM Db2 support to their migration tool MOLT in under two days, costing $4,172 compared to $160,000 for Oracle support. The process, modeled after a teaching hospital, decomposed the task into sub-issues with explicit dependencies, ensuring high-quality output. The hospital metaphor introduced roles like Chiefs of Medicine and Charge Nurses to manage workflows, prioritizing quality over speed. The system ran on GitHub Actions, with agents following structured workflows and mandatory reviews to prevent errors.