Developers often find writing complex SQL queries challenging due to their intricate syntax, but recent advancements with large language models (LLMs) offer solutions by translating natural language into SQL code. However, effective LLM performance requires access to high-quality datasets and a solid machine learning infrastructure, traditionally limited resources. Tools like Gretel Navigator and Predibase have changed this landscape by allowing developers to create synthetic data and fine-tune small language models on a budget. Gretel Navigator generates diverse synthetic datasets, such as a leading text-to-SQL dataset, which aids in developing SQL copilots. Predibase, recognized for small language models, facilitates cost-efficient model fine-tuning, outperforming larger models like GPT-4. By leveraging these tools, developers can train models like Llama-3 for SQL tasks, achieving significant accuracy improvements as demonstrated with the BIRD-SQL benchmark, which showed a 167% increase in execution accuracy. This process highlights the potential of using synthetic data and optimized infrastructure to enhance model performance in a cost-effective manner.