Governed, multi-tenant data access is a critical requirement for software and business-to-consumer (B2C) products that embed AI-powered analytics. A data agent adds significant value by answering natural-language queries over structured data, yet when that agent serves external users, the hardest problem isn’t natural language to SQL. It’s making sure each tenant can only access their authorized rows, columns, and tables.
The challenge of fine-grained data access for external users
Modern-day data agents are often built with an orchestrating framework, connected to a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for data queries. The data agent translates validated natural-language input into SQL and executes queries on behalf of users across tenant boundaries. Because the agent operates with broad data reach, it needs a robust, fine-grained access control mechanism that makes sure each user can access only their authorized tables, columns, rows, or cells.
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