BigQuery MCP server: what an AI agent can query, and the guardrails it needs
Google's BigQuery MCP server gives an agent 9 tools, SQL on raw tables and up to 3,000 rows. It has no per-query byte cap and no metric definitions.
9 min read
#mcp
28 articles
What an MCP gateway does (and what it can't fix)
An MCP gateway centralizes auth, call logging and rate limits for AI agents. It can't decide what a metric means. That lives in the semantic layer.
7 min read
Testing an MCP server before it touches production data (MCP Inspector and beyond)
MCP Inspector proves your server speaks the protocol, not that its answers are right. The rest: a scrubbed copy, an answer key, scope and cost checks.
9 min read
MCP vs API: what changes when an AI agent is the client
MCP doesn't replace your API; most MCP servers call one. What changes is who writes the call: a developer at build time, or a model at runtime.
6 min read
Snowflake MCP server: what the agent sees and what still needs a semantic layer
The Snowflake-managed MCP server exposes only the tools you declare. Answer quality still depends on a semantic view your team writes and maintains.
8 min read
Windsor.ai alternatives for ecommerce data teams in 2026
Windsor.ai starts at $19 a month but caches data for about three weeks. Nine alternatives scored on seven criteria, with when to stay put.
9 min read
15 best AI tools for data analysis for ecommerce in 2026
A ranking of 15 AI tools for data analysis on criteria C1 to C7. Ten of the 14 competitors need a data warehouse you have already built.
9 min read
14 best CDPs and alternatives for ecommerce in 2026
13 CDPs and Precisian scored on seven data criteria. None of the 13 documents versioned, customer-approved metrics. Activation is where CDPs win.
9 min read
10 best ETL tools for marketing data in 2026
Nine ETL tools and Precisian scored on seven criteria. None of the nine documents versioned, customer-approved metrics; most leave modeling to you.
8 min read
Triple Whale alternatives: when Precisian fits, and when it doesn't
For a US Shopify brand, Triple Whale is usually the right call. Precisian serves e-commerce in Brazil, so it's the alternative only if you operate there.
8 min read
Triple Whale alternatives: 15 marketing attribution and analytics tools for 2026
15 Triple Whale alternatives ranked on seven criteria: data isolation, versioned metrics, MCP access, sources, who runs the data, and data ownership.
9 min read
Which AI agents can reach your data? Building the agent and MCP permission inventory
No console lists every AI agent touching your data. An MCP permission inventory needs seven columns and a monthly and quarterly review.
9 min read
How to log every query an AI agent makes through MCP
Write the agent audit log on the server that runs the query. MCP logging was deprecated in the 2026-07-28 spec and was never built for audit.
7 min read
One AI agent, many client accounts: how to keep tenant data apart
When one agent serves many tenants, data rarely leaks through an attack. It leaks via leftover context, a cache keyed without the tenant, or one shared token.
8 min read
The official Google Ads MCP server: what it answers and what it can't see
Google's Ads MCP server reads your account through GAQL, read-only. It reports what Google logged as a conversion, not shipped orders, Amazon sales or returns.
7 min read
Google Analytics MCP: why the numbers it returns are already modeled
The Google Analytics MCP server reads GA4 through the Data API, which follows your reporting identity. On Blended, the numbers arrive already modeled.
8 min read
MCP security for marketing data: read-only, scopes, and the permission you shouldn't grant
Google's Ads MCP server is read-only, yet its OAuth scope can edit and delete your account. For ad data, MCP risk lives in the token's scope.
9 min read
Meta Ads MCP: the official connector, its permissions, and whose numbers it returns
Meta's official Ads MCP server entered open beta on April 29, 2026 with 91 tools. The conversions it reports are the ones Meta attributes to itself.
7 min read
Shopify's MCP servers are built for shopping, not for revenue questions
Shopify's official MCP servers act for buyers, customers and developers. None answers a merchant's margin-by-channel question; community servers fill that gap.
8 min read
Supermetrics alternatives when the consumer is an AI agent, not a spreadsheet
Windsor.ai, Funnel and Improvado all ship MCP servers now. Choose a Supermetrics alternative by who defines the metric, not by connector count.
7 min read
Connect Google Ads, Meta and GA4 to one AI and you get three revenue numbers
Google Ads counts purchases 30 days after a click; Meta, 7 days after a click or 1 after a view. Plug all three MCPs into Claude and one order counts twice.
8 min read
Answer lineage: auditing what an AI agent actually read
The chat transcript records what was said, not what was true. Lineage links an answer to the definition and data behind it.
6 min read
MCP server vs BI tool: which question is each one for?
A dashboard answers the question already asked; an MCP server answers the one nobody anticipated. Both read the same definition.
7 min read
MCP for e-commerce analytics: expose questions, not tables
The spec makes tools model-controlled and tool annotations untrusted. Your tool surface is the security boundary.
7 min read
What is a trusted data layer for AI agents?
Access, definition, freshness and provenance, decided before the question. Connection is solved; trust is what nobody shipped.
7 min read
Agents Schema and MCP: not competing standards, and the difference that matters
Fivetran's own FAQ answers 'Do I need MCP?' with 'No. MCP is one option.' They are layers, not rivals. The real difference is governance.
6 min read
Connecting an AI agent to production data without exposing it
MCP makes authorization optional, and 40.55% of live remote servers expose tools with none. Safety is what you add on top.
8 min read
Per-tenant isolation for MCP: giving access without giving away the warehouse
Row-level security fails at the role the agent connects with. Per-tenant isolation moves the boundary out of application code and into architecture.
8 min read