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How should an agent access financial data?

Choose a data-access boundary that preserves permissions and source traceability.

Editorial synthesis · Prepared 7 September 2026 · Based on the dated session records below.

What the sessions suggest

The FactSet demonstration describes a content-oriented tool boundary; the Deutsche Bank research session stresses reusable, governed infrastructure. Together they suggest evaluating access controls and evidence retrieval before increasing the number of tools.

The trade-off

A compact service-managed tool surface reduces client complexity, but puts more responsibility on the service for routing, permission checks and version compatibility. Explicit per-source tools expose more detail at the cost of a larger client contract.

Questions to take into your project

  • Can permissions be enforced for each user and source?
  • Can an output link back to the records used?
  • What changes when a tool or data contract is versioned?

Evidence and limitations

These are session-derived design questions, not independent security validation or a guarantee of either vendor’s current capabilities.

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