Customer story · Texas A&M University
Self-service data exploration at scale with Argos Data Agent
Texas A&M gave 240 trained Argos users a conversational way to explore governed student data, so deans, advisors, and department leaders answer their own questions without exporting it to outside AI tools.
College Station, Texas
Public, 4-year
Argos Data Agent
- Conversational data exploration240 trained users explore governed student data without exporting it.
- Answers without the waitDeans, advisors, and department leaders answer their own questions.
- Student data stays insideSensitive information stays in Argos, not in outside AI tools.
Texas A&M University at a glance
1876
Founded
~81,350
Students
~4,400
Faculty
140+
Undergraduate programs
270+
Graduate programs
01
The challenge
The data was there. Making sense of it was not simple.
Texas A&M University has one of the largest self-service reporting communities in higher education. More than 240 users across colleges and departments run Argos against the university’s data warehouse, and together they have built roughly 40,000 DataBlocks.
That scale created a new kind of problem. Many DataBlocks contain hundreds of columns covering student demographics, programs, courses, and grades. Seeing the patterns in that data, such as how a D in a specific course might delay graduation, required either advanced technical skills or hours of manual work in spreadsheets.
Hundreds of columns
Demographics, programs, courses, and grades in a single DataBlock.
A week of prerequisite checks
Queries, subqueries, and hand calculations to size next semester’s sections.
AI meant exporting data
Insight seekers would paste student data into outside tools.
Complex questions like prerequisite planning were especially time-consuming. To decide how many course sections to open, the reporting team wrote their own queries and subqueries to find which students had or had not taken required courses, then calculated demand by hand.
As interest in AI grew across campus, the team also saw a risk. Users who wanted AI-driven insights would have to export student data and paste it into outside tools, moving sensitive information beyond the university’s governed environment.
“We have hundreds of columns in these tables, but a lot of people don’t see the correlations. A student making a D here could mean they won’t graduate on time.”
Josh Radnitzer · IT Manager IV, Enterprise Information Systems
02
The solution
Run a DataBlock, then ask it a question
Texas A&M adopted Argos Data Agent alongside Argos X, the web-based experience for reporting, dashboards, and interactive data exploration built on the DataBlocks institutions already trust. With Data Agent in the same interface, users run a DataBlock and ask questions about the results in one place.
Argos X removed the need for desktop installs, which had been complicated by campus group policies and left Mac-based departments out.
The setup was fast. The team connected their cloud account the same day and expanded the visible fields on their core DataBlocks from roughly 10 to 15 columns to about 160, giving Data Agent a much wider view of each student population.
Access comes with training
Access to Data Agent is tied to the university’s existing Argos training program. Before users receive access, they complete a course on building a DataBlock with the right tables and visible fields, adding conditions to target a specific student population, creating reports and dashboards, and applying filters to refine results.
| Before | With Data Agent |
|---|---|
| Patterns found with advanced skills or hours in spreadsheets | Summaries, counts, and patterns asked for in plain language |
| Deans and department leaders waiting on the reporting team | Answers without learning SQL or building reports |
| Desktop installs that left Mac-based departments out | Browser-based access through Argos X |
| AI insight meant exporting student data | Questions asked inside Argos, on governed DataBlocks |
Data Agent’s built-in explanations also give the reporting team confidence in the results. Every answer includes the SQL behind it, so the team can review the logic, catch a missing condition, and refine the question.
“When it gives me the SQL statement, I go look at the where clause and see how it got there.”
Josh Radnitzer · IT Manager IV, Enterprise Information Systems
“
I don’t expect the president of A&M to be a SQL Developer. But if she had access to this, she could ask how many students are under a 3.0 and get a graph broken down.
Josh Radnitzer · IT Manager IV, Enterprise Information Systems, Texas A&M University
03
The results
Ask, instead of request and wait
Data Agent has given Texas A&M a faster, safer way to turn its large self-service reporting program into real insight. Instead of requesting a report and waiting for it, campus leaders ask questions of trusted, governed data on their own.
Live in one day
Setup used existing data warehouse tables and DataBlocks.
240 users with access
Access comes through the university’s training program.
About 15 seconds
Grade breakdowns across more than 2,000 graduates, 60 to 80 courses each.
Open to Mac users
Browser-based Argos X removed installation barriers.
SQL behind every answer
The reporting team validates answers and helps users troubleshoot.
One version of the data
Everyone works from the same DataBlocks when the data changes.
“
What used to take the department a whole week to double-check, making sure prerequisites are met and that we’re building enough courses for next semester, is now streamlined and stress-free.
Josh Radnitzer
IT Manager IV, Enterprise Information Systems
“
The Data Agent has streamlined our data review processes, saving valuable time and allowing team members to complete their tasks much faster.
Josh Radnitzer
IT Manager IV, Enterprise Information Systems
04
The future
Why some students take five years
Texas A&M is focused on growing adoption across its 240 users and expanding access to Data Agent Advanced, which can work across multiple DataBlocks. The reporting team is already exploring how Advanced can link core DataBlocks to investigate why some students take five years instead of four to graduate.
The team also hopes Data Agent will point users to existing resources faster, such as example DataBlocks for common needs like student holds, freeing the reporting team for the most complex requests.
By pairing a well-trained self-service community with conversational AI, Texas A&M is making it easier for everyone on campus to turn student data into action.
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Your turn
Let every office ask its own questions
Tell us which questions your offices wait on the reporting team to answer. We will show you Data Agent answering them from the DataBlocks you already govern.
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