Your CRM Analyst is a CollegeVine agent that connects to your Slate CRM through a Slate MCP. This guide explains what that connection is and walks you through how to set it up.
What is the Slate MCP?
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a secure, standardized way to connect an AI agent to a data source.
In this case, it gives your CRM Analyst a read-only connection to your Slate CRM database. Once connected, your CRM Analyst can query your admissions data directly (funnel counts, application statuses, mailing performance, demographic breakdowns) rather than relying on static uploads or manual exports.
What it enables
Querying your Slate instance — run pulls and analyses across the tables you've made available, on demand
CRM intelligence projects — ad hoc and pre-built analysis such as funnel reports, year-over-year comparisons, melt analysis, and school and demographic breakdowns
💡 Read-only by design: The connection is read-only, so your data is never modified. You can revoke access at any time.
Setup overview
Setup takes three short parts:
Who | Does what |
Your Slate admin | Creates a read-only SQL user in Slate, allowlists the IP addresses we provide, and shares the credentials with us |
CollegeVine | Enters your credentials into the platform and enables your access |
Together | A short discovery call to build your data dictionary, so your CRM Analyst understands your specific Slate setup |
Step 1: Create a SQL user in Slate
Have your Slate administrator (or anyone with access to Database > User Permissions) follow these steps:
Go to Database > User Permissions
Click Create New User
On the User tab:
Set User First Name to
CVSet User Last Name to
AgentSet User Email to
[email protected]Check the box next to Active ("Enable account for access")
On the Roles tab:
Under Role, check the box for your Slate database name
Under Permissions (Exclusive), check the box for Direct SQL Access
In Direct SQL Access:
Click Reset Password and save the password (you'll share this with us)
Next to Allowed Networks, paste the IP addresses CollegeVine provides you (your CollegeVine contact will send these to you when you're ready to set up)
Click Save
Then share back with your CollegeVine contact:
The database name
The username (provisioned automatically by Slate)
The password (best shared over a quick call or a secure note, not email)
Step 2: CollegeVine enables your access
Once you've shared your database name, username, and password, CollegeVine enters your credentials into the platform and enables your access on your behalf. No further action needed on your side.
Step 3: Discovery call to build your data dictionary
Every Slate instance is set up a little differently. Once your connection is live, we'll have a short discovery call together to refine and outline your data dictionary — a shared reference for what each of your data properties in Slate actually means.
This step makes sure your CRM Analyst is best prepared to answer questions and draw accurate conclusions on data that's specific to your institution.
Your checklist
Create the SQL user (
CV Agent,[email protected]) in SlateAllowlist the IP addresses CollegeVine provides
Share the database name, username, and password securely with your CollegeVine contact
Join the discovery call to build your data dictionary