P-053215: From SQL to Conversation: How UMass is Reimagining Student Data Access with AskData on Oracle Cloud

This session was presented at RECONNECT Dive Deep 2026.

This presentation will walk through how the University of Massachusetts and Astute Business Solutions built AskData, a generative-AI assistant that lets university staff query PeopleSoft Campus Solutions data using plain-English questions instead of custom reports or SQL. We will cover the underlying architecture, including Oracle’s AI Data Platform (AIDP), which transforms raw PeopleSoft extracts into a governed, AI-ready data model, and the conversational front end that pairs OCI Generative AI models with a secure, single sign-on authenticated interface. The session will also address how the team designed the solution to meet the data-privacy and security expectations of a higher-education environment, and what was involved in deploying it within UMass’s cloud infrastructure.

This session will benefit PeopleSoft functional and technical staff, IT leaders evaluating generative AI for their institutions, and anyone exploring how to modernize self-service reporting without exposing sensitive student data. Attendees will learn how to structure ERP data for safe use with generative AI, what security and compliance guardrails are necessary when introducing AI into a regulated environment, and what a real-world implementation timeline and architecture look like for institutions considering a similar project.

Speakers: Ashwini Chandrashekaraiah, Susan McHugh, Astute Business Solutions