A local-first or read-only connection keeps records under your control; check storage, access and disconnection terms before connecting any live system.
Four questions to ask any AI tool before connecting
Before connecting a business assistant to your accounting or ERP records, ask four concrete questions: where will the data be processed or stored, who can access it, is the connection read-only or can it write to your records, and how do you disconnect it.
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Where is data processed or stored? | Determines who else might see it and under what terms |
| Who has access? | Should be named, authorised people, not an open list |
| Read-only or read-write? | A read-only connector cannot add, edit or delete your records |
| How is it disconnected? | A revocation path should exist and be tested before you need it |
The NIST AI Risk Management Framework frames this as a general discipline for trustworthy AI systems — asking these questions is not specific to any one vendor.
What Dhandha GPT's approach is
Dhandha GPT's connectors are read-only: the assistant cannot add, edit or delete a record in Empire or TallyPrime. Access is scoped to named, authorised users, and the product asks a clarifying question rather than guessing when a request is ambiguous.
What stays the owner's responsibility
No vendor's design replaces an owner's own access hygiene — revoking a departed staff member's access, keeping devices secured, and not sharing credentials in chat. Ask your setup team for the exact revocation steps before you need them, not after.
Questions to ask any vendor, not only an AI one
These four questions are not specific to AI — they are the same questions a careful owner should ask before connecting any third-party tool to business records: a payroll service, a cloud backup, or a reporting dashboard. AI does not change the underlying discipline, only adds "read-only versus read-write" as a question worth asking explicitly, since some AI tools do offer to write back to a system.
What "read-only" actually guarantees
A read-only connector can retrieve and display records but has no code path that adds, edits or deletes an entry in your system of record. Ask a vendor to state this plainly and, where possible, confirm it is enforced at the connection level, not just a policy promise in a document.
| Connector type | Can retrieve records? | Can change records? |
|---|---|---|
| Read-only | Yes | No |
| Read-write | Yes | Yes — needs a much higher bar of trust and controls |
What to do if a required answer is missing
If a vendor cannot clearly answer where data is processed, who can access it, or how to disconnect, treat that as a stop condition, not a detail to chase up later. These answers should exist before the first connection, not after.
A short pre-connection checklist
| Item | Confirmed? |
|---|---|
| Storage/processing location stated clearly | |
| Named, authorised user list agreed | |
| Read-only confirmed, if that is the intended connection | |
| Disconnection steps tested, not just described |
Print or save this list and walk through it with your setup team before the first connection — a five-minute conversation now is cheaper than an unclear answer discovered later.
Why "local-first" matters to many Indian SME owners specifically
Many owners in this ICP have grown their business on locally installed software precisely because they wanted their records to stay under their own control. A connected assistant should respect that preference — a local-first or clearly scoped connection, rather than an assumption that everything should move to an unfamiliar cloud service by default.
What to do if the answers feel evasive
A vendor who cannot give a plain, specific answer to where data is processed, who can access it, or how to disconnect — and instead offers only general reassurance — is giving you a reason to pause, not a reason to proceed on trust. A trustworthy setup process should be able to answer each of the four questions concretely, in writing, before the first connection.
Revisiting the checklist periodically
Data-handling terms and access lists can change over time — a vendor's policy update, a staff change on your side, a new integration added later. Revisit this checklist at a sensible interval, not only at the very first setup, so an old assumption does not quietly go stale.
Questions you might ask
Can the assistant change or delete my records?
Not with a read-only connector. It can only read supported records and answer questions from them.
Who can see my business data through the assistant?
Only named, authorised users you have approved should have access — confirm this list during setup.
How do I disconnect if I change my mind?
Ask your setup team for the tested disconnection steps before you connect, so you know the path exists in advance.