Live data access, one relational UI
CData delivers hundreds of SaaS, database, cloud platform, and internal systems connectors via MCP, API, CLI, and SDK.
The Problem
Enterprise connectivity breaks under the weight of custom integration work.
Building connectors from scratch is slow and brittle — and maintaining a collection of APIs or single-source MCP servers means never-ending upkeep.
Custom objects and company-specific structures are where the business runs. Tools that only see standard schemas operate on incomplete data.
AI agents want MCP. BI tools want ODBC. ETL wants REST. Legacy systems want ADO.NET. Separate connection paths multiply the integration burden fast.
Modern cloud solutions may bring built-in connectivity, but 40% of enterprise data still live in unsupported sources.
How It Works
One connection layer for every source and protocol.
One governed source connection, consumed by every downstream tool through the protocol it already speaks.
CData establishes a source connection using its managed connector library, with each connector encoding the source's API patterns, authentication flows, schema structure, and custom object model.
That source is exposed through a standardized relational interface, including custom objects and user-defined fields.
The same connection can be consumed simultaneously through MCP, ODBC, JDBC, ADO.NET, REST, or OData depending on what the downstream tool needs.
Read and write operations are supported through the same governed interface, with passthrough identity applied to every operation.
On-premises and air-gapped systems can join the same access layer through Cloud Gateway, without inbound firewall changes or forced data movement.
One connection. Every protocol. Live from day one.
Key Capabilities
Coverage, compatibility, and less maintenance, all built in.
Connector library
Hundreds of enterprise systems are ready to connect
Use a production-ready connector library instead of building each source integration from scratch.
Protocol coverage
One connection supports every downstream protocol
Serve AI agents, BI tools, ETL workflows, and legacy applications from the same governed connection layer.
Full schema
Custom objects and user-defined fields are included
Expose the full schema your teams actually work with, not just the vendor's default object model.
Hybrid reach
On-prem and hybrid systems stay in the same access model
Use Cloud Gateway to bring on-premises and air-gapped systems into the same governed layer without opening inbound firewall rules.
Managed maintenance
Connector maintenance is absorbed in the platform
API changes, schema evolution, auth updates, and connector health are handled in the managed connector layer instead of by your team.
Read & write
Read and write access use the same interface
Support live querying and governed action across connected systems without separate point-to-point integrations for write operations.
Time to value
Proof the connector model scales faster than building it yourself.
Product Lead, Data Analytics & BigQuery Governance, Google
Cofounder & CEO, Klipfolio
Implementation Path
Start with one source and extend from there.
Connect priority sources
Connect priority data sources and validate live access, including schema discovery for custom objects and user-defined fields.
Milestone: First sources are live and queryable through one governed connection layer.
Open every protocol path
Configure protocol access for the downstream tools that need the same sources, including MCP, BI, and ETL paths, and deploy Cloud Gateway where needed.
Milestone: Multiple tool types are using the same source connections instead of separate integrations.
Production-ready
Validate write operations, confirm custom schema coverage, and test connector behavior under production-representative load.
Milestone: Priority sources are fully connected, governed, and ready for production AI and analytics workloads.
Security & compliance
Data control that preserves governance.
- Passthrough identity on all connections — every query and write operation scoped to the requesting user's source-system permissions
- No data movement by default — data queried in place rather than copied into intermediate stores
- Governed reads and writes — write operations use the same identity and logging model as reads
- Cloud Gateway — on-premises sources participate without inbound firewall exposure
- SOC 2 Type II — Completed.
- ISO/IEC 27001:2022 — Completed.
- AES-256 at rest · TLS 1.3 in transit
- Query-level audit logging — every query and write operation logged with full metadata.
- Granular kill switches — disable specific connections, workspaces, or accounts instantly.
- GDPR support — in-place access, data minimization, and audit support across connected sources.
FAQ
Questions teams ask first.
Hundreds of enterprise systems. One governed access layer. Live from day one.
Talk to our team about connecting your first data sources, or explore the full connector library. Or explore how Universal Connectivity fits into the broader CData platform.