At CData, we build tools that simplify data connectivity for developers. Our standards-based drivers provide seamless access to APIs, SaaS applications, and databases, enabling developers to integrate and work with data through familiar SQL syntax.
While our solutions have evolved to support enterprise-scale data integration, developers remain at the core of our user base. To better support the development community, we are excited to introduce two major initiatives:
These initiatives aim to lower barriers to entry for developers exploring data-driven application development, providing both the tools and the guidance needed to integrate and interact with data more effectively.
Why drivers and connectors for data development?
Data accessibility is a key challenge for developers working with heterogeneous data sources. APIs often require specialized knowledge, authentication management, and custom integration logic, making it difficult to maintain connectivity across platforms.
Without standard drivers or connectors, data developers spend hundreds of hours of development time building and maintaining custom integrations based on a wildly varying collection of specifications for each of their organization's data systems, ranging from business applications like CRMs and ERPs to flat file stores to enterprise databases and data warehouses.
CData Drivers and Connectors streamline this process by providing:
Unified SQL interface – Developers can query SaaS, NoSQL, and cloud data using standard SQL syntax, eliminating the need for multiple SDKs or custom API calls. Common SQL operations like SELECT, JOIN, and GROUP BY provide a consistent way to interact with diverse data sources.
API data as relational tables – CData Drivers model API endpoints as relational tables, making it easier to work with structured data. Tables map to API resources, foreign-key relationships connect sub-collections, and CRUD operations translate directly into SQL commands.
Discoverable metadata – Instead of manually reviewing API documentation, developers can query system tables like sys_tables and sys_tablecolumns to discover available endpoints, fields, and relationships, accelerating development.
Performance optimizations – CData drivers improve query efficiency by pushing SQL operations down to the data source and handling API pagination and batch processing automatically, reducing latency and network overhead.
Free-forever community licenses for Python and ADO.NET
With the increasing complexity of APIs and data sources, querying data using SQL remains a powerful and efficient approach. CData’s community licenses allow developers to leverage standards-based connectivity for free in personal projects, enabling seamless interaction with SaaS, database, and cloud data sources.
With a CData community license, developers can:
Work with APIs, cloud applications, and NoSQL data using standard SQL queries
Eliminate the need for custom API calls or proprietary SDKs
Model API data as relational tables, reducing complexity in data integration
Access self-service support through the CData Community, where over 1,000 users, along with CData engineering and support teams, share insights and solutions
These licenses provide the same powerful connectivity that developers expect from CData, enabling easy exploration of data integration and application development without an upfront investment.
Introducing the CData developer center
To complement the free-forever community licenses, we are also launching the CData Developer Center. This resource hub is designed to help developers get started quickly and enhance their data integration workflows with CData Drivers.
What’s available in the developer center?
The Developer Center provides structured learning paths for .NET and Python developers, including:
Fundamental concepts – High-level overviews of related data development technologies like ADO.NET, Entity Framework, DB-API, and more
Getting started guides – Step-by-step instructions for setting up CData connectors, connecting to data sources, and working with data
Practical tutorials – Hands-on guides covering Entity Framework, ASP.NET, SQLAlchemy, Pandas, and petl
FAQs and troubleshooting – Solutions to common challenges in ADO.NET and Python development
Each guide includes working code samples and sample datasets, ensuring developers can apply the concepts in real-world scenarios.
In addition to the existing Python and .NET resources, Java and SQL developer guides will be available soon, expanding the depth of content within the developer center.
Get started today
We are excited to introduce free-forever community licenses and the CData Developer Center, making it easier than ever for developers to build data-driven applications with CData drivers.
To get started:
By providing free tools and self-service resources, we look forward to supporting the developer community in building the next generation of connected applications.
Explore CData Drivers and Connectors
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