CData launches Connect AI to enable live, contextual data for AI

CData has introduced Connect AI, a managed Model Context Protocol (MCP) platform designed to provide artificial intelligence applications with live, governed access to over 300 enterprise systems.

Connect AI aims to bridge the gap between AI tools and enterprise data by integrating with AI assistants, agent orchestration platforms, workflow automation solutions, and embedded AI applications. The platform provides in-place data access, preserving the semantics and relationships within business data, which enables AI to interpret context rather than simply retrieving raw information.

The solution utilises the same connectivity technology that is established among major technology companies such as Palantir, SAP, Salesforce Data Cloud, and Google Cloud. This technology has been reconfigured within Connect AI to specifically address the needs of AI workloads, equipping them with real-time semantic integration capabilities. According to the company, thousands of users have already connected hundreds of data sources to AI assistants through its MCP Servers, demonstrating the need for governed, contextual enterprise data integration in AI projects.

Manish Patel, Chief Product Officer at CData, emphasised the need for real-time, contextually aware data access in AI initiatives. He said,

Enterprises that want to safely and effectively put their business data to work with AI need real-time access combined with semantic understanding. AI needs to comprehend what data means, not just where it lives. With Connect AI, companies can for the first time give AI applications governed, live access to data across hundreds of systems with the contextual intelligence that transforms AI from a productivity experiment into a trusted enterprise tool

Addressing core challenges outlined in recent MIT research, Connect AI has been developed to confront the main reasons why a reported 95% of enterprise AI pilots do not yield measurable business impact: issues surrounding data access and governance. The platform provides direct, data-in-place live access, thereby retaining the intrinsic contextual relationships between data elements that AI requires for complex decision-making.

Security and governance are also integral aspects of Connect AI. It inherits user permissions and authentication from the source systems, ensuring that AI access is consistent with organisational controls. Access to data is logged under the identity of the authenticated user or agent, creating a comprehensive audit trail. Further AI-specific controls can also be applied and managed within the solution.

Business applications

Connect AI is already being used by enterprises to enable their AI applications to deliver contextually accurate responses from business data in a matter of seconds-an improvement on traditional methods that often required days or weeks to generate reports. Its ability to manage queries across various systems, while maintaining semantic understanding, benefits a variety of teams: sales can gather pipeline insights, marketing can analyse campaign performance, and finance can produce live budget updates, all using AI assistants.

Independent software vendors (ISVs) can embed Connect AI within their products, offering self-service integration between their users' data sources and the ISVs' agentic services. This white-label option allows technology companies to provide AI agents with access to the full semantic context of customers' data, potentially enhancing the effectiveness and responsiveness of their solutions.

Bhavik Paryani, Growth and Strategy Leader at Paryani Construction, described the impact Connect AI has had on daily operations. He said,

CData's Connect AI with Acumatica completely changed how we access our ERP data. I was able to pull live financial data and create an interactive dashboard right in the middle of a project meeting - our team could instantly dive into the numbers and get answers on the spot. Having this kind of immediate access to our business data through simple conversation with AI is game-changing for how we operate, furthering our ability to deliver projects on-time, on-budget, and to the highest quality standards.

Industry viewpoint

Industry analysts have noted the ongoing challenges enterprises face in scaling AI and ensuring the quality and consistency of data integration. Stephen Catanzano, Senior Analyst, Data Management, Enterprise Strategy Group, commented,

Organisations are struggling to scale AI because data is often siloed, inconsistent, or poorly governed, creating risk and inefficiency. Many AI initiatives stall as companies wrestle with integrating multiple data sources while maintaining compliance. Tools like CData's Connect AI are emerging in response to these widespread market challenges, reflecting the company's vision to streamline AI-ready data access across enterprises.

Amit Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of CData, set Connect AI's release within the broader context of the company's goals, stating,

Connect AI represents a significant milestone in CData's mission to make every enterprise 'AI-ready,' with real-time semantic intelligence. We're leveraging our deep expertise in enterprise data connectivity-built over years of connecting applications to hundreds of data sources-and reimagining it for the AI era. This allows us to provide breakthrough access and experiences that simply weren't possible before for users of AI assistants and agentic systems. With thousands of customers across 100+ countries, we're uniquely positioned to capture the massive market opportunity as enterprises move from AI experimentation to production deployment with intelligent, contextual data access.