CData Connectors
Data virtualization software
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Data integration tools
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What is CData Connectors
CData Connectors are a suite of data connectivity drivers and APIs that provide standardized access (for example, via JDBC/ODBC, ADO.NET, and REST) to a wide range of SaaS applications, databases, and cloud services. They are used by data engineers, BI developers, and application teams to integrate third-party data sources into analytics platforms, ETL/ELT pipelines, and custom applications. The product set emphasizes broad source coverage and consistent SQL-based access patterns across heterogeneous systems. Deployments typically embed the connectors into existing integration runtimes rather than replacing an end-to-end integration platform.
Broad source and protocol coverage
The connector catalog spans many common SaaS applications, cloud services, and databases, which reduces the need to build and maintain custom integrations. Support for standard interfaces such as JDBC/ODBC and REST helps teams connect existing tools without changing their integration approach. This breadth is useful in environments that must integrate many niche or long-tail applications alongside core systems.
Standardized SQL-based access
Many connectors expose source data through a consistent SQL-oriented interface, which can simplify querying and transformation logic across different systems. This can reduce the learning curve for teams that already use SQL-centric tools and workflows. It also supports reuse of patterns across projects when integrating multiple sources with different native APIs.
Fits into existing stacks
Because the connectors are delivered as drivers and APIs, they can be embedded into established ETL/ELT tools, BI platforms, and custom services. This modular approach lets organizations improve connectivity without adopting a new integration platform. It can also support incremental rollout by adding connectors where connectivity gaps exist.
Not a full integration platform
CData Connectors focus on connectivity and standardized access rather than providing a complete orchestration, governance, and lifecycle management layer. Organizations that need centralized scheduling, lineage, complex workflow management, or broad data management capabilities may require additional platform components. As a result, overall integration architecture can remain toolchain-dependent.
Performance depends on sources
Query performance and throughput can vary based on the underlying source system’s API limits, pagination behavior, and throttling policies. Some use cases may require careful query design, caching, or staging to avoid slowdowns and rate-limit issues. This is particularly relevant when using connectors for high-volume extraction or near-real-time workloads.
Connector-specific feature variance
Capabilities can differ by connector depending on what the underlying system exposes (for example, support for write-back, advanced filtering, or metadata completeness). Teams may need to validate each target source for required operations and edge cases. This can add evaluation effort when standardizing across many applications.
Plan & Pricing
CData Connectors — Official pricing & models (collected from cdata.com)
1) Individual connector (per-product / per-driver) — common model (examples from visualization connector order pages)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop License (single connector) | $399 / year | 1 desktop; 1 data source; commercial support; royalty-free distribution for internal apps. (Server licenses are quoted separately.) |
| Server License (single connector) | Quote | Server usage (one server); intended for commercial web apps/BI/ETL; price is available by request/quote on the vendor site. |
Sources: individual connector order pages (Tableau/Power BI connector order pages show the $399/yr desktop price and server license = quote).
2) Connector Subscriptions (multi-connector, e.g., Power BI / Tableau subscriptions)
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Universal Connector Subscription (Power BI / Tableau subscription offerings) | Quote / Request a quote | Unlimited access to many (200+) connectors; includes updates/upgrades during subscription; sold as subscription with quote/ordering flow. |
3) CData Connect (Cloud / Connect AI) — tiered SaaS plans
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (Connect AI / Connect Cloud) | $99 / month (monthly) | 1 user included; Standard data sources (one included); managed MCP connectivity; AI assistant destinations. |
| Growth | $199 / month (monthly) | 1 user included; Standard + Growth data sources; curated datasets, caching; AI copilots/workflows. |
| Business | Custom pricing | All data sources including premium connectors; enterprise features (SSO, permissions); contact sales. |
Note: the Connect AI pages also expose a "Get Started Free" / free tier for Spreadsheets connectivity and a monthly vs annual toggle; annual equivalents are shown when toggled on the official page.
4) API Server & Other platform products (examples of different licensing shown on site)
| Product / Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| API Server — Community | FREE | Up to 2 connections; on-premise; non-commercial use only. |
| API Server — Pro | Quote | Additional sources, rate limiting, up to 10 connections per source; license is by quote. |
| API Server — Enterprise | Quote | Enterprise sources, SSO, table-level permissions; quote. |
| CData Sync — Standard | $7,999 / year | Up to 5 standard connections; up to 100M rows/month; optional add-ons (Unlimited Rows, Premium Connectors, CDC, SSO, etc.). |
Free plan / free trial notes
- Several CData connector products on the official site show permanently free or free community tiers (e.g., API Server Community is labeled FREE; Connect Spreadsheets exposes a Free tier).
- The site also advertises download trials and "Get a Free Trial" CTAs for multiple products (drivers, Sync, Connect Cloud/AI).
Seller details
CData Software, Inc.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
2006
Private
https://www.cdata.com/
https://x.com/cdata
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cdata-software/
