CData Software Was Recognized as a Challenger in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools

CData's platform connects and governs access to hundreds of enterprise systems for people, applications and AI agents

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CData Software today announced that it has been positioned as a Challenger in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools. CData is the only vendor positioned in the Challenger quadrant in this year's report.

CData's platform provides a unified data layer that enables people, applications and AI agents to access and work with enterprise data across cloud and on-premises systems. As organizations move AI initiatives from experimentation into production, the platform brings together the connectivity, context and governance required to make enterprise data accessible and useful to a growing range of data consumers.

"We believe this placement reflects where we've put our effort: one data layer that works for people, applications and now AI agents, and now through our Connect AI Gateway," said Amit Sharma, Co-founder and CEO of CData Software. "Agents need the same data foundation that people and applications already rely on, which is why our AI gateway builds on it."

One data layer for people, applications and AI agents

Enterprise AI requires more than a connection to a data source. AI systems need access to relevant information, an understanding of what that information means, and the ability to operate within established policies and permissions. The CData Platform brings these capabilities together through a common foundation that addresses three requirements for enterprise data access:

• Connectivity: Access to data across hundreds of cloud and on-premises systems, supporting integration, replication and live data access.
  
  
• Context: Enterprise data, documented business definitions and organizational knowledge that help AI systems interpret requests and produce relevant results.
  
  
• Control: Governance and permissions that help ensure people, applications and AI agents access data in accordance with organizational policies.

Extending data integration to AI

CData Connect AI Gateway extends the company's data integration foundation to this emerging category of users. The gateway provides a control point for AI models, tools, data and actions, applying governed access while connecting agents to enterprise systems. It also supports model routing and access to the context agents need to work with business data.

By building AI access on the same connectivity foundation used for integration and replication, CData enables organizations to extend existing data connections and governance to AI applications and agents.

The company continues to invest its platform across all three areas. Recent work includes change data capture for SAP HANA, DB2 for i, and SAP Gateway, along with built-in Git integration. The Context Engine builds a governed graph of system context, business definitions and company knowledge, so AI agents interpret enterprise data the way teams mean it. The AI gateway routes each LLM request to the right model and each MCP call to the right tools and data.

CData is also expanding the ways developers and organizations can connect AI systems to enterprise data through published connectors and integrations for leading AI platforms. In addition, CData Labs provides benchmark data for enterprise AI, so teams can see how AI performs on real enterprise data.

Read the full 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Data Integration Tools report: https://www.cdata.com/lp/gartner-magic-quadrant-2026/ 

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Data Integration Tools, Thornton Craig, Robert Thanaraj, Sharat Menon, Jenna Goodrich, Nina Showell, November 2, 2026.

GARTNER is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Magic Quadrant is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates.

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About CData Software

CData is the AI gateway between AI and the systems that run the business. One control point connects agents and individuals to data across hundreds of enterprise systems, grounds every request in company context, governs it down to the record and routes it to the most efficient model. Built on CData's data layer, it delivers accurate answers, governed access and falling cost, whether the user is an agent, an application or a person. CData powers AI workloads for Anthropic, Databricks, Microsoft, Google, Palantir and more than 10,000 customers worldwide. Learn more at www.cdata.com or contact info@cdata.com.

SOURCE CData Software