CData, Microsoft unlock broad MCP data connectivity
CData has announced the availability of Model Context Protocol connectivity via its Connect AI platform within Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft Agent 365.
The partnership brings a universal connectivity layer to organisations seeking to automate business processes using AI.
Through the Connect AI platform, Microsoft Copilot Studio users gain access to hundreds of pre-built connectors that manage data flows from a wide range of business applications and databases. This centralised approach is designed to handle schema translation, various API protocols, and multi-source queries, which have traditionally challenged enterprises aiming to use AI for cross-system analytics and decision-making.
The integration enables enterprises to build AI agents that can access, understand, and act on live data from over 350 enterprise systems, including Salesforce, Snowflake, NetSuite, SAP, and ServiceNow.
Semantic context
The Connect AI platform extends beyond simple data connectivity. It provides semantic intelligence about the underlying systems, allowing AI agents to interpret system-level metadata, schema, entity relationships, and business logic.
The solution is intended to help organisations overcome 'context overload' by supplying relevant business context, which supports more accurate agent reasoning across multiple data sources. In addition to structured data, agents can also interact with unstructured file data, supporting direct editing and revision tracking without requiring complex retrieval-augmented generation pipelines.
Security and governance
The platform incorporates enterprise-grade security, integrating with Microsoft Agent 365's governance framework. It enforces identity-first security using inherited permissions, with support for OAuth, single sign-on, and granular access controls based on CRUD (create, read, update, delete) permissions. All data activity is logged via audit trails. Enterprises can configure curated workspaces and custom toolsets tailored to specific use cases, designed to ensure data governance and optimise agent performance for regulated or sensitive environments.
"These agents leverage the semantic intelligence of underlying systems to deliver richer context and actionable insights with greater accuracy and efficiency. Meanwhile, IT retains full visibility and control through Agent 365's governance framework, ensuring secure and compliant use of CData's universal MCP toolset," said Sabin Nair, Group Product Manager, Microsoft.
Operational efficiency
Organisations using Connect AI are offered capabilities intended to reduce operational complexity and lower infrastructure costs. Unified endpoints and advanced query execution are designed to minimise token consumption, an important consideration for AI workloads.
The platform's managed, hosted nature means enterprises can quickly configure new data sources and deploy agents without investing in bespoke infrastructure or integration projects.
"AI agents are only as valuable as the data they can access and understand. With Connect AI integrated into Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft Agent 365, we're eliminating the three barriers that have prevented enterprises from deploying truly intelligent agents at scale. Our platform doesn't just connect to data sources-it teaches AI agents the schemas, relationships, and business logic native to each system, enabling sophisticated multi-source analysis that was previously impossible," said Amit Sharma, CEO, CData.
