by Danielle Bingham | March 04, 2024

Data Virtualization, Reimagined: Cloud Data Access Transforms the Strategic Value of Business Intelligence Tools

CData’s inaugural virtual event, Data Virtualization, Reimagined, is coming up fast! We’re thrilled to join CData partner Google Cloud, Connect Cloud customer Scorpion, and analyst firm Forrester Research as they share their perspectives on why a new approach to data virtualization is needed to support a modern data strategy.

Our session with Bruce Sandell, Partner Solutions Architect at Google, features a live demo to walk through the advantages of connecting live data from all your sources within Looker Studio to get the most out of Looker’s functionality.

Read on to get a taste of what you’ll learn from Bruce, then join us on March 14, 2024, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm ET.

Register now

Boost the power of Looker

Looker is Google Cloud’s cloud-native enterprise BI (business intelligence) platform that provides organizations access to real-time data—wherever and whenever it’s needed. CData Connect Cloud expands Looker’s capabilities by seamlessly connecting to data sources that Looker doesn’t natively support. The tools seamlessly work together as a powerful tool to integration, visualize, and share data so Looker users can see the whole picture of their business, leading to more informed, insightful decisions.

Looker has a user-friendly interface and tools for querying, exploring, and interpreting data, simplifying the process of obtaining meaningful insights from disparate data sources. It offers native integrations with popular data sources, like data warehouses, SQL databases, and cloud-based platforms like Google BigQuery and Amazon Redshift.

CData Connect Cloud expands Looker’s utility by allowing users to connect to specialized, proprietary, or niche systems—and hundreds of other data sources—as if they were native integrations. Connect Cloud eliminates the need for manual coding against APIs, letting users establish connections to non-native sources with just a few clicks.

Fast and easy self-service reports

Real-time data access is critical for time-sensitive decision-making. And building a data pipeline from scratch takes a lot of time and expertise. With Looker and CData Connect Cloud, organizations can give their teams self-service access to live data, removing the hassle of waiting for IT to fulfill customized data requests. Looker’s intuitive user interface remains consistent throughout the experience with the same functionality that users expect.

Reports and analyses are built with the most recent data so decision-makers can react to market changes, derive customer insights. Organizations can quickly develop actions that enable them grow and stay competitive.

Robust data governance support

Data governance and security are critical functions in today’s modern data-driven organizations. Looker permits access control down to the individual level, which lets users build their own reports without accessing data they don’t need to see. Connect Cloud doesn’t interfere with Looker’s security layers because it connects Looker directly to the underlying data sources. There is no movement or copying of the data, ensuring that it stays where it is and is accessed only by those who need it.

Point, click, visualize

Connect Cloud helps magnify Looker’s capabilities by expanding access to data sources that would normally require custom coding to integrate. Live data access accelerates business intelligence and reporting, which speeds up decision-making and allows for targeted business operations.

Users work directly in Looker’s user interface, so they don’t have to get used to yet another tool or get additional permissions or login credentials that they have to remember. Looker's self-service capabilities remain the same.

Reimagine your data strategy with CData

CData supports data connectivity within the entire Google Cloud Suite. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re getting the most value from your data tools, this event is for you.

Join us to learn more about the future of data virtualization March 14, 2024, from 11am to 12:30pm ET.

Register now