What is data access?

Data access is the ability to retrieve, modify, copy, or move data from IT systems in any location, whether the data is in motion or at rest.

Your applications need to source data from a range of sources to enable reporting, supply chain management, business intelligence, analytics, and other functions.

Why use data access tools?

Your enterprise data exists across multiple databases, many of which reside on legacy systems. Adabas, Db2®, IMS, VSAM™, Datacom®, and others represent decades of investment that you can easily leverage.

Data access tools unlock your enterprise data from multiple sources, including legacy and non-relational systems, using standard SQL, so you can access it in real time on a single platform. You can easily deliver access to web tools, including Visual Basic®, C, C++, Java®, Python®, PHP, and .NET®.

Data access works with complementary technologies, including data virtualization and master data management, to put your data to work on-premises, in the cloud, and everywhere in between. Build on your valuable legacy while accelerating your digital initiatives!

Use cases include:

Reporting

Business users often need to compile information from legacy, relational, and non-relational data sources. With data access tools, end users can access the data they need, enabling IT to reduce internal support requests and free up valuable time. Users can run queries and create customized reports based on their needs, saving them for distribution in a wide range of file formats, including Excel®, PDF, HTML, images, and delimited files.

Web access

Most companies have mission-critical data flowing to and from their website, customer portal, or intranet for services such as e-commerce, customer support, service chain, and supply chain management. All of these web-based applications require a data access platform if they have legacy systems in place to store their information.

Application modernization

Modernizing data access with the web enables companies to engage with customers, suppliers, partners, and employees in more far-reaching and powerful ways, putting data “in the trenches” where it can be used effectively to keep operations moving forward.

Benefits of data access using CONNX

Access all your data sources

CONNX offers 150+ database adapters, the industry’s largest range, to deliver standard SQL connectivity to a wide spectrum of databases (legacy, relational, big data, and cloud) residing on platforms that include mainframe, OpenVMS, IBM i (AS/400), UNIX®, Linux®, Windows®, and the desktop. Connect to any ODBC, OLE DB, JDBC®, J2EE®, or .NET compliant application, report writer, or development tool. Connect to your enterprise data wherever it is stored, unlike ETL approaches that move your data from its original location.

Accelerate mainframe integration

CONNX enables easy access to Adabas, Db2, IMS, VSAM, Datacom, and other legacy and non-relational systems, with standard SQL, so you can access them in real time on a single platform. You can easily deliver access to web tools, including Visual Basic, C, C++, Java, Python, PHP, and .NET.

Streamline with access, not movement

Data access is different from data movement, such as the ETL process. Instead, CONNX data access solutions can leave your original data intact, whether it’s in a mainframe, legacy, big data, or cloud system. This greatly reduces the risk of errors and data loss, as well as the workload.

Deliver integration projects faster at lower cost

Simplify SQL data access to legacy and other data sources to unlock enterprise data from everywhere in your organization. Make your data accessible to critical applications, business intelligence systems, and web-enabled front ends at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional in-house development.

Maintain security

Keep sensitive data safe with secure access. Manage multiple database logins and secure access to the data in each system.

Improve decision-making

Respond faster with insights based on a flow of real-time data from multiple and disparate databases through a single platform.

Accelerate digital initiatives

Leverage your valuable legacy technology platforms with data access tools that connect your enterprise data to new data warehouses, web apps, business intelligence tools, big data, and cloud platforms.

Data access