C3 AI Platform

C3 AI Platform is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) for building enterprise applications. Its purpose is to integrate data sources into a unified model that can be accessed, analyzed, and acted upon by machine learning applications. C3 AI Suite offers specialized low-code integrated development environments (IDEs) for each step of the development process, from data integration to DevOps.

Multiple IDEs

C3 AI Platform is ultimately a tool for developing and deploying applications, but the components of those applications often involve custom data integrations, machine learning modules, and overall application logic. Each of these components may require different tools and techniques, so C3 AI Platform offers four separate low-code/no-code IDEs. The following sections will briefly cover the overall features, use cases, and target users for each one.

For VSCode users, C3 AI Platform also offers a VSCode extension. This extension includes syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and error checking features specifically configured for C3 AI Suite.

Data Integration

For data engineers and business analysts, C3 AI Platform includes C3 AI Data Studio. This IDE contains tools for exploring and combining disparate data sources into a single unified model. It includes native integrations to popular data stores, file systems, and other services. Among other features, C3 AI Data Studio allows users to create reusable data transformations, catalog metadata, and create validation rules for data ingestion.

Machine Learning

To design, train, and deploy machine learning algorithms in C3 AI Suite, data scientists can use C3 AI ML Studio. Developers can use it to create custom functions or use open-source libraries from popular languages such as Python and R. C3 AI ML Studio also offers tools for running, sharing, and analyzing optimization experiments. For lifecycle management, the IDE includes tools for tracking library versions, managing runtime environments, and deploying models to production.

Application Development

When creating an end-user application using C3 AI Suite, developers will use C3 AI Applications Studio. It offers a library of customizable components in a low-code/no-code environment. It offers a drag-and-drop workspace for designing user interfaces, connecting components to the data sources, and defining application logic. C3 AI Applications Studio natively supports React and Redux, two popular Javascript frameworks for web application development. Developers can use C3 AI Applications Studio to create custom components or use existing React libraries.

DevOps

Lastly, C3 AI DevSecOps Studio provides an environment for managing the application development and release process. It includes tools for continuous integration, version control and branching, and automated testing. Users can create pipelines to create, manage, and monitor cross-cluster deployments. For team managers and administrators, C3 AI DevSecOps Studio includes user management and permissions tools that integrate with common Identity Management products such as ActiveDirectory and Okta.

Community Content

While C3 AI Platform can be used to create internal-only applications and tools, the platform also allows businesses to sell their work via C3 AI Marketplace. Developers can list and purchase individual data models, datasets for machine learning, or ready-to-use applications. Some products can be further customized after purchase to give enterprises a pre-built starting point for their own applications.

Security and Administration

Security and user management are important features of any enterprise platform, and C3 AI Platform is no different. C3 AI Suite integrates with SAML v2.0-compliant identity management solutions and supports two-factor authentication for additional security. Role-based access tools allow administrators to limit access to sensitive data or resource-intensive applications. The platform also includes tools to manage and scale hardware resources, monitor overall performance and status, and encrypt data in storage and in transfer.