The CData MCP Server for Spark SQL defines each connection to Spark SQL as a named configuration that Claude can use when sending natural language queries.

You create and manage these configurations using the MCP Configuration Tool. The tool automatically handles formatting, storage, and registration with Claude Desktop.

Understanding Connection Configurations

Each connection configuration is stored in a .mcp file. This file includes the details needed to initialize the connector when Claude starts a session.

• On Windows, configuration files are stored in "~/AppData/Roaming/CData/Spark SQL Data Provider/".
• On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/Spark SQL Data Provider/".

The .mcp file is a text file that contains a list of connection properties and a timestamp. For example:

#Tue May 20 15:48:40 EDT 2025
AuthScheme=Basic
User=myUser
Password=myPassword
Security Token=myToken

The configuration tool handles these settings automatically. Each saved configuration enables Claude to launch a dedicated MCP Server instance with the correct connector and options. Manual file editing is not required.

Connecting to Spark SQL

Specify the following to establish a connection with Spark SQL:

• Server: The host name or IP address of the server hosting SparkSQL.
• Port: The port for the connection to the SparkSQL instance.
• TransportMode: The transport mode to use to communicate with the SparkSQL server. Accepted entries are BINARY and HTTP. BINARY is selected by default.

Securing Spark SQL Connections

To enable TLS/SSL in the server, set UseSSL to True.

Authenticating to Spark SQL

The service may be authenticated to using the PLAIN, LDAP, NOSASL, KERBEROS auth schemes.

PLAIN

To authenticate with PLAIN, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: PLAIN.
• User: The user to login as.
• Password: The password of the user.

To authenticate, set User and Password.

LDAP

To authenticate with LDAP, set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: LDAP.
• User: The user to login as.
• Password: The password of the user.

To authenticate, set User, Password, and AuthScheme.

NOSASL

When using NOSASL, no authentication is performed. Set the following connection properties:

• AuthScheme: NOSASL.

Kerberos

For details on how to authenticate with Kerberos, see Using Kerberos.