The CData MCP Server for Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services defines each connection to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 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/Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services Data Provider/".
• On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services 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 Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services

To connect, set the URL property to a valid Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services endpoint and provide authentication. The server must connect to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services instances hosted over HTTP with XMLA access. See the Microsoft documentation to configure HTTP access to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services.

Authenticating to Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services

The server supports the major authentication schemes, including HTTP and Windows.

Set AuthScheme to use the following authentication types.

Anonymous Authentication

If anonymous authentication is available, set AuthScheme to none to avoid authentication.

Basic

Set SQL Server database User and Password and set AuthScheme to "BASIC".

Windows (NTLM)

Set the Windows User and Password and set AuthScheme to "NTLM".

Kerberos

Please see Using Kerberos for details on how to authenticate with Kerberos.

Securing Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services Connections

By default, the server attempts to negotiate SSL/TLS by checking the server's certificate against the system's trusted certificate store. To specify another certificate, see the SSLServerCert property for the available formats.